USD Magazine, Winter 1998

USD IntroduceJ Silver AnniverJary Seal 0 n Founders Day, Nov. 12, the USD community commem– orated the 25-year anniversary of the merger between USD's predecessor institutions with the introduction of the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit; and education of the whole person - mind, body and soul. This symbol challenges the university to produce a learning environment that supports the complete development of its students.

the silver anniversary seal. The new seal honors USD's founding by the Diocese of San Diego and the Religious of the Sacred Heart, and draws elements from all the seals that have represented the university at various stages in its development - the San Diego College for Women, the University of San Diego College for Men and School of Law, and the Diocese of San Diego. The previous seal, originally developed to represent the College for Men and the School of Law, was adopted as the university's seal following the 1972 merger. Its use was long a concern for uni– versity officials and alumni because it does not contain elements from the College for Women. "The silver anniversary seal features a coat of

The three naili represent Christ on the cross, and are a sym– bol of the Diocese of San Diego, expressing the Christian character of the university. They were on the diocesan seal and the most recent university seal.

The remaining element,/ are .1ymholi of the wiiver.1ity'.J mi.J.1ion:

The dove represents the Holy Spirit, the source of truth and wisdom. USD's motto is Emitte Spiritum Tuum, Send Forth Thy Spirit, which is taken from the 103rd Psalm, verse 30: "Thou shalt send forth thy spirit, and they shall be created: and thou shalt renew the face of the earth." The Celtic croM expresses USD's

arms in the shape of a shield to remind us that the seal's elements protect our identity

Catholic identity. The Celtic cross is a Latin cross with a central ring sym– bolizing eternity, or the immor– tality of truth. This version of the cross is frequently used by academic institutions

and support us in our efforts to go forward with our mission, even in the face of adversity," says USD President Alice B. Hayes, who

headed the final stage of the seal's 10-year development. Others closely involved in the research and design of the new seal were Therese (Truitt) Whitcomb '53, USD professor emerita of fine arts and retired director of institutional design; Ed Starkey, uni– versity librarian; Ray Brandes, professor emeri– tus of history and retired university archivist; and the Associated Students.

because learning was kept alive in the dark ages by Celtic monks. This cross symbolizes both love of God and love of learning. The styl– ized ornamentation of the ends of the arms was featured in the College for Women seal and rep– resents fleur-de-lis, in honor of the founding

of the Religious of the Sacred Heart by Madeleine Sophie Barat in France. The lamp comes from the most recent university seal and expresses the role of the scholar to bring light in the darkness

Each ofthe .1eal'.J elemenl:.J ho&.1 particular .1ignificance to the univer.1ihJd hi.Jtory amJ mi,Mion. Three .1ymholi repruent the hi.Jtory of USD amJ recall the fowiderd of the univer.1ity:

of ignorance. The laurel wreath, which was part of the College for Women seal, challenges everyone at USD to excellence. In ancient times, poets, heroes and victors in athletic contests were recognized with the laurel for excellence, honor, justice and truth. The cauuJron, or the Spanish olla, is the usual symbol of San Diego. It was widely used in Spanish heraldry to symbolize serving and feeding the hungry. It reminds the university community that knowledge should be used to serve humanity.

The rope running horizontally below the dove represents the belt worn in the religious garb of

Franciscans. San Diego, the person, was a Franciscan lay brother. When the university was founded, Bishop Charles F. Buddy named the university for its city and its patron. San Diego died in the Spanish city of Alcala de Henares, which gave the name of Alcala Park to USD's campus. The University of Alcala in Spain is the architectural model for USD. The three go&en ri11!Jd are from the College for Women seal. They represent reverence for God in the Holy Trinity - God

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