USD Magazine Summer 2021

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Society ' s

S U S TA I N I NG F O R C E

C E L E B R A T I N G E X C E P T I O N A L W O M E N

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I got into education, and it remains my top priority,” she says. “I think it’s the human condition that ultimately matters; how we live, how we are, what we know, what we do, how we treat one another. Forming those critical connections with students not only informs my work but the work of our whole team.” For the better part of 16 years, Vazquez — who resigned from her position as vice president of student affairs at the end of the 2020-21 academic year — has maintained that clarity of purpose in her work. “Being an educator challenges us to think critically and encourage the free exchange of ideas, and that’s something that really attracted me to USD,” she says. “In fact, being at USD represents to me the integration of everything that I hold greatest value of. And that is faith, family and hope.” A native New Yorker, Vazquez spent the first 25 years of her profes- sional life in the State of New York college system, specifically at Stony Brook University. There, she worked to transform the residential life student experience, and carried many of those formative experiences forward with her as she journeyed across the country to San Diego, where she had accepted an offer to become UCSD’s assistant vice chancellor of student life. While Vazquez enjoyed her experience in the UC system, the chance to integrate her core religious beliefs and values into her work at a Catholic institution was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. “When I was contemplating accepting the position at USD, I came to campus after the process, and, before I made a decision, I sat in The Immaculata,” she recalls. “Then I walked around into all of the chaplets, and the number of saints in the chaplets. At the end of making the rounds, and praying in each one, I said to myself, ‘All my friends when I feel troubled are here. How could I go wrong?’“ Now that a new chapter in life awaits, Vazquez is reflective about which experiences stand out most during her time at USD. “There’s almost too many to even count!” she says. Being able to meet His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in 2012 was an unforgettable moment. “Just to be in his presence, the feeling you get, is something I can’t really even begin to describe.”

ach year, the University of San Diego community celebrates women across campus who are creating positive change, dub- bing a select group “women of impact.” The tradition continued in 2021, when a number of extraordinary women’s contributions during 2020 were celebrated. We are sharing stories of several of these women, along with select others, who use their knowledge, expertise and humanity to truly make the world a better place. USD’s Women’s Commons defines a women of impact as one who lives the principals of social justice. “Through her work, activities and relationships, she supports others in finding voice, developing skills for transformation and understanding who they are called to be. Her community is not merely a place in which she exists; it is a place she actively improves.” Join us in celebrating these remarkable women. What Matters Most A lot has changed at the University of San Diego since Carmen Vazquez (pictured at left) began her tenure at the helm of USD’s student affairs division in 2005. The west end of campus — once a quaint collection of one- and two-story Spanish Renaissance-inspired buildings dating back to the school’s founding — is now home to the gloriously modern Shiley Center for Science and Technology, USD Learning Commons and the soon-to-be constructed Knauss Center for Business Education. Alcalá Park mainstays like the Hahn University Center and Cola- chis Plaza have also undergone major facelifts to accommodate the ever-evolving needs of 21st century Toreros. Relatively recent campus improvements include the Student Life Pavilion, Bosley Cafe and Fitness Center and the Camino-Founders Resident Hall renovation. While Vazquez has played a significant role in those critical campus upgrades, she takes her greatest satisfaction from achievements that aren’t formed from steel, concrete or glass. “Building relationships with students is one of the main reasons

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Summe r 2021