USD Shines Bright on the Diamond During 75th Anniversary Founders Gala

The historic evening marked the culmination of a celebratory year and announced the largest philanthropic gift ever to USD

Under the lights of Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres and considered to be “America’s #1 ballpark,”  the University of San Diego celebrated its storied history and looked ahead to a bright future during its 75th Anniversary Founders Gala on November 16. Under the theme “Shine Bright on the Diamond,” a reference to the event’s location on the baseball diamond and outfield, nearly 1,000 attendees converged to dine, dance and raise their paddles in support of student scholarships.

Sponsored by US Bank, the event paid homage to USD’s history through several interactive elements. An “alumni alley” at the infield reception featured historical photos of the university through the decades and a special lounge that showcased USD’s signature alumni awards: The Bishop Buddy Award, the Mother Rosalie Hill Award, and the Career Achievement Award. The names of honorees were displayed and past recipients were encouraged to attend, don their honorary medallions, and were recognized collectively during the program.

Separately, an athletics “hall of fame” section featured large displays of each of USD’s NCAA sports and recognized past Torero athlete award recipients. Photos that adorned the walls surrounding the section showed generations of Torero athletic teams celebrating conference and divisional championships. 

The event’s honorary chair and chair emerita of USD’s Board of Trustees, Darlene Marcos Shiley, arrived in style following a video montage of her getting ready across campus with the help of talented USD students. At the end of the video, Shiley and student Christian Welch ‘25, boarded a Lucid Air automobile in front of the Donald P. Shiley Center for Science and Technology for the “trip” to Petco Park. Thanks to the magic of the movies, the car “arrived” at Petco Park just in time for Shiley and Welch to make their curtain call on stage to a standing ovation.

Following Shiley’s opening remarks, the USD Gospel Choir, under the direction of Professor Ken Anderson, delivered a musical invocation to the special evening.

This year’s co-emcees were Andrew Biros of USD and Veronica Guzmán of Entravision. Biros is the senior director of the Center for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which presents many of USD’s social impact programs, including the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge and Fowler Business Concept Challenge. Guzmán is an anchor for Noticias Univision in San Diego. The longtime partnership between Entravision and USD celebrates the university’s commitment to being a Hispanic Serving Institution.

As Biros and Guzmán started the program, they were interrupted by a very special call from alumnus Matthew Dominick ‘05, “phoning” in from the International Space Station to wish his fellow Toreros a happy 75th anniversary. Special guests were honored throughout the program, including members of the Board of Trustees, past presidents and leaders, and distinguished members of the community.

In addition to the generosity of sponsors and those in attendance through the silent and live auctions and Fund-A-Torero Paddle Raise, two momentous gifts punctuated the festivities and solidified the 2024 Founders Gala as a signature moment in USD history.

During the live auction, Trustee Michael Persall ’02 and fellow alumnus Joe Kudla ’00 announced a $2 million commitment to USD to establish a new Entrepreneurship Leadership Summit in partnership with the university’s Knauss School of Business. Persall and Kudla shared their personal stories and facilitated a paddle raise for those in attendance to join them at the Summit as inaugural attendees for $25,000 each.

At the very end of the evening, Shiley announced a transformational gift to revolutionize STEM education and research at USD. Shiley’s $75 million gift is the largest in USD history and among the largest ever given to any Catholic university in the country. The funding will touch several areas of USD’s campus, with a primary emphasis on creating what will be known as the ‘Shiley STEM Initiative’, expanding innovative STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs, and constructing new, state-of-the-art STEM facilities on the USD campus.

The Founders Gala was initiated in 2009 under the leadership of Coreen Petti, associate vice president for university events and partnerships. In the six galas held before this year, the event raised over $6 million for student scholarships. The 2024 event proved to be an extraordinary occasion - raising $80.1 million in total, including the $2 million gift from Persall and Kudla, as well as the announcement of Shiley’s $75 million transformational gift. 

–Story by Russell Yost, Photos by Zach Barron and Lauren Radack