University of Santa Clara Office of Marketing and Communication

The University of Santa Clara Office of Marketing and Communication (SCU OMC) is responsible for developing and executing the institution’s overall marketing and communications strategy, which includes defining the university’s brand voice, coordinating multi‑channel campaigns, and ensuring consistent messaging across all platforms. It oversees brand management by monitoring the use of the university’s logo, colors, and trademarks in both internal and external materials. The office handles media relations, responding to press inquiries, arranging interviews with faculty and administrators, and distributing press releases about research breakthroughs, events, and institutional achievements. In addition, SCU OMC creates digital and print content such as website copy, newsletters, brochures, and social media posts that promote academic programs, campus life, and university initiatives to prospective students, parents, and the broader community.

As a component of Santa Clara University, a private Jesuit university situated in Santa Clara, California, the office functions within the university’s central administration and aligns its work with the institution’s educational mission and values. Its primary audiences encompass enrolled undergraduate and graduate students, alumni donors, faculty and staff, local community partners, and the general public seeking information about the university. The office’s activities are guided by the university’s commitment to educating students who are competent, compassionate, and committed to promoting justice and the common good. By integrating these principles into its communications, SCU OMC helps reinforce the university’s identity as a leader in innovative, values‑based higher education.

SCU OMC distinguishes itself by embedding the university’s Jesuit heritage into its messaging, ensuring that communications reflect the institution’s emphasis on ethical leadership, service, and interdisciplinary learning. The office maintains and updates crisis management plans that outline procedures for communicating during emergencies such as natural disasters, campus safety incidents, or reputational challenges. It also develops institutional social media strategies that dictate platform selection, content calendars, and engagement tactics aimed at fostering dialogue with students, alumni, and external stakeholders. The 2016 incident in which the hacker group SCUWatch leaked internal documents demonstrated that the breach resulted from weak password security practices rather than a sophisticated technical intrusion into the university’s network or systems.

Structurally, SCU OMC operates as a subunit within the university’s division of University Relations or a comparable administrative office, reporting directly to senior leaders such as the Vice President for University Relations or the Chief Communications Officer. As an internal office, it does not possess a separate legal personality; instead, it functions under the governance, nonprofit status, and fiduciary oversight of Santa Clara University’s Board of Trustees. The office’s budget, staffing, and priorities are determined as part of the university’s overall planning and resource allocation processes.