USD President's Report 2003

OCTOBER-DECEMBER More th an 1,400 alu1m1i and family members attended this year's _Homecoming Weekend, O ct. 10-12. After the largest tailgate party in USD history, participants filled T orero Stadium to watch USD 's 41-35 win over Drake Uni versity. The alumni association honored USD 's first graduate, T erry Whitcomb '53, by crea ting the T erry Whitcomb Alumni Scholarship , whi ch recogn izes her exemplary con1mitment to USD as a student , facul ty member, administrator and alumna. At the Homecoming Mass, another longtime USD employee, Greg Zackowski '84 (M .B.A. '86), received the annu al Moth er Rosali e Hill Awa rd for outstanding service to USD. J ohn Cunningham - who came to USD in 1962 at th e age of 24 and coached USD n1en's basketball for 18 years and baseball for 35 years - was inducted into the Chet and Marguerite Pagni Famil y Athleti c Hall of Fame on O ct. 10.

After a grueling three-year application process, USD on Aug. 9 was granted a charter to start a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, th e oldest and most prestigious academic honor society in th e nation. Nationwide, onl y about 10 percent of all colleges and universiti es have Phi Beta Kappa chapters, and USD is one of only 18 Catholi c institutions among the ranks. President Ma1y E. Lyons spoke to prominent San Diego business leaders on

Academic Excellence. USO, which this year became one of only 18 Catholic institutions to have earned a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, has among its faculty 25 members of the honor society.

Sept. 17 about USD's impact on the community, region and th e world during the annual State of th e University Address and luncheon hosted by Busin essLink USD , the university's corporate affili ation program. The Joan B . Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice continued its film seri es with th e premi ere screening of "Matters of Race," whi ch aired on PBS stations nati onwide this year. The R ea] Estate Institute hosted a workforce housing conference on Sept. 1. 9. The conference, attended by nearly 300 people, fo cused on th e value of housing to th e economic future of San Diego and how to solve th e housing crisis affecting many working famili es. USD in September laun ched the English Language Academy, a full-time program to teach international undergraduate and gradu ate students about the use of the English language for academic, techni cal and professional purposes. In addition to reading skills, research writing and oral flu ency, students are introduced to Ameri can culture through fi eld trips and cultural events. The expectation is that th e students who complete the academy wi.lJ score better on th e T est of English as a Second Language and apply for admittance into USD.

Meetings and Greetings. President Mary E. Lyons "hangs loose" as she hangs out with students at the luau activity held during 2003 Homecoming Weekend.

A border issues conference titled "Strangers N o Longer: A View from Both Sides" was held O ct. 20- 24 and kicked off a border pilgrimage designed to raise awareness of life along the U.S. - Mexico border and economic policies that affect bord er communities. The conference included a screening of "The Gatekeeper," a film written, directed and produ ced by J ohn Carlos Frey '86 that depicts civil unrest at the border. Other activiti es included a panel discussion about peopl e's experiences at the border, a lecture on migration patterns and a speakers session about various border issues.

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