Stranger in a Strange Land: Baptist Dean of a Jesuit Law School

Authors

Mack Player, Santa Clara University School of Law

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Fall 2001

Abstract

In early 1994 when I was first approached by Santa Clara about beIng dean of its law school, I had to do basic, very basic, research before I returned their call. (This predated Web pages and my ability to access the technology that then existed.) A university guide book gave me the basics.

This sent me scurrymg to an atlas. Where is Santa Clara? As it is to most non-Californians, the profusion of California communities (and universities) with the "Santa" or "San" prefix was bewildering.

Herein foretold one of the princilpal issues that would confront me as dean, namely, the lack of national identity or even basic name recognition of Santa Clara.

At the time of Santa Clara's call, I had spent my professional life in state law schools. And while over the years, through expenence and education, I had learned a bit about Catholicism, my knowledge of Jesuits did not extend beyond a vague impression of black robes in the Canadian wilderness.

In my initial interview with the president (a Jesuit, of course), wanting to make sure there was no misunderstanding, I raised the religion issue. "Father," I said, "Do you know that I am not Catholic?" His tongue-in-cheek response: I assume you are not virulently anti-Catholic?" For him that was the end of it. My religion was not an issue with the universlty administration.

Automated Citation

Mack Player, Stranger in a Strange Land: Baptist Dean of a Jesuit Law School , 33 U. Tol. L. Rev. 143 (2001),
Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.scu.edu/facpubs/117