USD President's Report 2014

P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S A G E

Dear Friends:

As I reflect on my time at the University of San Diego, I am especially proud of our students, not only for their academic and athletic achievements, but also for their desire to serve both the local community and communities around the world.

We are a university that embraces a rich Catholic intellectual and social tradition that teaches us to recognize the needs of those less fortunate and to protect those who are most vulnerable. It is a tradition that is dedicated to the education of the whole person in mind, body and spirit. Its principles are reinforced in the classroom, where our faculty ignite a commitment to service in the students, not only through pedagogy, but also through their own tireless work outside the classroom and in the community. Our alumni recognize this special relationship between faculty and students who are working together in service. We recently announced the renaming of our Center for Community Service Learning to the Karen and Tom Mulvaney Center for Community, Awareness and Social Action as a result of Tom ‘77 (JD) and Karen’s generous financial support. While our commitment to service grows, our academic profile is also rising. The University of San Diego continues to rank among the top 100 universities in the nation, according to the most recent U.S. News & World Report ranking. The Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering catapulted to 14th this year among national universities with undergraduate engineering programs that do not offer a PhD program. Soon new instructional space will be completed on the first floor of Loma Hall. It will provide a creative, garage-like environment, similar to those of real-world innovators who conceptualize and create prototypes of new inventions. Students will tap into their creative and technical potential in an atmosphere of developing ideas, building working models, and then engaging in full-scale development. Construction is also well underway for the Betty and Bob Beyster Institute for Nursing Research, Advanced Practice, and Simulation at the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science. The new building, scheduled for completion in fall 2015, will include a state-of-the-art nursing simulation center, which is the heart of the school’s clinical teaching facilities. We are very proud of our long-standing partnership with the military, returning service men and women and their families. In October we unveiled the Student Veterans Center, which provides a dedicated space for our growing veteran population to meet, study and network with their peers. Our global footprint continues to expand. In November we celebrated the opening of our first permanent international studies facility in Madrid, Spain. More than 200 students annually will be studying at the new USD Madrid Center, joining dozens of other study abroad opportunities for students each year. And of course, we celebrate our student athletes whose dedication, teamwork, and leadership on the courts, courses, and fields of play exemplify the very best of what it means to be a Torero. Their accomplishments this year have been noteworthy, including for the first time in Torero football history, USD advanced to the NCAA Division I Football Championship, earning the Pioneer Football League’s automatic bid as the regular-season champion. Our university is blessed by its students, faculty, staff, administrators, and a growing network of alumni, friends and benefactors who generously share their talents and resources. The University of San Diego is truly a remarkable community of teaching, learning and discovery. And with your continued sustaining support, participation and encouragement, USD will continue its momentum in enhancing academic excellence, cultivating its culture of care, and producing Changemakers equipped to make lasting differences in our world.

Sincerely,

Mary E. Lyons, PhD President, University of San Diego