The 1990s
1990
USD ranks fourth in the U.S. News & World Report regional university survey.
Remodeled and expanded law library is dedicated as the Katherine M. and George M. Pardee Jr. Legal Research Center, one of the 25 leading academic law libraries in the nation.
1991
USD is awarded $1 million James Irvine Foundation grant to launch campus-wide cultural diversity project.
Economics Professor Alan Gin introduces his San Diego Economic Indicators Index, which has since become indispensable to the media, businesses and professionals in real estate, finance, banking and legal fields.
Campus closes for Bishop Leo T. Maher's funeral Mass. Bishop Maher was chairman of the board of trustees for 21 years.
Thomas More Hall, housing the School of Law, rededicated as Warren Hall to honor a generous gift from Joanne and Frank Warren that supports law faculty and law student scholarships.
1992
Family Business Institute founded.
Education for a New Age capital campaign completed; receives commitments of $53 million, providing funds for student financial aid, five endowed chairs and several major construction projects.
Loma Hall opens, housing the mail center, bookstore and classrooms.
USD's Department of Electrical Engineering launches first annual Walk on Water competition. Student engineering teams countywide design and build buoyant shoes that enable them to walk across the surface of USD's pool.
USD named the site of a presidential debate between President George H.W. Bush and contender Bill Clinton; canceled when Bush pulls out.
During the 1991-92 academic year, students fill 1,400 volunteer positions totaling nearly 17,000 hours of service.
Men's soccer goes to the NCAA championships; loses to top-ranked Virginia.
1993
Women's basketball wins WCC championship despite predictions of last-place finish. Advances to NCAA tournament.
Women's volleyball goes to the NCAA tournament.
Football team joins the Pioneer Football League, ending 30 years of independent status.
Child Advocacy Clinic opens.
1994
Ahlers Center for International Business established.
U.S. News & World Report moves USD from its regional to national university rankings.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching reclassified USD as a "Doctoral University II" institution, recognizing the strides the university had made in graduate studies and research.
1995
Former diocesan building dedicated as Hughes Administration Center.
President Author E. Hughes retires after 24 years. Alice B. Hayes, vice president and provost of Saint Louis University, is named his successor.
Marian Way closes in front of The Immaculata to make way for Colachis Plaza, a pedestrian mall.
1996
Sister Sally Furay, a member of the faculty since 1952, steps down as provost and vice president after serving 44 years at the university. Frank Lazarus, vice president for academic affairs at Marquette University, succeeds her.
Aromas coffeehouse earns top rank among collegiate coffeehouses. The coffeehouse repeats this honor in 2001.
USD Center for the Study of Latino/a Catholicism opens.
President Bill Clinton and Sen. Bob Dole debate in a nationally televised event from the newly renovated Shiley Theatre.
City of San Diego approves master plan for building projects over the next 25 years.
Women's volleyball goes to the NCAA tournament.
First Founders Day is celebrated on Nov. 12, the annual feast of San Diego de Alcalá, USD's patron saint.
$10 million gift from Sid Craig, to honor his wife, Jenny Craig, set in motion the plans for a new athletics arena, to be named the Jenny Craig Pavilion. The gift is the largest individual donation to the university to date.
Ethics Across the Curriculum initiative approved.
1997
Women's swimming and diving squad wins first championship.
Women's volleyball wins WCC championship, goes to NCAA tournament.
David W. May Gallery opens, featuring Southwest Indian artifacts.
Student organization United Front opens multicultural center, an educational clearinghouse.
School of Law opens Land Development Clinic.
USD joins San Diego Library Circuit Consortium, adding access to more than 2 million books.
1998
Dual, double-degree in international business introduced between USD and the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey System , a Mexican university.
MS-NBC, a national cable news network, broadcast "Values and America: A Town Meeting,"a two-hour community forum from Shiley Theatre.
Joan B. Kroc provides $25 million gift, which establishes the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at USD. The benefactor later gives an additional $5 million to endow the Institute for Peace and Justice's Distinguished Lecture Series.
Values Institute established.
Men's soccer and women's volleyball teams advance to the NCAA tournament's second round.
Women's tennis goes to NCAA championships.
975-space Mission Parking Complex opens.
Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing approved; the first Ph.D. to be offered at USD.
College of Arts and Sciences launches a minor in ethnic studies.
USD's Division of Continuing Education inaugurates a certificate program in event management.
Students launch USDtv, a campus television station that airs in student residences. The station falters, then is relaunched in 2000 with a weekly newscast and other programming.
School of Education founds the International Center for Character Education.
The National Collegiate Athletics Association granted full certification to USD's Division I athletics programs.
1999
Tennis player Zuzana Lesenarova wins NCAA championship, becoming the first Division I champion in USD history.
The men's and women's soccer teams and the women's volleyball squad earned trips to the NCAA tournaments. voices feb/march 2000.
Enrollment reaches 6,753. More than 1,400 diplomas are awarded to undergraduate, graduate and law students.
The board of trustees unanimously approves plans for a new science and technology center, paving the way for a $46 million fund-raising effort.
USD commences Upward Bound, a program that immerses 50 area high school students in a four-year regimen of college-preparatory courses, tutoring, personal counseling and cultural programs.
USD's International Center for Character Education inaugurates a certificate program in character education.
School of Law students publish first issue of the USD International Law Journal .
USD celebrates 50 th anniversary of charter approval with a week-long series of events.
The Manchester Family Child Development Center receives accreditation from the National Association for the Education ofYoung Children. Fewer than 10 percent of early childhood programs nationwide earn this ranking.
| 50th Anniversrty Snapshot | |
| Enrollment | 6,858 |
| Faculty | 584 |
| Undergraduate tuition | |
| Room and Board | |
| Degrees awarded | 1,659 |
| Major Campus Buildings | 28 |
| Square Footage | 1.4 million |