USD Magazine Fall 2021

Double alumna wants to change the world through business [ m o t i v a t e d ] E T H I C A L L E A D E R S H I P

I think I’m a really good person to do that. I’m an idea person.” To Dixon-Reeves’ point, head- way is already being made. “Over the past four years, we’ve made tremendous progress toward inclu- sive excellence,” says USD Presi- dent James Harris, DEd. “Today, we have the most diverse student body and faculty in our history, and the Horizon Project will propel those efforts to the next level.” A detailed online blueprint for the initiative lays out the call for action and stresses the effort will “deliberately focus our attention on three key elements to ensure we achieve inclusive excellence: people, policies and practices.” Key elements of the “people” project goal are as follows: Recruiting and retaining a more diverse student body; recruiting, hiring and retaining more diverse faculty members, administration and staff and expanding recruit- ment of the diverse members of the USD Board of Trustees. Goals of the “policies” element include exploration of a test-blind admission policy beyond 2021, mandating campus-wide anti- racism and implicit bias training for the USD community and revising USD’s policies on hate crimes and acts of intolerance. The “practices” goal includes development and adoption of plans for diversity and inclusive excellence by every academic and administrative unit on campus, reviewing public safety protocols and enacting best practices for working with diverse populations, and recognizing the accomplish- ments of USD community mem- bers who promote and enhance diversity on campus. “The Horizon Project is a movement for stewardship and requires collective action for change,” says Harris.

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by Allyson Meyer ’16 (BA), ’21 (MBA)

he beautiful campus may have attracted her to USD, but for

you’re trying to solve problems in new ways,” says Steinhaus. Having a background in business and innovation has positioned her for a career of ethical leadership. Currently an operations manager for MAKE Projects, Steinhaus is putting her business experience and passion for changemaking to good use, working for a social enterprise that supports the San Diego refugee community through job training programs. “One of the biggest things I tell people when I think about USD is how it taught me to ask questions and to think critically,” she says. “USD gave me so many different opportuni- ties to learn new things, to try new things, to become a leader in a very safe space and so I’m very grateful.”

Studies came in. She sees the program as a “perfect glove” that combines her love of busi- ness with social innovation. In Spring 2020, this combina- tion of undergraduate and gradu- ate studies became an official program with the launch of the Kroc School combined degrees. The programs, which allow business and engineering under- graduates to earn credits towards a MASI or Master of Arts in Peace and Justice Studies degree, offer students a continuation of their changemaking education — an accelerated academic path and a career jump-start that sets them apart from peers. “What’s great about the MASI program is you can come in and out of it with any sector. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in. What matters is that

Alexandra Steinhaus ’15 (BA), ’20 (MA), the stellar educational experience kept her here. She came to USD in Fall 2011 to pursue her undergraduate degree. On a whim, she took a course in the School of Business and it all clicked. “I ended up in a marketing class. It was so much fun. I got to be creative but also strategic,” she recalls. “What I really valued was they talked a lot about be- coming an ethical leader.” Inspired by the pursuit of business as a force for good, Steinhaus knew she wanted to continue on this path. That’s where the Master of Arts in Social Innovation (MASI) from the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace

And the time to continue making that change is now.

sandiego.edu/horizon-project

BARBARA FERGUSON

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Fall 2021