USD Hosts Five Showcase Events on Thursday, Jan. 25

The University of San Diego is a campus for the whole community — students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and all who visit what The Princeton Review ranks as the nation’s most beautiful campus.

But USD is so much more than just a beautiful campus. Case in point is what’s happening at USD on Thursday, Jan. 25. During the course of one day, five unique events will take place. Each brings a chance to learn and gain new knowledge, improve upon what already exists, provides something for the community and gains deeper meaning and appreciation for life.

The five Jan. 25 events are:

• The annual Nonprofit Governance Symposium, will be held in Mother Rosalie Hill Hall, Jan. 25-27. Hosted by the Nonprofit Institute at USD, the purpose of the symposium is to highlight current best practices, lessons learned from the field, and trends in exceptional nonprofit and philanthropic board leadership, as well as board recruitment and retention. The premise is that governing well is essential for strong nonprofits working efficiently and effectively to address critical needs in our communities. This year, the theme is People, Place, and Performance: The Triple Bottom Line for Nonprofit Governance. This theme is woven throughout plenaries, seminars and workshops organized around three modes of governance: fiduciary, strategic, and generative.
• The Shiley Marcos School of Engineering will host the 13th annual “Engineering, Social Justice and Peace” Conference, Jan. 25-27 in the Cymer Ideation Space in Loma Hall. In this interdisciplinary conference, we will deconstruct engineering practices and work together to build alternatives to ensure that continuing and future engineering practices actively promote justice. Conference sessions will be engaged activities and discussions, including visits to local community programs for the opportunity to experience engineering and social justice in action. For more details, check out the conference website. Registration fee ranges from $150-$275.
• The newest event in the 2017-18 Spark Series takes place in Mother Rosalie Hill Hall on Thursday. Starting with a 4 p.m. networking reception, at 5 p.m. there will be a panel discussion themed “Let’s Talk Equitable Access to Computer Science for San Diego.” The series ignites San Diego educators through world-class, cutting edge, visionary thinking. It is a venue for site administrators, teacher leaders, central office administrators, university students, professors of education and business leaders to hear insights and perspectives from respected thought leaders in education. Thursday’s event revolves around the pressing topic of increasing equitable access to high quality computer science learning for all students. A case study from Kevin Wang, founder and ringleader of TEALS K-12, will be featured and discussed by Wang and a panel of experts in the field of access to computer science. The panel will be moderated by Christopher Newman, PhD, Associate Professor in the School of Leadership and Education Sciences’ Department of Leadership Studies. Tickets are $25.
• The College of Arts and Sciences’ Illume Series and Warwick’s Books in La Jolla present Father Greg Boyle, who will be speaking at 7 p.m. in USD’s Shiley Theatre in Camino Hall. Fr. Boyle, a Jesuit priest, is the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world. Father Boyle is the author of the New York Times-bestseller Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. His new book, Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship, is a moving example of unconditional love in dif­ficult times as he shares what three decades of working with gang members in Los Angeles has taught him about faith, compassion, and the enduring power of kinship. A limited number of tickets remain for this event — one general admission is $28 plus tax and included in the price is a copy of Boyle’s new Barking to the Choir book. The two general admission tickets and book offer is sold out. Check-in and doors open at 6:15 p.m. and seating is first-come, first-served.
• And finally, if you’re looking for some sports action, look no further than catching a competitive West Coast Conference men’s basketball game, pitting USD against visiting Santa Clara at 7 p.m. inside the Jenny Craig Pavilion. While the action on the basketball court will be exciting, fans should also pay some attention to the USD coaching staff. It’s National Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Awareness Week (Jan. 22-28). USD coaches will wear tennis shoes with suits in both games this week to help bring awareness about the fight against cancer, and to help promote the American Cancer Society as a source of inspiration and hope for those facing cancer. Tickets are available by contacting the USD Athletics ticket office at 619-260-7550, purchasing tickets at the JCP box office or by visiting www.usdtoreros.com

— Compiled by Ryan T. Blystone, USD News Center