USD President's Report and Honor Roll of Donors 1995

Health Center, both in San Diego. Sister Mary lo returned to Mercy in 1979 and today is vice president of community relations. She continues to incorporate lessons from the past into her current work. lust as USD created a beautiful environment that enhances learning, Sister Mary lo says that through the physical surroundings and the attention of the staff, Mercy has created an environment that makes patients feel cared for. "The environment helps the patients in their healing process.'' she explains. Maintaining a Catholic hospital with a values orientation is not always easy - particularly in an industry that is increasingl y interested in the bottom line - but it is an important standard to preserve, says Sister Mary lo. Not only does it demonstrate that the 105-year-old hospital is committed to caring for the community through good times and bad. but it exhibits the dedication of the sisters to the healing ministry. As the industry becomes more controlled through managed care and less focused on the individual, she adds, a values orientation takes on greater significance for the patients and the employees. An essential part of providing care in San Diego is forging a strong link with area residen ts to assess their changing needs. Sister M ary lo is that link for Mercy. Her involvement with countless boards and local organizations - such as the San Diego Lactation Program. the Older Adult Service and Information System, and the Regional Task Force on AIDS - has led to insights about the community's concerns and enabled her to serve as a conduit for ideas and solutions from residents. One result of her involvement is a new career program at M ercy for students at Lincoln and Hoover high schools. Many of these students have no vision of hope, Sister Mary Jo says, because there have been few job opportunities for them. The career program, which The Hospital Council of San Diego and Imperial Counties developed in partnership with the San Diego Organi zing Project, the Pri va te Industry Council and the San Diego Unified School District, inspires hope through job training in the health care industry. By the time participating students graduate from high school. they are prepared to work in an industry that has a wide range of opportunities and a promising future. Building such relationships with the community and with individuals is important to Sister M ary Jo, who believes that the love of God exists through those connections. "I believe that we understand God in relationship to one another." she says. "I hope that the love I reflec t for others gives them the sense that God is love. and that they can imagine how wonderful they are in God's sight. That's the joy of being on Earth."

s vice president of San Diego's only Catholic hospital, Sister Mary lo

Anderson, C.H.S.. '66 (M.A.) serves as a link between the church and the community. It's a role she knows well. In fact. it's one she's li ved since she entered religious life in the mid-1950s at age 17. At that time, life in a religious community was quite different, Sister Mary lo recalls. Not only were the sisters subjected to strict governance by their superiors, for example, but their li ving arrangements were decided for them, as were their career choices. Several years after Sister Mary Jo professed her final vows as a Sister of Mercy, however, she helped a new religious community settle in San Diego. The Community of the Holy Spirit developed new philosophies such as governance by consensus, choosing your work according to your talent and selecting with whom you wanted to live. Embracing this perspective, Sister Mary lo joined the Community of the Holy Spirit in 1972. "During that time. many women were leaving religious life because we were living in old formats," Sister Mary lo says. "Our community decided that religious life didn't have to be that way. We tried to develop a religious life that was consistent with the 20th century." In Sister Mary Io's earl y years as a nun, she planned to become a history teacher and went back to school for her master's and doctoral degrees. During her first semester in the graduate history program at the University of San Diego, Sister M ary lo learned firsthand about rigorous academics - she wrote 27 papers - and developed an appreciation for the faculty. "They were scholars and wonderful teachers.'' she says, "and you often don't get that combination in academic work." Sister Mary lo also learned some lessons outside of the classroom, such as the vi tal rol e an environment plays in one's success. "One thing that was important to me at USD was the peace of the rose garden and being able to find natural beauty in the surroundings.'' she says. "That enriches a soul." After earning a master's degree in history, Sister Mary Io's vocation took an unexpected turn. The head of her order suggested that she consider hospital administration instead of teaching. