President Harris’ Perspective

As the spring semester winds down, and the days get a little longer and warmer, I know that USD’s Commencement is just around the corner. With that, comes the special season of celebration for our thousands of graduates and the hard work they have put into their degrees.

May is also a special time to honor and recognize our military servicemembers and veterans during National Military Appreciation Month.

USD is home to more than 900 military-connected students, including active-duty service members, veterans, and students who come from military families. We strive to be an inclusive campus where military-connected students can challenge themselves in new ways and work toward a degree that will launch them into a new career path. USD offers tuition support through the Yellow Ribbon Program and our campus has been the headquarters for the San Diego NROTC Unit since 1982, to help students looking to take the first steps into their military service.

University of San Diego NROTC Commissioning Ceremony

To assist our military-connected students even further, we are incredibly grateful to the Epstein Family Foundation for committing to a transformative $10 million matching gift, for a total of $20 million in five years, to expand resources for this community. The gift will provide scholarships, academic and counseling assistance and establish the Epstein Family Foundation Military-Connected Center for Excellence (MCCE), where military-connected students can network and unwind. Dedication like this will make an even greater impact on our military-connected community during their time at USD and beyond.

When I think about the impact of this gift, I think of the next generation of USD Changemakers. Changemakers like our veteran and active-duty students who uphold the importance of serving our country – and look for new ways to do that after leaving USD. Like student Julie Roland, who earned her law degree in just two and a half years at USD’s School of Law while serving in the Navy as a helicopter pilot. Julie will walk across the commencement stage this month and hopes to serve her community by being an advocate, especially for young people.

Or, students like Navy veteran Thomas Bowers who will earn his master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from USD’s School of Leadership and Education Sciences in a few weeks and is looking to give back to his fellow veterans. This goal stemmed from a deployment to the Middle East where he witnessed mental health issues with his military comrades. He decided to earn a degree in mental health counseling to serve his community, including veterans, bringing his own lived experiences into his future career path.

These are just a couple examples of the stellar military-connected students graduating from USD this month. Just like the military, our goal as a university is to make a difference in the world by serving our community by fostering peace, working for justice and leading with love. Together, with these shared values, I know our military students can find a comfortable and welcoming home here –as students and alumni in the years to come. And, thanks to the generosity of the Epstein Family Foundation, we can support even more military-connected students, providing them with the respect and care they deserve as they join our university community.