USD-Magazine-Spring-2025

AROUND ALCALÁ PARK

Under the lights of Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, the University of San Diego celebrated its 75th Anniversary Founders Gala.

USD Shines Bright on the Diamond During the 75th Anniversary Founders Gala

In November, the University of San Diego celebrated its storied history and looked ahead to a bright future during its 75th Anniversary Founders Gala. Under the theme “Shine Bright on the Diamond,” a reference to the event’s location on the San Diego Padres baseball diamond and outfield, attendees converged to dine, dance and raise their paddles in support of student scholarships. The Founders Gala was initiated in 2009 under the leadership of recently retired Associate Vice President for University Events and Partnerships Coreen Petti. In the previous six galas, the event raised more than $6 million for student scholarships. The 2024 gala proved to be an extraordinary occasion — raising

$80.1 million in total. Trustee Michael Persall ’02 and fellow alumnus Joe Kudla ’00 pledged $2 million to establish a new Entrepreneurial Leadership Summit in partnership with the Knauss School of Business, and Darlene Marcos Shiley announced a transformational gift of $75 million, the largest in USD history and among the largest gifts ever for a Catholic university in the country. The funding will touch several areas of USD’s campus, with a primary emphasis on creating what will be known as the Shiley STEM Initiative, expanding innovative STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs and constructing new, state-of-the-art STEM facilities on the USD campus.

6 | University of San Diego Magazine