USD Magazine Fall 2020

TORERO NEWS USD MAGAZINE

NICK ABADILLA

[ p a r t n e r s h i p s ]

hen it comes to con- fronting humanity’s urgent challenges, W EMPOWERING THE USD COMMUNITY Rising together to confront humanity’s urgent challenges by Liz Harman

the Environment and Social Jus- tice Leadership Hub to address climate change and environmental degradation. Over the past year, it facilitated hands-on internships with students at local San Diego organizations and launched a series of on-campus events to engage the USD community. “We envision the hub as a vital source of collaboration to generate solutions to environmental prob- lems, advance the health of our planet and build a strong and just society,” says Emily Young, the institute’s executive director. One of the most far-reaching initiatives is the Engineering Exchange for Social Justice, a

totaling $1.5 million over the past four years, funding 30 proj- ects. The effort so far culminated in a summit held virtually in the spring of 2020. “While the university’s Envi- sioning 2024 strategic plan pro- vides a roadmap for the ways that USD is uniquely situated to con- front humanity’s urgent challeng- es, the Strategic Initiatives fund-

ing process has empowered the campus community to not only develop initiatives that focus on specific issues but also help col- laborate in ways to enhance the collective impact of our efforts,” says Mike Williams, professor of political science and director of USD’s Changemaker Hub. The Nonprofit Institute at USD, for example, is focused on

the University of San Diego’s goal is not more of the same but developing dramatic and innovative approaches to issues such as climate change, home- lessness and social justice. As part of its Strategic Initia- tives effort, USD has made grants

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