Torero Tidbits: Humanities, Catholic, Cropper Series Events; Entrepreneurship Kickoff; Student Welcomes

September is literally right around the corner, but that's not the only new beginning at the University of San Diego in the 2020-21 academic year.

Three different series swing into high gear and one singular event that serves as the kickoff to a year-long focus on entrepreneurship will all take place during the first week of September. Each of these have one more thing in common — they will each be shown in a virtual format.

The first series is one hosted by the USD Humanities Center and has been curated by veteran USD English Professor Cynthia Caywood. "All Change Here: Pandemics and Transformation," is a free series that began this past Wednesday, but will have new events on Sept. 2, 9, 16 and 23 starting at 4 p.m. Each event features an interdisciplinary panel of USD faculty members on a different subject. These discussions "explore how pandemics forever change the worlds of those who survive their metamorphic energy."

On Aug. 26, the theme was transforming a country with Del Dickson, PhD, JD, from the political science and international relations department and Alan Gin, PhD, a School of Business Economics professor. The Sept. 2 event, centered on transforming teaching, brings together Jeffrey Malecki, DMA, from the Department of Music and directors of bands and music education, and Joe Provost, PhD, Department Chair and Professor for Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Meanwhile, Thursday, Sept. 3, will be a busy day online for USD events.

First, at 12:30 p.m., a familiar name to USD alumni and longtime faculty and staff, Jericho Brown, PhD, will be the leadoff guest author in the 2020-21 Lindsay J. Cropper Memorial Writers Series. Brown, a former English professor at USD and director of the Cropper series, is the reigning Pulitzer Prize winner for poetry. He will do a craft talk and reading. The program is free to attend and runs until 2 p.m. This is the first of three fall Cropper series talks with authors. The other dates are Oct. 1 and Oct. 29.

Also, at 12:30 p.m. is the debut of "Catholic Perspectives on Racism and White Supremacy Series," which is co-sponsored by the Center for Catholic Thought and Culture, the Franciscan School of Theology and University Mission and Ministry. The first series speaker is Constance Carroll, PhD, who is the chancellor of the San Diego Community College District and is a USD Board of Trustees member. Her talk is titled, "The American Catholic Church in the Shadow of Slavery." This event runs until 2 p.m.

The final Sept. 3 event is the ninth annual USD Legacy Entrepreneurship Conference at 5:30 p.m. Hosted by the USD School of Business and the Catalyzer, this event serves as the kickoff for the entrepreneurship community at USD and in San Diego. This conference gives USD students, alumni and the San Diego community an opportunity to network with fellow Torero entrepreneurs who are changing the world with their innovative ideas. There is a panel consisting of current MBA students and 2019 Fowler Business Concept Challenge winners Carl-Olivier Dumesle and Bria d'Amours, as well as Andrew Feghali, CEO AMF Foods, Inc. and Brian Freeman, CEO founder of Heartbeat. They will be asked questions by USD students Andrew Davidson, president of the USD Entrepreneurship Club, and Kelly Gardner, president of USD's Net Impact.

Welcoming Events Continue

As the Fall 2020 semester continues to unfold, a reminder that there are still a handful of virtual welcome events taking place through Sept. 10.

Tonight, Aug. 28, 6 p.m. — Commuter Connections, hosted by Community and Leadership Development. This is a chance for the USD commuter community to meet new and returning students who live in San Diego. An email from Commuter Assistants will inform you on registering for this free event.

Monday, Aug. 31, 4 p.m. — APIDA Welcome, hosted by the United Front Multicultural Commons, is a chance for USD Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi-American community members to connect and celebrate your culture.

Tuesday, Sept. 1, 1 p.m. – UFMC Latinx Social, hosted by the UFMC, offers a get-together for Latina/o/x students, faculty and staff to enjoy fun activities, connect with student organizations and play to win giveaways!

Tuesday, Sept. 1, 3 p.m. — Out-of-State Student Welcome, hosted by the Out-of-State Student Council, is a chance for all out-of-state students to meet and get connected with a nationwide community of Toreros.

Thursday, Sept. 10, 5:30 p.m. — Native Alumni and Student Connection, hosted by the Center for Inclusion and Diversity and the Native American Alumni Affinity Group, this is a great opportunity to connect/reconnect with Native alumni, hear updates from the Native Alumni Network and for new and current Native students at USD to meet those from this network. The connection will be led by native Alumni Network Chair, Elijah Bonde '05 (BA), '15 (MA and the USD Alumni Association.

— Compiled by Ryan T. Blystone