USD Magazine Fall 2026

AROUND ALCALÁ PARK

Raising the Bar, Reducing Recidivism A USD program that prepares justice-impacted students for meaningful careers in the criminal justice sector has received $927,000 in federal funding. The JusticeForward: Safer Students Workforce Initiative builds upon the work of Torero Urban Scholars, which works to reduce recidivism by supporting students on their journeys from prison to higher education. Through JusticeForward, students will be prepared for roles within the justice system through a mix of on-campus academics and off-campus practice opportunities. Each student will complete at least one paid, semester-long practicum with a justice system agency or organization aligned with their career interests, while also receiving student support services that will allow them to translate both their on-campus and off-campus experience into career opportunities within the justice system. “JusticeForward recognizes that justice-impacted students with lived experience bring invaluable insight to the justice system,” said Austin Galy, cofounder of the Torero Urban Scholars program. “It empowers them to turn those experiences into professional expertise that can drive positive change within their community.” Additionally, USD’s Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice will lead research that identifies barriers limiting the integration of these individuals into the justice workforce and develop recommendations to address them. together USD faculty members from a wide range of disciplines to discuss excerpts from Magnifica Humanitas , a letter by Pope Leo XIV on humanity and artificial intelligence. “So much of the conversation around artificial intelligence is the capabilities or ramifications of it, but what the Pope is drawing our attention to is the impact on the human being,” said Michael Lovette-Colyer, PhD, vice president of Mission Integration. The event was a collaboration between the Humanities Center, Mission Integration and the College of Arts and Sciences, reflecting the aim of an interdisciplinary discussion. “The best way of addressing any topic is to do it from multiple perspectives,” said Brian Clack, PhD, A. Vassiliadis Distinguished Director of the Humanities Center. “People reading it from their own perspective, within their own discipline, and engaging in conversation with all the people we saw here today. Real conversational teamwork about a vital matter for all of us. That’s the model.” God, Humanity and AI An event this fall brought

Record Participation in USD’s OCIA Program Earlier this year, Archbishop Michael Pham helped welcome dozens of members of the USD community to the Catholic faith. Participants were baptized, confirmed and took their first communion as full members of the Church. The Mass was put on by University Ministry’s Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) program, which helps prepare people for the sacraments and develop a deeper relationship with God. People come to the Church at different times of their lives for different reasons. Some people want to get married in the Church, some are starting a family and want to raise their children in the faith. Many of them have big questions about existence or spirituality, and they look to religion. OCIA at USD provides people an avenue to become full members of the Catholic community and ask questions to learn more about faith, the Church and themselves. The program gives them a way to pursue these interests through the university, where they have a built-in community and a place where they feel welcomed.

USD MARKS 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11 WITH MEMORIAL STAIR CLIMB This year marks 25 years since the September 11, 2001, attacks, and the University of San Diego’s Epstein Family Military Center honored the day with a memorial stair climb challenge. Participants gathered at the Palomar Health Student Wellness Center, where they stepped onto StairMasters and climbed the equivalent of 2,200 stairs, or 110 floors, mirroring the height of the World Trade Center towers. The physically demanding challenge was designed to honor the courage and sacrifice of the first responders and civilians who lost their lives that day. Each step served as a tribute to those who climbed the towers’ stairwells 25 years ago in an effort to save others. Participants also had the opportunity to donate to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation, established in memory of firefighter Stephen Siller, who died on 9/11 after running through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel with his gear to reach the towers. The stair climb was organized alongside an annual tradition at USD — a ceremony where first responders and members of the military honor the lives lost in the attacks, and local faith leaders come together to pray for peace.

REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE, REAL IMPACT

health promotion, prevention, and the social factors that affect health outside of a traditional hospital setting, while also supporting Nativity students and exposing them to nursing and health care careers. “It’s an invaluable setting to practice community-based health care,” said Kathy Marsh, PhD, RN, associate dean and professor at HSON. “By spending time at Nativity, our nursing students learn about the social impact of health firsthand, gaining insight into the unique challenges faced by these first generation, under-resourced students.” The partnership has also included bringing Nativity students to the USD campus for nursing-focused experiences like “A Day in the Life of a Nurse” and providing health education and screenings to the Nativity community.

In addition to their classroom and clinical education, students in the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science (HSON) Master’s Entry Program in Nursing (MEPN) gain experience caring for people and communities outside of traditional health care settings. Since 2014, Nativity Prep Academy has provided an important setting for students to learn about community and population health firsthand. USD partners with the middle school on its Torero Promise program, which helps prepare students for college and puts them on a track to attend USD. A group of nursing students goes to Nativity Prep every week between June and December to work with the students there, gaining hands-on experience in community and population health. It allows MEPN students to learn about

“We have something very special at USD. It’s a place where we have contemporary Catholic faith being

LEARN MORE about ways to support the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. t2t.org

lived out in real ways.” — Nicolas Estrada ’11 (BA), ’24 (FSTMTS), Associate University Minister for Liturgy

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