2024 President's Report

The University of San Diego, in partnership with Jordan D. Schnitzer and the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation in Portland, Oregon, was proud to present a major, traveling retrospective — Storywork: The Prints of Marie Watt Selections from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation — at the University Galleries.

The Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice launched the new Violence, Inequality and Power Lab. The VIP Lab is a space where individuals can come together to discuss ways in which we can confront power imbalances that reinforce cycles of violence.

Throughout the month of February, the University of San Diego celebrated Black History Month by offering up a series of campus profiles stories, a reflection by Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Regina Dixon-Reeves, PhD, and promotion of events that delve into issues and celebrate and recognize greatness, excellence and legacies within the Black community — on- and off-campus.

Hosted by USD’s Center for Inclusion and Diversity, the Diversity and Inclusion Impact Award was created to recognize outstanding faculty members and staff from the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences and the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, for their work with helping communities of color, as well as those who are underserved and marginalized.

USD jumped in graduate school rankings for the 2023 U.S. News and World Report in the best law school category (#64 from #86) and the best business school category (#85 from #92). The full-time MBA at the Knauss School of Business earned the #1 spot for MBA programs in San Diego and #9 in all of California.

Approximately every decade, USD undergoes an accreditation process — an evaluation of operations, academics and institutional procedures. This month, it was announced that the university was granted a 10-year reaffirmation of accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission.

USD, through the Frances G. Harpst Center for Catholic Thought and Culture, honored 21 faculty, staff and community members as Laudato Sí Fellows to recognize the good work they are doing in the care for our common home. Each honoree participated in a series of presentations and discussions during a lecture series celebrating the 5-year anniversary of Laudato Sí.

The 2022 Creative Collaborations Undergraduate Research Conference showcased work from 105 students across the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Knauss School of Business. It was the first time the annual event, which began in 2012, was held in-person since the COVID-19 pandemic forced everything into a virtual space.

Miguel Hornedo, a senior Psychology major and assistant at the USD Commuter Commons, was named President for a Day and took over the reins from USD President James T. Harris III, DEd, on May 10. As a commuter student, Hornedo understands the challenges students face who don’t have a dedicated living and learning space available to them on campus.

The Kroc IPJ Border Fellows concluded its first year with stories of success and hope. For six professionals working and living in the U.S.-Mexico Border region, building a better world means making a sustainable difference in their communities. With the help of the Cross-Border Initiatives program, Dr. Rebeca Cázares, Luis Guillermo Gomez Rosales, Marla Lino, Florisse Vasquez, Alina Bretón and Miguel García have advanced their efforts to make the border region a more peaceful and inclusive space.

The University of San Diego held in-person Commencement ceremonies over two weekends in May. This year, more than 2,900 students graduated during five commencement ceremonies at Torero Stadium. Many graduating students have accepted career-track positions including appointments at companies such as Amazon, Deloitte, Dell Technologies, Northrop Grumman and Qualcomm.

A June announcement essentially made tuition free for most military-connected students at USD through the Yellow Ribbon Program starting in Fall 2022. Previously, students (excluding active-duty) who receive the 100% eligible Chapter 33 Post 9/11 G.I. Bill were granted additional funding for tuition through USD’s Yellow Ribbon Program. The funding — which had previously been capped for undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and law students — has now been lifted, and will be available to active service members and spouses of active service members.

A packed house of more than 100 people clapped in unison while together singing the popular gospel song, This Little Light of Mine at USD’s Inaugural Juneteenth Celebration on June 9. The event was organized by the USD Black Employee Alliance and the Division of Mission Integration and featured remarks about the history and importance of Juneteenth, a federal holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

Thirty-two Toreros completed the historical Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in June, trekking 115 kilometers (70 miles) during a six-day span to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. “This group is now braided to one another,” reflects USD Director of International Engagement and Alumni Outreach Claudia Gonzales ’99 (BA), ’03 (MA), who planned the pilgrimage in tandem with Trafalgar Travel.

More than $70,000 in net proceeds were raised during USD’s 14th Annual Wine Classic on July 9 at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice Garden of the Sea. More than 700 people attended the event, held annually to support the Alumni Endowed Scholarship Fund, which benefits current USD undergraduate and graduate students with financial need, strong academic merit and who give back to the USD and local community.

