News Scrapbook 1956-1959

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Men, a School of Law, and two Sem- inaries. A 11 sha re the l 6 7 a re Al ala Park ampus. Located as it is at the western end of Kearney Mesa, Alcala Park named in honor of the birthp lace of t. Didacus (San Diego) in Alcala, Spain offers a variety of inspirin.is view~. Largest single unit of the university with 275,000 square feet is the Women's College. It was erected, financed, and equipped by the Society of the Sacred Heart. No small task when you consider that this college alone represents an in- vestment of 5,000,000. But then the Religious of the Sacred Heart is a noted order of educator nuns who have tre- mendous experience in establishing and operating schools. The order was founded in Paris France in 1800 and today op- erates six other colleges in the United States as well as schools and colleges in South America, Europe, Asia, Austria, and Africa. The order also operates a girl's high school in El Cajon and will operate another in Alcala Park as a pre- paratory school for the university as soon as a building can be constructed. The Women's College occupies 65 acres on the north side of Marian Way. Its architecture, in keeping with all campus buildings and with San Diego historical backwound, 1s Spanish Renaissance. Those who have not yet visited the Women's College have missed a rare treat. The c:-ntire college is a study in symmetry. Seven large, tastefully-planted patios ex- tend a warm invitation to relaxed study- ing. Their quiet charm is enhanced, too, by typical good-natured student groups relaxmg over soft drinks between classes. Two large central patios-the Rose Court and the Palm Court-are especially pop- ular. Although the University of San Diego is coeducational in concept, classes arc conducted separately and a major part of the soical activities for both the Men's College and the Women's College such as dances, proms, and rallies are held in these patios. A conveniently located soda fountain off the Palm patio does a brisk trad<: on sunny afternoons. The interior of the College for Wo- men is just as imposing as the outside. The building has 24 classrooms, labora- tory and science facilities, a library with a capacity of 250,000 volumes, and an inspiring chapel that seats 600. The col- lege also has a good-sized theater for

tudcnt productions, a study hall, recrea- tion rooms, and dormitories for board- ing tudcnts. Tapestries, art ':'ork, and furnishings - many from Europe - which arc hundreds of years old may be seen in the reception room and in the halls. Most of these are gifts from 111- terestcd benefactors. Current enrollment at the Coll ege for Women is 456 - a 70o/o increase from a year ago, according to Mother Muiella Bremner, registrar. One hundred s1x_ty- five girls, a third of the enrollment, lt~e on campus . The increa ed enro llment is remarkabl e when you reali ze that only 50 girls attended the first classes six and _a half years ago. Mother Bremner ant1C1- pates an enrollmen t of two to three thou- sand within the next two or three years! The majority of the instructors are Re- ligious of the Sacred Heart, but there is good balance of both men and women lay teachers. Although the Univ~rs!ty of San Diego is primarily a Catholic 111- stitution, students of al I creeds are wel- comed. Several of the lay teachers are members of other faiths as wel l. Non- Catholic students are exempted from par- ticipation in religious ceremoni es on cam- pus. The Col lege for Women is authorized to grant Bachelor of Arts and Science degrees in a variety of major fields ~nd a Bachelor of Science degree in nursmg. Girls working toward the latter degree spend a portion of their time at Mercy School of Nursing. Like many other American schools the Women's College attracts a number of foreign students. Canada, Ge_rmany, Iran, China, Mexico, and the Ph1!1pp111es are represented this year. The college is in- corporated under the laws of California and invested with full powers to confer Top: Chris Mueller is dwarfed by his Madonna . A Ion of clay is used in making lhe eleven fo ol model. Right, above: Father William Spain, administrative vice president of the university, shows Ken Cook progress on the Hall of Science. Right: Seminarians relaK over their noon•day meal. Below, right: Men's dormitories, being built off-campus. will house 250 students. Below, le ft: Small classes and individual attention are anolher desirable feature of the university.

ntar future when the University of Cali- fornia establishes a campus at La Jolla. San Diego is fast becoming known as a university town! Both of San Diego's new universities have brief histories, Both, however, grow stronger roots each year, offering stu- dents improved facilities and expanding curriculum. Both California \x'.'estern Uni- versity, situated high atop Point Loma, and the University of San Diego, have inspiring campuses. California Western's grew from the wooded areas and estab- lished growth of the old Theosophical Institute grounds, but the University of San Diego has fashioned its campus from dry, brush-covered Kearney Mesa. The development of thjs university re- minds one of the story of the American visitor in London who succeeded in bor- ing his host with the rapid growth of skyscrapers in New York. As the taxi in which they were riding sped by Buck- ingham Palace the American paused long enough to ask what the building was. "I really don't know, old chap," his British friend replied, "it wasn 't there yesterday." We've grown used to mush- room growth in San Diego, but the re- markable spectacle that crowns Kearney Mesa is nothing short of amazing. In- deed, it seems to many like "it wasn't there yesterday." The University of San Diego began as a dream. Although it wasn't founded until 1949, its real beginning goes back to 1936. In that year the San Diego Catholic Diocese, consisting of four coun- ties - [mperial, Riverside, San Bernar- dino, and San Diego - was founded with

the Most Re"erend Charles F. Buddy as ,ts first Bishop. Shortly after assuming his post Bishop Buddy, now President of the University, dreamed of the day when a great uni,ersity could be established here. But it takes more than dreams; it takes action and vigor and determination to make them come true. Bishop Buddy has all these qualities. As early as 193 7 Bis- hop Buddy journeyed to San Francisco to share his plans with Mother Rosalie Hill, Vicar Superior of the Society of the Sacred Heart's Western Province. Mother Rosalie was enthusiastic about the Bishop's plans and the results of these early talks emerged twelve years later as the university's first unit, the College for Women. However, from dream to reality isn't quite that simple. World War II inter- rupted, and the only thing that occupied the university site was one of the lonely, wartime anti-aircraft outposts that dotted defense-important San Diego. With the end of the war, however, plans moved ahead at full speed. The site was chosen and the ground acquired. On May Day, 1949 San Diego's late mayor, Harley Knox, turned the first spadeful of earth at Alcala Park and Bishop Buddy dedi- cated the ground. Bulldozers started level- ing the site in April, 1950. By Decem- ber of that year, Marian Way, the wide flower-lined artery of the university, was paved and the foundations of the Wo- men's College began to take form. By May, 1952, it was completed. The University of San Diego consists of the College for Women, a College for

I VY IS A SLOW-GROWJN(, PL/INT. Even in San Diego' benevolent soil and cli- mate it takes year for the grasping tendrils to reach out and attach them- selves to bare concrete, slowly, impercep- tively cloaking it with a mantle of thjck green foliage. The rlant has an affinity for institu- tions o learning, and particularly it is as OCJatcd with colleges and universities. The growth of the plant and the growth of the institution it ,·eils often parallel each other. Both grow teadily, ,f slowly, putting out stronger root and bernmmg more firmly established with each passing year. A typical example is San Diego State ollege, which this fall began its 60th year of classes. For many years it was the coun ty\ sole institution of higher learn- ing conferring degrees after four years of tudy. With each eptember tate has faced ever increasing numbers of stu- dent.. This has b~en especially true since the end of World War 11. This year State· enrollm~nt ho,·ers near the I 0,000 mark, placing it in the top 5~; of the nation's colleges in enrollment. Growing demands for additional edu- cat ional facilities at the college level be- come more acute each year. San Diego is building for these future students. Within the past ten years an Diego tate has been joined by two new universities and there 1s the promise of another in the 14

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