University of San Diego Founders’ Gala to Raise More than $500,000 for Student Scholarships

The University of San Diego will host its Founders’ Gala Saturday, Nov. 14. The university’s signature black-tie event is expected to raise more than $500,000 for student scholarships. The event begins at 6 p.m. in the university’s Jenny Craig Pavilion.

This year’s event features a live and silent auction with more than 75 luxury items including tickets to Super Bowl 50 this February, an exquisite dining experience, and a lively After Party with music from Wayne Foster Entertainment. At the Swarovski Sparkle Station, guests can make a $75 donation and receive a surprise Swarovski treasure, ranging in value from $75 to $300. There will also be a drawing for tickets to next summer’s All Star baseball game in San Diego. More than 525 guests are expected to attend this year’s gala.

“This will be a magnificent night of entertainment and dining for our guests but the event is really about our students,” said University of San Diego President James Harris. “It’s about their hopes, their dreams, their thirst for knowledge and their passion to be Changemakers for innovation and social change.”

The inaugural Founders’ Gala was held in 2009 as the culmination of the University of San Diego’s yearlong 60th Anniversary celebration. The gala is held every other year and brings together alumni, parents, trustees, and friends in the spirit of philanthropy to raise money for the Founders’ Endowed Scholarship Fund to help ensure that the most promising undergraduate, graduate and law students can experience a USD education. More than 70 percent of all USD students receive some sort of financial aid. The first three galas already have raised more than $1.5 million.

Xiomara Galindo, a two-time Emmy Award winner who has made a career creating a positive image for Hispanics in the media, is this year’s host. Andrew and Kim Busch of Santa Barbara, whose two children attend USD, are the honorary chairs.

Sponsors for the 2015 Founders’ Gala include Coca-Cola, Bartell Hotels, Cymer, the Shiley Foundation and U.S. Bank.

To learn more go to www.sandiego.edu/foundersgala.

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.