USD joined a select group of schools in California when the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering’s Cybersecurity Engineering graduate program was designated as a National Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (NCAE-CD) by the National Security Agency’s (NSA) National Cryptologic School and federal partners.

Several Toreros were drafted to the MLB in July 2022. Among them were left-handed pitcher Ian Churchill, who was selected in the 10th round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays; Brycen Mautz (second round), who was chosen by St. Louis; Chase Meidroth (fourth round) and Caleb Ricketts (seventh round), who had their names called by Boston and Philadelphia.

The Knauss School of Business has a new home. The Knauss Center for Business Education officially opened in early August, following a ribbon cutting ceremony that featured USD Board Chairman Don Knauss, the former CEO of Clorox, and his wife, Ellie. In honor of their generosity, the business school was named the Knauss School of Business.

The University of San Diego has the most beautiful campus in the nation, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company ranked USD #1 on its list of Top 25 Most Beautiful Campuses in the country. The annual ranking is one of many featured in the publication's 2023 edition of “The Best 388 Colleges. Traditionally, USD ranks high in the category and was last awarded the top honor in 2017.

The University of San Diego’s Class of 2026 has more students of color than white students, a first in the history of the university founded in 1949. The incoming class of first-year students is composed of roughly 1,245 students; 49% of whom identify as students of color as opposed to 42% white students. It is the seventh consecutive year that enrollment of students of color has grown from the previous year.

USD earned multiple spots on the publication’s list of 2022-2023 best colleges, including placing in the top 100 national universities in the top 75 for the best value for national universities. Additionally, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering placed in the 15^th spot for best undergraduate engineering and ranked highly for best undergraduate business and computer science.

The walkways throughout campus were alive with the sights and sounds of possibility Tuesday afternoon as the biannual Alcalá Bazaar returned to the University of San Diego. Colorful booths from more than 220 organizations filled Paseo de Colachis urging students to discover the multitude of opportunities and resources available both on- and off-campus.

USD received encouraging words from the president of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) as the university pushes forward in its quest to become what is officially called a Hispanic Serving Institution. “You are trying to achieve some of the things we are trying to achieve,” HACU president and CEO Antonio Flores said, addressing a crowd of students, faculty, administrators and others at the newly-opened Knauss Center for Business Education.

Oct. 1, 2022 was declared Knauss School of Business Day in the City of San Diego, the office of San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria ’00 (BA) announced during a grand opening celebration for the Knauss Center for Business Education. USD Board Chairman Don Knauss and his wife, Ellie, donated $50 million to not only fund construction of the new 120,000-square-foot facility, but also to name the Knauss School of Business.

Supporters from around the world joined together to ride a wave of giving and make an impact at the University of San Diego during the sixth annual Torero Tuesday. USD's largest day of giving saw more than $1,125,000 raised through more than 2,200 generous gifts. The overall total was enhanced by $112,500 in bonus funds thanks to the generosity of Karen and Tom Mulvaney '77 and USD Trustee David Hale. The gifts received will go toward academic and extracurricular programs, athletics and scholarships.

In his first official visit back to his alma mater, NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick ’05 (BS/BA) offered some salient advice to current Toreros: dream big and never be afraid of failure. “You can afford to make mistakes your first couple of years of college — this is the place to do it,” said Dominick, who majored in electrical engineering with minors in both physics and math. “This is the place to learn and explore and figure out who you are.”

The plaza between Copley Library and the Learning Commons is now known as Sister Thea Bowman Plaza. The plaza was formally named in honor of Bowman during a naming ceremony held in early November. Sister Bowman, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, was a prominent Black Catholic teacher, musician, liturgist and scholar who made major contributions to the Catholic Church on behalf of African Americans.

A goal in the 73^rd minute from junior Nicklas Clausen propelled the USD men's soccer team over San Francisco, earning the Toreros their first WCC Championship since 2015. After being selected seventh in the WCC Preseason Poll, San Diego finished the regular season undefeated in WCC play and competed in its first NCAA Tournament in eight years. USD finished undefeated in WCC play for just the second time in program history.

Each December, USD and the Center for Catholic Thought and Culture invites the campus community and the public at large to gather in Founders Chapel to enjoy Lessons and Carols, a Christmas celebration that dates back more than 100 years and is followed around the world in a multitude of different places.