Alcalá View 1994 10.5

A newsletter for the employees of the University of San Diego View

February 1994, Vol. 10, Issue 5

Brooks Helps USD Build for Tomorrow b)' Michael R. Haskins There's a lo t of constructi on go ing on at USO these days, but not necessarily the type that requires bu lldoze rs and jackhammers. Instead, the university is qu ietly bui lding for the future - often in ways that are, at fi rst glance , inv isible . One of the enginee rs of this building boom is Fred Brooks, USO's vice pres ident fo r finance and administra tion. And hi s jobs are numerous. Bui lding bridges to the com- mun ity. Bu ild ing relat ionships among departments that often must share li mited resources. Bu ilding new sources of fund ing in touah economic times. And, mos t impor- "' tant, bu ilding a secure financial found ation to ca rry USO into the nex t century. "The encl fun ct ion of the university bud - ge t process has to be to develop priorities for the long- term hea lth of the schoo l," says Brooks, who jo ined USO in August 1992 and supervi ses fin ance and accounting as well as phys ica l plant, human resources, public safety and university services such as pr in ting, purchas ing and the bookstore. "Un iversities need to th ink in the long te rm; otherwise we're no t go ing to survive. " The top priority for USO, Brooks acids, is to become mo re effi c ient. "We're go ing to go through the same kind of rethinking that industry has gone through," he says. "That does n't mean that we're go ing to go out and slash the work fo rce , but it does mean that we have to lea rn to use our resources better at every level of the un ive rsity. " Like any good builder, Brooks is starting with the bas ics, including using the skills and capabilities the university already has ava ilable. He po ints out, for examp le , th.at n1.any of the academi c depa rtments - such as business or sc ience - could eas il y put

Pax Christi Prayer Group Begin the new year by doing something to bring peace to our world . Through- out the second semester, a Pax Christi prayer group will meet Tuesdays from 7:15- 8:30 p.m. , Founders 151 . Along with prayer, there will be discussions on topics involving peacemaking and non-violence. For more infor- mation , contact Sister Irene Cullen, RSCJ, (ext. 2265) or practical theology graduate student Jackie Fix (435-6781 ) The Manchester Child Development Center will be sponsoring a bake sale in front of the Hahn University Center on Feb. 23 from 1 O a.m. to 1 p.m. Please stop by and help support their efforts. Bible Study USD community Bible study will resume meeting Wednesdays, noon to 1 p.m., in UC 220. All USD employ- ees and graduate students are encouraged to attend this all-faith Bible study. SEA Strands Note from Project Sate- house to everyone who donated items at Christmas : 'Thank you so much tor your thoughtful and generous donation of everything from clothes and food to bedding and household goods. Otten , the women and children who come here arrive with little or nothing, so it's always appre- ciated when someone in the (Continued on page four) evenings. Bake Sale

Fred Brooks the ir skills to work in so lving some of the practi ca l pro blems faced by the university. Other bas ics include the need to reth ink h ow funding is rece ived and d istributed. Brooks acknowledges the need for alterna- tive sources of income and resources, such as resea rch grants, but also cautions that fin an - c ial tracleoffs must be made in ord er to int rodu ce new capabi li t ies and programs. "We're go ing to be forced to make cho ic- es that we have not been fo rced to make before," he says. "I don't see that as a short- term phenomenon. The yea rs of clouble- dioit increases in tuition are pretty much t, over with." Tuition is not the onl y source of fund ing which can no longe r carry as much of the load. With the end of the Educat ion for a New Age capital campaign - which Brooks characteri zed as a "phenomena l success" - and a st ill-flagg ing Ca liforn ia economy, the uni ve rsity is faced with diffi cult cho ices when it comes to finances. Perhaps fo remost among those cho ices is the dec ision to redirec t some opera ting fund s to financ ial aid. Brooks described the reac tion of the USO community to that move as "sympathetic," no ting that finan- c ial realit ies - such as the federal govern- (Continued on /Jage three)