USD Magazine, Fall 1996

ALCALA

~I

Surueg Said I n a recent survey about USD Magazine, we wanted to know what you thought about the magazine, which articles and departments you read and which you found less useful. The fnuelope. Please First, the survey results. During the spring, we sent several mailings to a random sam– pling of readers. The respondents included undergraduate and graduate alumni as well as parents and faculty. The typical USD reader is a 1989 under– graduate alumnus from the School of Business Administration, 35 years old, married, a resident of California and has been a USD Magazine reader for 4.5 years. Of those responding, 26 percent read all or nearly all of each issue. Another 33 per– cent read about half, 28 percent less than half and 12 percent seldom/never read the magazine. Of the five departments appearing regu– larly in USD Magazine, Alumni Gallery is the best read, with 60 percent of respondents saying they read it regularly. Another 44 percent regularly read Alcala Almanac, 33 percent Kaleidoscope, 23 percent Letter from the Editor, and 20 percent Parting Shot. From a list of 19 article topics ranging from alumni profiles to university financial needs, the largest percentage of readers in each category believe the current level of coverage should remain the same. However, 37 percent of readers want to see increased coverage of the university's financial needs, 35 percent want an increase in coverage of higher education issues, 34 percent want increased coverage of new programs at USD, and 31 percent more coverage of faculty and student research. At least 64 percent of readers agree the magazine does a good job of meeting each of its four objectives: providing information about the university, fostering pride in and respect for the university, discussing issues of interest and increasing understanding about USD's problems. Roll With the [hanqes Based on this feedback, we made a number of changes to the magazine:

We revised the Alcala Almanac section to include more campus news. We've also made the articles shorter for quick, easy reading. You will see an athletics roundup in this section every issue. The feature section will continue to include in-depth articles, but we'll also include one or two shorter personality pro– files featuring alumni, faculty or students. The Alumni Gallery section will include alumni profiles so we have more opportuni– ties to spotlight the experiences and successes of USD alumni.

The contents page has been expanded to include more story descriptions so you can easily find articles of interest and people you want to read about. Our mission doesn't end with these improvements. We will continue to solicit your comments and update USD Magazine so it provides the information you want from your alma mater. Please send your comments and suggestions to: USD Magazine, University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110-2492.

A s students huddled with their books during spring semester ---- finals week, USD President Alice B. Hayes signed an agreement that will shape the rest of their education at Alcala Park. On May 13, Hayes met with Augustfn R. Rozada, S.J., president of Tijuana's Universidad Iberoamericana Noroeste (UIA), a 12-year-old university in the Jesuit Iberoamericana college system, to formalize a partnership that will include educational exchange and collaboration between the two universities. "We take this agreement as a sign of hope," said Humberto Baquera, a U IA dean. "It is incentive to achieve peace and understanding in our common region." The cities of San Diego and Tijuana together share four million residents who frequently travel between the two countries, said Norman Singer, U.S. consul general.

For many people, however, there are psy– chological and physical barriers between the cities. "For commerce and culture, but most importantly for education, that barrier has to be invisible," Singer said. Theology and religious studies students will be the first to take courses across the border and receive credit for their work in Tijuana. The exchange is set to begin this academic year with up to six students com– muting to Mexico for a class. U IA students will have the same freedom to take courses at USD and receive credit at their school. Ultimately, the goal is to form additional agreements between similar disciplines at the two universities. "The search for truth that surrounds this agreement transcends boundaries," Hayes said. "So we join today to direct our knowledge toward the service of humanity."

M A G A Z

N E

U 5 D