U Magazine, Winter 1991

A L C A L A

A L M A N A C

Trio Brought USD Character to Life

USD Climbs to Fourth in U.S. News Survey

student sati faction. USD ranked sixth in the West in student selectivity, ninth in academic reputation, 11th in both faculty resources and financial resources, and 13th in student satisfaction. piled from the results of questionnaires sent to presi– dents, deans and admissions directors at the natio n's 1,374 four-year colleges and univer– sities. The rankings were com–

Sr. Marie lla Bremne r, RSC], Dr. Joanne Dempsey and Roben Austin brought some of USD's best attributes to life, their colleagues agree. Each was thorough yet compassionate, demanding yet generous, knowledgeable yet inqu isitive. Those shared qualities were called to mind fo llow– ing the deaths of the trio in autumn - deaths which bruised some of the essence of USD's identity. Dr. Dempsey's dea th on Nov. 29 at the age of 44 panicularly saddened the university community. A much respected and loved English lite rani re at USD for a decade, Dr. Dempsey died of hean fa ilure at her Miss ion Hills home. Faculty, students and staff crowded Founders Chapel during a Dec. 4 memo rial Mass at which several p rof– essors shared memo ries of their colleague . Said Dr. Virginia Muller in her eulogy: "Joanne was a pilgrim soul (she loved that metaphor). She was from another time, another place , yet here. She was of the Renaissance: she loved its manners and its an and theater, and made them real for us he re. She was from anothe r time: "While the member of the English depa1tment who taught

for the second consecu– tive year, U.S. News and World Report included USD on it5 list of the top regional colleges in the West. The magazine·s annual rankings, published in its Oct. 15 issue , placed USD fourth in the West - up one notch from a year ago. The university trailed only Trinity University in Texas, Santa Clara University and the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. USD was listed ahead of such institutions as Loyola Marymount, Gonzaga University and University of the Pacific. Colleges were rated on the basis of academic reputation, sn1dent selectiv–

ity. facu lty resources, financial resources and

devout Catholic, fu ll of fa ith. "And she was proud to stand for these th ings. " A native of Mineola, N.Y., Dr. Dempsey joined the USD faculty in 1980, the year before she was awarded he r doctorate in English from Ha1vard University. She previously taught at Harvard , Boston Unive rsity and Vassa r College. Fluent in four languages , Dr. Dempsey was devoted to the dramatic ans and was a patron of San Diego's Old

TOP TEN REGIONAL COLLEGES INTHEWEST

t-----.....

MINNESOT

SOUTH OAICOTA

WYOMING

--r----L-

NEIUSKA

UTAH

academy decon– structed authority, she wrote about obedience.

COlOUDO

KANSAS

"During the liberalism's super– ----J!I nova, she was a classic conservative.

HEW MEXICO

"In an age of indulgence, she was chaste. "In a time of spiritual uncer– tainty, she was a

TEXAS

'According to l .S. ews and Wo rld Report, Oct. 15. 1990

4 U Magazine