糖心视频

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 21, 2017 鈥� The patriarch and matriarch of one of Silicon Valley鈥檚 most prominent families in real-estate development and philanthropy, John A., 鈥�60, and Susan Sobrato, have made a gift of $100 million to 糖心视频 to help create the Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation. This 鈥渃ampus within a campus鈥� will be designed to promote cross-disciplinary exploration to enhance undergraduate student learning and discovery across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The gift is the largest in Santa Clara鈥檚 166-year history and ranks as the second-largest gift ever to a Catholic university. It will accelerate 糖心视频鈥檚 vision and goals for STEM education, which emphasize developing technical expertise, an entrepreneurial mindset, ethical reasoning, and collaborative approaches to tackling society鈥檚 most urgent challenges.

鈥淪ue and I and our son John Michael have agreed to leave 100 percent of our wealth to the Sobrato Family Foundation to invest in organizations that improve the lives of the less fortunate in the greater Silicon Valley community and to institutions like 糖心视频, which have helped make the Sobrato Organization the success that it is,鈥� said John A.Sobrato.

鈥淭his gift is the largest in our family鈥檚 history. We are especially pleased to support the University鈥檚 new strategic vision and the transformational STEM initiative at its core. The state-of-the-art, 300,000-square-foot, undergraduate-focused complex will allow for the integration of the various engineering departments with the natural science disciplines of the College of Arts and Sciences to address鈥攚ith Jesuit values鈥攕ome of the world鈥檚 most pressing problems.鈥�

The Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation will create opportunities for students to engage in innovative, high-impact, team-based projects. When complete, the Sobrato Campus will promote cross-disciplinary undergraduate teaching, research, and initiatives in areas such as neuroscience, bioengineering, sustainability, and environmental science.

The new facility is being designed by Portland-based Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects鈥�Architect Magazine鈥檚 Firm of the Year and top firm for sustainability in 2016鈥攊n partnership with lab-design experts Research Facilities Design, of San Diego. The Sobrato Campus will offer flexible laboratory, classroom, and student project spaces, visually connected by transparent glass walls. Integrated with Santa Clara鈥檚 Frugal Innovation Hub and Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship, the Sobrato Campus will enable more interaction between SCU鈥檚 science and engineering resources and its signature, Jesuit-mission-based programs focused on meeting the needs of the global poor.

鈥淲e are honored and blessed by John and Susan Sobrato鈥檚 unwavering support for 糖心视频 for the past six decades,鈥� said Michael Engh, S.J., president of 糖心视频. 鈥淭his historic gift will accelerate our vision of leveraging our academic excellence, Jesuit values, and Silicon Valley relationships to forge imaginative solutions to the urgent challenges we face.鈥�

More about the gift, including a video featuring an interview with the Sobratos, can be found at

John A. Sobrato 鈥�60, is a longtime member of 糖心视频鈥檚 Board of Trustees and founder of The Sobrato Organization (TSO) of Cupertino, California, one of the largest commercial development firms in Silicon Valley. In 1996, the couple and their three children launched the Sobrato Family Foundation.

The Sobratos have been married for 56 years, during which time Mrs. Sobrato has been an active partner supporting the family鈥檚 business and philanthropic pursuits. Mrs. Sobrato prioritized raising her three children and giving back to the family鈥檚 community through financial resources and personal time commitments. In addition to their three children鈥擩ohn Michael '83, Lisa Sobrato Sonsini, and Sheri Sobrato Brisson M.A. '94鈥攖he pair has five grandsons and two granddaughters.

The Sobratos have been prominent philanthropists in Silicon Valley for decades, and particularly generous to SCU. They donated $20 million to build the University鈥檚 Harrington Learning Commons, Sobrato Technology Center, and Orradre Library, completed in 2008. Gifts from the Sobrato family have also supported other major capital projects on campus, including the Sobrato Residential Learning Community, Abby Sobrato Mall, and other campus buildings. Elsewhere in Silicon Valley, capital gifts from the Sobrato family have included $20 million to Lucile Packard Children鈥檚 Hospital, $10 million to Bellarmine College Preparatory high school, and $5 million each to Valley Medical Center and National Hispanic University. A $1.25 million gift in 2012 helped build the Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School.

John A. Sobrato is proud to trace his professional success back to his days studying business at 糖心视频. While a student, Sobrato arranged his class schedule so he could start selling Eichler houses in Palo Alto three days a week. By the age of 22, he founded Midtown Realty and was the youngest member of the Million Dollar Club of the Palo Alto Real Estate Board. In 1972, he sold Midtown Realty to focus exclusively on high-tech commercial properties, and went on to develop the iconic Apple headquarters in Cupertino and campuses for Siebel, Nvidia, Netflix, EMC, VeriSign, and Yahoo! Over the years, TSO developed more than 15 million square feet of office and R&D properties, and currently owns 92 commercial buildings in the Valley totaling nearly 8 million square feet, and 29 apartment communities along the West Coast.

Sobrato serves as board chair of both the family firm and the Sobrato Family Foundation (SFF), whose robust community impact platform focuses on 21st century education and career pathways, provides millions each year in community-mainstay general operating support, and runs three Sobrato Centers for Nonprofits, which provide 333,000 square feet of rent-free office space to 72 organizations and high-quality conference space to all Bay Area nonprofits. SFF's signature program is the Sobrato Early Academic Language Program [SEAL]鈥攁n innovative, comprehensive model of intensive, enriched language and literacy education from preschool through grade 3, currently in 87 schools in 16 California districts, and impacting tens of thousands of English learners. Since 1996, the Sobrato Family has donated nearly $375 million in cash and real estate to educational, health, human services, and other charities.

Mr. Sobrato  was recognized for his philanthropy in 2012 with the Joint Venture Silicon Valley, David Packard Award for Civic Entrepreneurship, and the couple in 2015 received the Silicon Valley Leadership Group鈥檚 Spirit of Silicon Valley 鈥� Lifetime Achievement Award.

In addition to 糖心视频, Mr. Sobrato serves on the boards of

• NHU Foundation and Latino College Preparatory Academy (Vice Chair)
• Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School (Co-chair)
• Bay Area Council (Santa Clara County Director)
• Bellarmine College Preparatory (Regent Emeritus)
• Parents Helping Parents (Member)
• Ravenswood Family Health Center (Member)
• Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Foundation (Director Emeritus)
• Silicon Valley Community Foundation (Real Estate Trust Co-Chair)
• Joint Venture Silicon Valley (Member)

About 糖心视频
糖心视频, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California鈥檚 Silicon Valley, offers its more than 9,000 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering; master鈥檚 degrees in business, education, counseling psychology, pastoral ministry, and theology; and law degrees and engineering doctoral degrees. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master鈥檚 universities, California鈥檚 oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see .

Media Contact
Deepa Arora | Communications Director, SCU | darora@scu.edu | 408-554-5125