$20 Million Gift from Silicon Valley Family for New Learning Commons and Library Helps Santa Clara University Reach $400 Million Milestone.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Santa Clara University today announced a $20 million gift from the Sobrato family, prominent Silicon Valley philanthropists and owners of one of the largest commercial and residential real estate development firms in California.

The gift will go toward the construction of the new Learning Commons and Library on the University's campus and pushed the University's fundraising campaign over the $400 million mark. The campaign included funds for scholarships, professorships, and other important capital projects, including a new business school building.

"Silicon Valley has been good to me, and I want to share that success," said John A. Sobrato '60. "SCU graduates have shaped generations of leaders in companies in Silicon Valley. The University has changed a lot since I graduated in 1960 but what has stayed the same is the soul of the Jesuit mission: educating students with an emphasis on ethics and a commitment to giving back to the community."

The Sobrato family has long ties to Santa Clara University. John A. Sobrato is a member of the University's Board of Trustees and a classmate of University President Paul Locatelli, S.J. His son and daughter-in-law, John Michael Sobrato and Abby Sobrato, graduated from SCU in 1983. John Michael Sobrato was chair of the SCU Board of Fellows from 2001-02, and Abby Sobrato is also a former president of the Catala Club, another SCU fundraising group. Daughter Sheri J. Sobrato earned a master's degree in counseling psychology from SCU in 1994.

"The Sobrato gift to the Learning Commons and Library will benefit many generations of students and faculty. By generously investing to improve the campus learning environment they are helping move Santa Clara to a higher level of quality," said SCU President, Paul Locatelli, S.J. "The Learning Commons and Library is the most important facility to be built in my tenure as president at Santa Clara." Construction of the building began in summer of 2006 and will be completed by the start of the academic year in fall 2008.

The son of Italian immigrants, John A. Sobrato was the first in his family to go to college. He got his start in residential real estate in the mid-1950s and then developed commercial real estate with his mother, building some of the first tilt-up buildings in Silicon Valley in 1963. "I went to class at Santa Clara on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and sold real estate on Tuesdays and Thursdays," he said. Today Sobrato Development Companies is the largest developer in Silicon Valley. The firm currently owns 100 office, research, and development facilities (more than 9 million square feet) throughout Silicon Valley, and 8,000 apartment units throughout California.

"Supporting education is a very important priority for our family," said John Michael Sobrato. "Santa Clara University not only provides a rigorous academic environment, it educates men and women to be leaders of competence, conscience, and compassion."

In previous years, the Sobratos have given money to SCU to landscape the perimeter of the University campus, to endow the John M. Sobrato Professorship in Engineering, named after John A. Sobrato's father, the late John M. Sobrato; a gift to build a new apartment-style residential complex for SCU students; and a building, Loyola Hall, which houses some SCU offices. In 2005, John Michael and Abby Sobrato made a gift to the new library in honor of Norman Martin, S.J., professor emeritus of history at SCU.

The Sobrato gift comes at the end of Santa Clara's most recent fundraising campaign. The Campaign for Santa Clara was launched in 2002 to raise $350 million for scholarships, faculty, technology, and new buildings, including new library and business school buildings. The campaign ended in December at $400 million.

"The Sobratos have invested talent, time, and energy into Santa Clara," said Jim Purcell, vice president of University relations at SCU. "The new Learning Commons and Library will be the intellectual heart of the University and will allow students and faculty the resources to access the very best technology that Silicon Valley has to offer."

Over the years, the Sobrato family philanthropy has benefited other Silicon Valley institutions that include the National Hispanic University, Bellarmine College Preparatory, Valley Medical Center Foundation, and Catholic Charities.

Media: To schedule interviews call Deepa Arora, SCU media relations director, at 408-554-5125.

Background on Santa Clara's new library: The new Learning Commons and Library (cost $95 million) will help Santa Clara University achieve its goal of focusing resources on excellence by investing in the campus-learning environment. The library for the 21st century will blend SCU's Jesuit tradition with information technology in the context of contemporary Silicon Valley. More than a book repository, the new library represents a state-of-the-art learning center and gathering place for the entire University community, where teaching and learning scholars create, retrieve, and share knowledge.

About Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located in California's Silicon Valley, offers its 8,377 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master's and law degrees. Distinguished nationally by the second -highest graduation rate among all U.S. master's universities, California's oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. More information is available at www.scu.edu.