Gifts at Work
The University of San Diego depends upon the generosity of its alumni, friends, corporate partners, foundations and others who share our commitment to providing the finest education available to its more than 8,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students. USD’s students benefit from critically important contributions to support scholarships, research projects, co-curricular programs, community service experiences, intercollegiate and intramural athletics, and facilities enhancements. The university’s generous donors provided more than $42 million in total contributions during the past year to help ensure the continued excellence and outstanding student experience for which USD is known.
In September 2012, philanthropist Darlene Marcos Shiley provided a $20 million gift to the University of San Diego in order to establish the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering at USD. That magnanimous contribution was hailed by USD President Mary E. Lyons, PhD, as “a transformational gift that raises the program’s profile to one of prominence and distinction."
Engineering, currently a department within USD’s School of Business Administration and, in the past, within the College of Arts and Sciences, now has a chance to increase its visibility.
“While a school of engineering was always our vision, our charge was to grow into that with more quality programs and more students while maintaining that vision,” said Kathleen Kramer, USD’s director of engineering programs and an electrical engineering professor.
More than 1,100 donors, led by Tom ’77 (JD) and Karen Mulvaney, provided their generous financial support this year for USD’s Center for Community Service-Learning’s (CSL) efforts and changemaking philosophy. Together, their gifts totaled more than $900,000 through the Mulvaney Challenge and contributed to a $1.2 million endowment for CSL.
The Mulvaney Challenge was simple and effective: The couple wanted to support CSL and set USD’s goal to raise $400,000 during the fiscal year. In turn, the Mulvaneys agreed to match it dollar for dollar. Donors included USD parents, alumni, faculty, staff and administrators, and through the efforts of current students in the university’s Telefunding Office, USD raised $450,000. The Mulvaneys matched it and, thus, doubled the impact for CSL and its programs.
“Karen and I are so very pleased with the response of the community to the challenge,” Tom Mulvaney said. “These monies will enable our USD students to understand the extrinsic and intrinsic value of service to and for others.”
On Jan. 28, 2012, USD President Mary E. Lyons, PhD, Executive Director of Athletics Ky Snyder and USD Board of Trustees Chairman Ron Fowler publicly addressed the university’s commitment to continued athletics excellence.
Called the Drive for Torero Success, the $30 million campaign includes a master plan to renovate the USD baseball facility, construct a golf/softball/club sports facility, renovate the Skip and Cindy Hogan Tennis Center and provide operational and scholarship endowments.
“There’s an opportunity for us to jump this to a level of excellence that, in my mind, represents what the campus represents,” Snyder said. “We started with a strategic plan of getting a real solid athletics program that focuses on winning conference championships while developing exceptional graduates. This is that next step toward excellence.”
In the spring of 2012, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science announced a gift of $7 million from the Beyster family of La Jolla to build the Betty and Bob Beyster Institute for Nursing Research, Advanced Practice, and Simulation. The new building, which will rise adjacent to the school’s present home in the Hahn Pavilion, will double the school’s research and teaching facilities.
School of Nursing Dean Sally Hardin called the gift transformative for the school. “There’s no institute for nursing research of its kind in the U.S. I am so grateful to the whole Beyster family.”
The Beyster lead gift covers nearly half the cost of the Beyster Institute for Nursing Research. The building’s total cost of $15 million must be fully secured, with construction started by 2017.
In 2011, the University of San Diego’s signature fundraising event, Founders’ Gala, once again provided more than 300 guests with an unforgettable evening of fine dining, live music and spectacular entertainment.
More than $425,000 was raised for the Founders’ Endowed Scholarship Fund, which provides much-needed financial support to undergraduate, graduate and law students. The gala, which celebrates university co-founders Bishop Charles Francis Buddy and Mother Rosalie Clifton Hill, was inaugurated in November 2009 as the culmination of USD’s 60th anniversary celebration.
