USD Magazine, Summer 2003

USD President Mary Lyons

Mary Lyons joined USD as president on July 1. She was president ofthe College ofSaint BenedictJi'om 1996 to 2003, and before that was president ofthe California Maritime Academy for six years. A retired captain in the Naval Reserve, Lyons, 55, also was aprofessor ofrhetoric and homiletics at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif She taught at the University ofCalifornia, Berkeley, and San Jose State University, and was a com– munity college, middle school and elementary school teacher. I lived in San Diego in the 1970s, so I've been following USD's evolution over the years, and I know char USO has a reputation as a uni– versity where people are very committed to creating an environment where students can thrive academically. The riming was right for me, because I felt char at Saint Benedict I had accomplished enough and wasn't leaving with anything unfinished. Being a university presi– dent gives me the opportunity to do the work I love, and being at USO brings me back to my home stare, where there's so much vitality, diversity and challenge. I believe char a leader should always be lis– tening, bur in the early stages I chink I'll go through a period of very intense listening and of immersion into the culture of the university. I expect to work with trustees, alumni and the entire campus community to come to a mutual understanding ofUSD's strategic priorities, and I wane to become as familiar as I can with rhe San Diego region. In char way, I'll best understand how I can What attracted you to the position of USD president? What do you hope to accomplish in your first six months at USD?

rake an appropriate position as a good citizen and a good representative of the university.

What do you think are some of the challenges facing USD? My first impression is char USO is well– positioned co sec an example for how Catholic higher education can be made available to che widest array of students, especially chose who are academically prepared bur need financial assistance. We need to find the resources to help these students, and we also need to ensure we have resources for the pro– grams char are at the center of new facilities, such as the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice and the Donald P. Shiley Center for Science and Technology. Our priorities should always be guided by a commitment to our students, which means promoting better educational opportunities, providing research opportunities across the curriculum, and hiring the best and brightest faculty and administrators. Greater diversity among the student body is a university goal. How would you work to increase campus diversity? I've been in several positions where diversity was a very important priority, and much of it depends on creating access for students who have financial need. Beyond char, we need to ensure the campus climate is wel– coming and hospitable to a multicultural and mulrierhnic student body and staff. Our goals in chis area should be specific and real– istic, and we need to enlist the help of part– ners in che business world and rhe commu– nity to help us find and support a diverse campus population.

PHOTO BY RODNEYNAKAMOTO

What is the role of USD among Catholic universities?

There's a huge variety among Catholic col– leges and universities, and USO is especially important because there are relatively few Catholic universities on the West Coast. Our role is to bring rhe best of the Catholic Church's intellectual tradition to debates and dialogs char affect the very diverse popula– tion of our state. We do char by graduating students who will bring their USO values and experiences to bear on issues of public policy, science, law and ocher timely issues. How has your management style been shaped by your work experiences? I loved reaching, bur I also found char administrative work was very exciting. I like the idea of finding our what an institution needs and where it wants to go, and then going our and crying co make char happen. I also was fortunate in char the Navy pro– vides exquisite leadership training and opportunities. I've found that no matter what the organization, the principles of good management are usually the same. I chink good leaders should be clear about what they expect, then lee people do their jobs while working to sustain the positive momentum. As president, I want to be the person who can keep an eye on the horizon while working with ochers to map the course for getting there.

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