USD President's Report 2016

WINTER In November, Derek Abbey ’11 , the University of San Diego’s veteran student services coor- dinator, was one of 15 military veteran men and women honored as a finalist for the San Diego County Veteran of the Year Award at a luncheon held at the Scottish Rite Masonic Events Center in Mission Valley. The nomina- tion, put forth by the Military Order of World Wars San Diego, recognized Abbey (pictured, above right), a 24-year retired U.S. Marine Corps major, for his diverse service. Abbey works with USD’s military-connected student population, as well as with the Military Ally program. He also volunteers with the Bent Prop Project, which is dedicated to locating and assisting with identifying American prisoners of war and those missing in action fromWorld War II and other conflicts around the world. student voters in advance of the Nov. 8 election. The USDVotes Campaign was an on-campus initiative comprised of student leaders, staff, faculty and the Changemaker Hub, all focused on providing support and coordination efforts aimed to get out the vote. Associate Professor of Political Science Casey Dominguez is one of the faculty members behind the campaign: “Voting is a practice and a habit. The only way to establish a pattern of voting across your lifetime is to get started doing it.” Among the on-campus events was a visit by the Roman Catholic Bishop of San Diego, Robert W. McElroy, who addressed the troubling political climate in the U.S. over the course of this election cycle. Throughout the semester, a number of events were held in an effort to increase registered

Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science Dean Sally Brosz Hardin, PhD, RN, FAAN announced in November that she would step down as dean and return to a faculty position in the fall of 2018. In a campus announcement, Vice President and Provost Andrew T. Allen pointed out, “Under Dean Hardin’s leadership, the School of Nursing achieved significant milestones. The school has consistently improved its reputation, and now is ranked in the top five percent of U.S. graduate nursing schools. It is also ranked 34th in Graduate Nursing Programs by U.S. News & World Report . Additionally, she was instrumental in fundraising efforts that led to the construction of the Betty and Bob Beyster Institute for Nursing Research, Advanced Practice and Simulation. The state-of-the-art, 30,000-square-foot facility focuses on clinical nursing research and is a national model for nursing education.” (Hardin is pictured, left.)