USD President's Report 1999

More than r ,400 graduates donned mortarboards and picked up their diplomas the weekend of May 29 at commencement ceremonies. Under sunny skies, Albert Reynolds , former prime minister of Ireland, talked to undergraduates, Judge John T . Noonnan, Jr., of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals , spoke to School of Law graduates, and John Hope Franklin , professor emeritus of history at Duke University, addressed graduate students. Alumni, family and friends gathered June I in the University Center for the 2Ist annual Sports Banquet. The evening featured a reception and silent auction and helped raise thousands of dollars for the USD Athletic Department. To date, the banquets - the brainchild of the late C h ester Pagni - have raised over $2 million. Marguerite Pagni, wife of the longtime Toreros supporter, gave the university $500,000 for construction of the Jenny Craig Pavilion. In recognition of the generous gift, the university renamed the school's sports hall of fame the USD Chester and Marguerite Pagni Athletic Hall of Fame. ]ujy-September Copley Library was renovated over the summer and now boasts a redesigned reference section, new comp uter terminals, a larger circ ulati on desk , and PCs with Internet access. The $273,000 renovation began after finals in May, and was completed well ahead of schedule in August. In January the catalog system will be upgraded, from a text-based to a Windows platform. The fiscal year closed June 30 with record giving to the annual fund by alumni . More than $600 ,000 was raised from 4,400 donors. Undergraduate alumni participation in the annual fund - which raises money for financia l aid, academ ic programs , technology upgrades, faculty support and oth er important needs - grew by almost 200 donors . At the same time , al umni contribution s to USD 's capital fund - raising - which supports construction and facilities such as the planned J enny Craig Pavilion athletics and activities center - totaled $1. 7 million .

With many ofUSD's most accomplished women athletes on hand , the Sports Center pool deck was the site of a ga la event Sept. 23 designed to raise money for their teams. Former basketball standout an d San Diego Union- Tribune sports writer Paula (Mascari) Bott ' 85 emceed the event, which lets friends of the women's teams meet the players and learn more about the athletics programs. The event has raised tens of thousand of dollars in the past three years. October-December Families of USD students were welcomed to Alcala Park in October for two family weekends centered around the theme "Golden Opportunities at USD. " Freshman Family Weekend , Oct. 1-3 , featured a fami ly dinner, dean's reception and tours of the city. Upper-classmen and their families got together Oct. 15-17 for Fall Family Weekend , which included seminars on study abroad, financial aid, graduate school and career services. In one of the most prominent games ever for the football program, the Toreros hosted the Yale University Bulldogs from the Ivy League Oct. 2 before a sellout crowd of 4 ,000. The milestone clash was won by Yale, 17-6 , but USD came out a winner from the viewpoint of national name recognition and competition. The university's International Center for Character Education launched a Certificate in Character Education program, which provides a course of study for educators and others interested in character education in schools and communities. The certificate

is the first of its kind in the nation , and integrates practical knowledge and research about moral development, conflict resolution , ethics , values and citi ze nship. Ground was broken Oct. 6 for the the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice , with U.S . Secretary of Education Richard Riley in attendance. As faculty continued to work on the curriculum for a new peace studies program , the in stitute hosted a four-day " Building a Culture of Peace " conference with prominent peace leaders from around the world. Performances from two fine arts music ensembles - the USD Symphony and the American String Quartets - were recorded live for the university 's first CD , a project initiated by the family of William Grant Still (r895-r978), one of the most celebrated African American composers of this century. The Still family received an educational grant to produce a two-CD set of Still's music to be distributed to elementary and high schools nationwide , and invited USD to coll aborate on the project. USD's Golden Anniversary year was capped in November with a week-long celebration culminating in the return of hundreds of alu mni to campus for Homecom ing , Nov. r 2-r4. The week included a historical theater arts performance , anniversary celebrations for the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science and the School of Education's leadership studies program, academic lectures, concerts and a day of community service. USD graduates an d parents wi ll come together to celebrate the annua l USD Mass in five locations on Dec. 8 - San Diego , Orange County, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix . The San Diego service will honor the recipient of the Bishop Buddy award , which celebrates extraordinary commitment to humanitarian causes.

After touring vendor booths and being entertained~ bands on the West Point Field, kids and parents alike were enthralled the multicultural storytellers who highlighted USD's 50th Anniversary Communi_ry Picnic in}uJy. community celebration. Families from throughout San Diego came to campus for two evenings of entertainment featuring the comedy-theater troupe Culture Clash, and were treated to a Saturday afternoon full of activities on the West Point Field , including bands, vendor booths, sports clinics a nd storytelling for children. San Diego Bishop Robert Brom cel 7 brated the university 's annual Mass of the Holy Spirit , at which USD 's vice president for mission and ministry, Monsignor Daniel Dillabough , encouraged students and faculty to take time from their hectic schedules to le arn, evaluate, formulate and create. At the President's Convocation, the annual address to the faculty by President Alice B. Hayes , 17 faculty were honored for teaching, research and service with USD's annual University Professor awards. In her Sept. I7 speech, Hayes urged the faculty to continue the university's tradition of combining the exploration of faith and culture with a commitment to teaching, reseai-ch and academic excellence. The School of Business Administration inaugurated its master's degree program in global leadership, with a fo1·mat tailored to meet the needs of military officers who will continue working wh ile ea rning a degree. The courses - developed by program director J erry Singleton and the business school faculty in consu ltation with Navy personnel - cover three main areas: leadership theory and practice , g loba l politics and law , and business practices.

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A sellout crowd overflowed the stands for Yale Universi_ry 's first trip to Alcala Park, watching the Toreros put forth a valiant effort against the East Coast team.

The doors of the university were flung open to the city on July 30 and 31 for a two-day 50th Anniversary

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