University of San Diego Announces Completion of $200 Million Fundraising Campaign

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 20, 2007 - The Donald P. Shiley Center for Science and Technology. The Degheri Alumni Center.  The Missions Café and Fitness Center, and Mother Rosalie Hill Hall.

These are all marvels that have been completed on the University of San Diego campus as result of the successful Campaign for the University of San Diego.  Launched in 2001, the campaign has recently exceeded its $200 million goal. 

On Jan. 3, Darlene Marcos Shiley, chair of USD’s Board of Trustees, will join USD President Mary E. Lyons, Ph.D., for a major end-of-campaign announcement and celebration at 10:30 a.m. in the Bishop Charles Francis Buddy Sala, located in the newly completed Mother Rosalie Hill Hall.  They will be joined by members of the university community, including students, faculty and staff who wish to commemorate this momentous occasion.

“Truly everyone who loves the University of San Diego should rejoice with us as we celebrate this historical university achievement,” said President Lyons. “The Campaign for the University of San Diego is the largest fundraising effort USD has ever undertaken. 
We are so grateful to our donors, alumni, parents, students and all who contributed to help this university grow and improve the quality of our students’ educational experience.”

“The funds raised through the campaign have already begun to benefit our students, faculty and staff,” said board chair Darlene Marcos Shiley.  “As a liberal arts university, every USD undergraduate student is required to take course work in the sciences.  Those courses are now offered in the Shiley Science Center, in ultra modern facilities, taught by many of the most innovative faculty in the nation.”  

The university announces completion of the campaign in similar fashion as it started – with a generous gift from local philanthropists Donald and Darlene Shiley.   In 2001, the Shileys contributed more than $10 million to launch the campaign with construction of the state-of-the-art Donald P. Shiley Center for Science and Technology.  The Shileys have recently announced they will close the campaign by contributing $1 million to the
recently-opened Mother Rosalie Hill Hall, which houses the School of Leadership and Education Sciences.

The campaign began with a quiet phase which allowed the university to generate excitement within and from close donors.  Since that time, more than 23,000 new and repeat donors have contributed over 66,000 gifts to support initiatives in all areas of the university.  The campaign’s success has benefited many areas of campus including expanded academic programs such as the new School of Peace Studies; completion of several important capital projects including the Degheri Alumni Center and Mother Rosalie Hill Hall; enhanced campus life with the addition of new residence halls such as the recently opened Santa Buenaventura and Missions Café and Fitness Center; upgraded athletic facilities and student support services; and significantly enhanced the university’s endowment which has grown from $130 million in 2001 to more than $300 million
today.

About the University of San Diego
The University of San Diego is a Catholic institution of higher learning chartered in 1949; the school enrolls approximately 7,500 students and is known for its commitment to teaching, the liberal arts, the formation of values and community service. The inauguration of the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies brings the university’s total number of schools and colleges to six. Other academic divisions include the College of
Arts and Sciences and the schools of Business Administration, Law, Leadership and Education Sciences, and Nursing and Health Science.

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About the University of San Diego

Strengthened by the Catholic intellectual tradition, we confront humanity’s challenges by fostering peace, working for justice and leading with love. With more than 8,000 students from 75 countries and 44 states, USD is the youngest independent institution on the U.S. News & World Report list of top 100 universities in the United States. USD’s eight academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences, the Knauss School of Business, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. In 2021, USD was named a “Laudato Si’ University” by the Vatican with a seven-year commitment to address humanity’s urgent challenges by working together to take care of our common home.