USD President's Report 2004

In March, three USD students - seniors Emily Perttu, N ancy Rodriguez and J ennie Fong - were selected from more than 1,000 applicants to receive the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship , a top honor fo r science, math and engineering students. The recipients stood out beca use of their background in research. Fong studies molecules present in the urine of ca ncer patients, Perttu fo cuses on the energy transfer effi ciencies of molecules, and R odriguez is looking at designs to minimize th e stress that displacement causes on an elastic material. April to June Five outstanding USD graduates received honors at th e Author E. Hughes Career Achievement Awards on April 3. The recipients, chosen by a commi ttee that included admi nistra tors and academic deans, were: Garry Ridge '01 (M .S.), School of Business Administration; Cay Casey '84 (M. S.N .), '02 (Ph.D.), Hahn School of Nursing and H ealth Science; Conni C intas '88 (B.A.), '89 (M.Ed.), School of Education; Steven Altman '86 Q.D .), School of Law; and Wayne Darbeau '85 (M .A.), College of Arts and Sciences. War correspondent J oseph Galloway spoke at the J ames Bond Stockdale Leadership and Ethics Symposium on April 6. Galloway, a longtime newspaper military writer and co- author of "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young," discussed nulitaty force, exit strategies, and parallels and differences between the wars in Iraq and Vi etnam in a lecture tided "On War and Peace." The symposium provides a fo rum fo r the local N aval community and businesspeople to discuss morally challenging issues that society's leaders of all stripes face. Faculty and staff members j oined Sister Virgini a Rodee for a tour ofUSD 's "Sacred Places and Spaces" on April 15 as part o f the celebration of th e 50th anniversary of Founders C hapel. The chapel tour and explanation of its history, art and symbols was foll owed by an explorati on of the "sacred spaces" in parti cipants' lives. The program proved so popular it was repea ted on Dec. 2.

Sister Virginia Rodee '57 (M.A. '74), assistant vice president for miss ion, led two popular tours of Founders Chapel, highlighting the top-of-the-li ne material s that went into the chapel and recounting what it was like when she wa s a student.

R etired U .S. Marine Corps Gen. Anthony Zinni spoke about the prevention of deadly conflict at the April 15 J oa n B. Kroc Distinguished Lecture Series. Leaders from both sides of the border in government, the business community and academics came together on April 16 for the day-long conference, "Ten Years of NAFTA: U .S.-Mexican R egional Integration Along th e Border. " Ri chard Feinberg, senior director of the N ational Security Council's O ffice of Inter-American Affairs during the C linton Administration, talked about the future o f NAFTA during the luncheon. Albert Smith , a World War II N avaj o Code Talker, appeared at the American Indian Celebration, which highlighted native art and culture during the weekend of April 16-1 7. Other highlights included Ameri can Indian art displays, cultural perfo rmances and storytelling.