Our mission-level commitment to compassionate service, ethical conduct, and the creation of an inclusive and diverse community is not only generative of academic excellence on our campus but implores us to expand positively our relationships with the broader community. We seek to create deep, meaningful connections with members of the USD community as well as with the community within which USD is situated.
Reyes Quezada ’83 (MEd), EdD
When Professor and Chair of the Department of Learning and Teaching, School of Leadership and Education Sciences Reyes Quezada ’83 (MEd), EdD was recognized at USD’s Inaugural Diversity and Inclusion Impact Awards in 2022, he noted in his remarks that, “It is not the award that is bestowed, but the respect and the responsibility that comes with it. This award is something that I will carry in my heart, and I will always cherish.”
For me, the support of diversity, equity and inclusion is not a one-semester or one-year accomplishment event, but a lifetime dedication to la causa, the cause, in many fronts: in my profession, in my community and in my daily actions.
A sample of initiatives related to Community Relationships and Engagement:
- USD creates diversity, equity and inclusion-focused virtual programming for all alumni, highlighting USD faculty members who speak on contemporary topics, such as racial inequality and social justice. For more information, contact the senior director of the Alumni Association.
- University Galleries routinely collaborates with partners beyond the university. For example, the successful project, Christ: Life, Death and Resurrection welcomed parishes throughout San Diego even as it marked the culmination of a multi-year collaboration with the British Museum. Similarly, Chicano Park@50: Renewal and Self-Determination through Poster Art was accomplished in tandem with the Chicano Park Steering Committee and museum. In the spring of 2022, the exhibition entitled Storywork: Marie Watt Prints was conceived to encourage dialogue with local native populations throughout San Diego. For more information, contact University Galleries.
- The Career Development Center has created a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion toolkit that community partners/employers may use to recruit diverse talent.
- The center has worked to broaden opportunities for engaged experiences for students that support employers in diverse communities, offering students the opportunity to learn new skills while supporting small business success. For more information, contact the Career Development Center director.
- The Changemaker Hub fosters a university-wide ecosystem that strengthens the collective capacity of USD students, faculty, staff and community partners to address humanity’s most urgent challenges through meaningful, sustainable and innovative collaborations in order to advance USD’s mission. As an example, in the 2021-22 academic year, the Changemaker Challenge focused on the issue of food justice and partnered with a nonprofit called Farm Forward to implement the challenge. For more information, contact the director of the Changemaker Hub.
- USD further advances its welcoming community with a calendar of events and special invitations to our neighboring communities in our Torero Town News quarterly newsletter. For more information, contact the associate vice president of Marketing and Communications.
- Through reciprocal community-based learning, the Mulvaney Center engages USD students, faculty, staff and alumni to learn and act in partnership with the community, making lifelong commitments to promote social change and justice. The Mulvaney Center offers a variety of programs to enhance community relationships and engagement. Contact the assistant vice president of Community Engagement and Anchor Initiatives for more information.
- Parent and Family Relations actively recruits parent volunteers from underrepresented populations to create a more diverse Parent Board. For more information, contact the director of Parent and Family Relations.
- Procurement hosts a supplier diversity event on campus. Procurement has also opened up its surplus warehouse to local vendors and allowed them to purchase surplus supplies with a contribution to student scholarships. Procurement engages in ongoing community outreach, training and certification of small local vendors to approve them to do business with USD. Additionally, the contracts program for small local food vendors is being expanded. For more information, contact the director of Procurement.
- The Dean of the Knauss School of Business is the co-chair of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation’s Anchor Institution Initiative, which has set a goal of creating 50,000 quality jobs during the post-pandemic recovery efforts. For more information, contact the dean of the Knauss School of Business.
- Fraternity and Sorority Life hosts the "Engage in Change" workshop series to promote identity development, dive into power and privilege, and develop plans for partnerships in the local community. For more information, contact the vice president of Student Affairs.
- Once a month, USD students and University Ministry staff prepare and share dinner with residents at Rachel’s Night Shelter, a women's homeless shelter in downtown San Diego.
- USD holds community service immersion trips for faculty, staff and administrators to serve the community in San Diego, East Los Angeles and Tijuana. For more information, contact the vice president for Mission Integration.
Areas of Focus