University of San Diego School of Leadership and Education Sciences to Honor Leaders in Education

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 2, 2007 – No new building would be complete without the proper furnishings. In Mother Rosalie Hill Hall, home of the School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES), the best adornment is a symbol to showcase the accomplishments and significant contributions made to the field of education in San Diego and Imperial counties.

SOLES’ faculty, staff and community leaders came together to create such a permanent recognition within the new building called, Remarkable Leaders in Education Honors, to pay tribute to individuals who have gone above and beyond to set a standard for educational excellence.

Six individuals will be inducted as the first class of Remarkable Leaders during a ceremony at 3 p.m. Nov. 10 in the Mother Rosalie Hill Hall auditorium. They have been respected for their work across a variety of areas, including work with children with developmental disabilities; creation of a world-class center for oceanographic research center; bridging the gap between minority students and colleges and businesses; giving urban students the needed skills to enter college; creating a state-of-the-art university for students to study physics, chemistry, and biology; and bringing the world of science and technology to a local community to better reach students.

“This program allows us to continue a legacy of strengthening students in this region to do more,” said SOLES Dean Paula Cordeiro. “As our students walk the corridors of this building, we want them to see the amazing strides that have been taken which have had extreme impacts on the field of education. Hopefully this will inspire them to reach higher and want to make significant contributions of their own.”

The 2007 class includes:

Cherrie Sevick - Sevick helped to shape the Lanterman Act for Developmental Disability, granting individuals with developmental disabilities access to services that enable them to live more independent and normal lives. She also helped to draft the California Master Plan for Special Education, which details comprehensive approaches for providing special education services to individuals with exceptional needs in special education local plan areas.

Ellen Browning Scripps – Founder of the world-renowned Scripps Institute of Oceanography, which to this day continues to be one of the premier oceanographic research centers in the world. She also founded the San Diego Zoological Society and the Scripps College for Women (part of the Claremont Colleges).

Hector L. Lopez - Vice-President of Counseling and Student Services for Imperial Valley College for more than 25 years, Dr. Lopez has made significant contributions to education and numerous areas of student affairs. He has initiated, developed, and implemented a variety of educational programs and services, including the 2+2+2 Program, designed to increase and enhance educational communication among local high schools, colleges, and businesses.

Mary Catherine Swanson – Founder of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program. The program is now an international program instituted at more than 3,500 secondary schools in 45 states and 15 countries. Swanson is the only public school teacher to have ever launched such a wide scale educational non-profit in the United States.

Roger Revelle – Revelle was instrumental in the development of the University of California San Diego. His vision was to create a center for Scripps Institute of Oceanography graduate students to train in physics, chemistry, and biology.

Thomas H. Watts - Thomas founded the Elementary Institute of Science (EIS) in order to stimulate an ongoing appreciation of science and technology and nurture the intellectual curiosity of San Diego’s young people. The program was designed to provide hands-on learning experiences to students while challenging them to explore their world and allowing them an opportunity to develop the skills necessary for success. The program grew from approximately 260 students in 1999 to nearly 700 students in 2004 and has been acclaimed by a number of national leaders.

The goal of the Remarkable Leaders in Education Honors program is to recognize at least five individuals or groups annually who have made a significant impact on student learning from pre-kindergarten through college in the region.

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 will bring 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 among the Top 20 Best Private Schools for Making an Impact according to The Princeton Review. 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.