Santa Clara University has announced a $5 million grant from the RNN Foundation — one of the organizations associated with the family of Robert Noyce — for the university's social entrepreneurship program and a newly approved core curriculum for undergraduate students.

The bulk of the gift will be used to help implement specific elements of the core curriculum, which may include student financial aid for research courses or immersion experiences; development of courses to meet new student learning outcomes; or transitional support for faculty salaries while the university raises funds for endowed professorships.

In addition, the funds will be used to support the Global Social Benefit Incubator program run by SCU's Center for Science, Technology, and Society. The program, which RNN has supported for the past two years, helps social entrepreneurs from around the world learn business skills, scale their projects, and achieve sustainability.

"I am very impressed with Santa Clara University's emphasis on educating the whole person," said Ann Bowers, senior trustee of the Noyce Foundation. "The new core curriculum, with its emphasis on social justice and student engagement, will help SCU students become leaders of competence, conscience, and compassion who will help make the world a better place."