Program History

The Guadalajara Summer Program is USD's oldest and largest study abroad program. The program began in 1963 when Dr. Gil Oddo, Professor Emeritus, brought a handful of USD political science students to Guadalajara to study foreign policy and Spanish. In 40 years, the program has grown exponentially and now offers over 30 different courses from a variety of disciplines. What started out as one professor's dream to provide USD students with a new linguistic and cultural experience has evolved into a very successful institutionalized study abroad program for USD students as well as students from other universities.

In 1995, when Dr. Oddo retired, the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures adopted the program. Dr. Kim Eherenman took over the administrative responsibilities as Executive Director and the emphasis of the program shifted to Spanish language acquisition and Latino Studies. In addition, in order to accommodate the growing number of students, the program was relocated to the UNIVA University.

In 1998 Dr. Kim Eherenman was appointed Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures and Professor Carl Jubran was appointed Executive Director under the mentorship of Dr. Patrick Drinan, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. The program again relocated to the ITESO University in order to accommodate the growing need for more technologically advanced facilities. In the last two years, Professor Carl Jubran, in cooperation with the University Ministry at the University of San Diego, has implemented a new community service component to provide students with an increased sensitivity for social consciousness. Today, the program experiences a renewed interest in bi-national cultural awareness and a cross-cultural emphasis across the academic curriculum. The program now welcomes over 200 students annually, offering them an unprecedented academic and cultural experience.