Recognition

Mission:  The University of San Diego is a Roman Catholic institution committed to advancing academic excellence, expanding liberal and professional knowledge, creating a diverse and inclusive community, and preparing leaders dedicated to ethical conduct and compassionate service.

University of San Diego
Community Engagement

Extensive research over the past two decades has shown that engaging students in their communities is an effective way of reaching the goals outlined in USD’s mission statement:  students develop spiritually, are more engaged in learning, can apply what they know, understand diversity, develop leadership skills, and are committed to a more just society.  Our USD assessments as well as personal conversations with students, opportunities to read what they write, and our observations of their choices after graduation confirm that this occurs through the wide array of opportunities USD offers.

USD has received recognition over the past two years for having a distinguished record in all aspects of service-learning:  community engagement, service, student leadership, social justice education, post-baccalaureate service, regional leadership, and Catholic identity.

Community engagement:  In December 2006 USD received the Carnegie Foundation’s new classification for “Community Engagement.”  This elective classification given to 76 campuses will continue to expand, but USD’s invitation to participate in the first round of 100 applications recognizes a strong record of achievement.  One of 62 campuses recognized for curricular engagement as well as outreach and partnership, our application documented the administrative support, record of service-learning scholarship (12 articles), wide array of institutes and centers that serve the community, and the level of faculty and student participation through the curriculum.  During the 2005-2006 academic year 35.9% of Law School students, 52.8% of other graduate students, and 29% of undergraduates, 14.7% of faculty, and 81.5% of departments engaged in community-based learning and teaching. 

Service:   A federal agency, the Corporation for National Service, created a new award presented in October 2006.  USD received the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for Distinction for General Community Service.  Of the 500 applicants, USD was one of 141 campuses selected for that level of recognition.  The application cited 5000 student service participants.

Student leadership: In 2006 Campus Compact published Students as Colleagues: Expanding the Circle of Service-learning leadership, which highlights the importance of developing student leaders in a service-learning context.  Along with 23 other significant programs highlighted in the book, USD’s unique program is featured in an article entitled:  Community Service-Learning at the University of San Diego: Recruiting and Building a Team.  The Center offers two 1-unit leadership courses in conjunction with the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, and this collaboration formed the basis for presentations at two International Leadership Association conferences.

Social Justice Education:  One of the purposes of service-learning is to engage students to ask the deeper questions about their purpose, our society, the vision for what might change and how it might change.  In 2005 Princeton Review published a book, collaborating with Campus Compact, called Colleges with a Conscience: 81 Great Schools with Outstanding Community Involvement.  Their selection was based on “an administration committed to social responsibility and an active, engaged student body.  Education for these schools isn’t only about private gain; it’s about the public good.”  The article on USD highlights our 100 service-learning courses, 50 on-going partnerships, service in Linda Vista and across the border, and the work of three centers devoted to service and social justice:  Community Service-Learning, the Center for Awareness, Service and Action (CASA), and the Romero Center for Faith and Action.

Long-term service:  USD has frequently received recognition for having a high percentage of Peace Corps volunteers.  Teach for America has particularly focused attention on recruiting at our campus, recognizing the quality and commitment of our students.  Forty-five students have committed a year of service through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps since 1987.  In September 2005 Washington Monthly published their first annual college rankings based on what colleges can do for the country.  USD received recognition as #6 in service nationally based in part on the high percentage of Peace Corps participants the previous year.  (The other criteria were the percentage of students serving in the community through their work-study—15%--and the percentage of students in ROTC—recognizing the military as an important form of service.)

Regional Leadership:  Due to having a stable and developed program, USD has long taken a leadership role in service-learning in the San Diego region.  Selected in 2006 as one of four sites in California for a “Learn and Serve” grant through California Campus Compact for a three-year period, USD is taking initiative to support service-learning programs emerging at three other campuses.  This $120,000 grant focuses on preparing underrepresented youth for college to address the significant issues of educational inequity.

Neighborhood connection:  Linda Vista recognizes itself as “home of USD” and USD recognizes our role in this diverse community, playing a role in local schools, after-school programs, and other community initiatives.  On average, 350 students each semester work regularly in Linda Vista with another 150 students working in other neighborhoods as well.  USD’s long-term community connection was featured in the Metropolitan Universities Journal, in an article that gives the history of USD’s involvement in Linda Vista.  The experiences of USD along with that of eight other campuses are used to explore an assessment of institutional “indicators of engagement”.

Catholic identity:   In October 2005 the National Catholic Reporter drew attention to the nine Catholic universities in the Colleges with a Conscience report.  Other campuses cited were Loyola, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, St. Anselm, St. Edwards, St. Mary’s, and Notre Dame.  USD partners with our local parish school (Holy Family), several different programs with Catholic Charities, and many Catholic agencies in Tijuana.  Students in leadership roles in the center (60 students annually) are exposed to principles of Catholic social thought as part of their training and reflection.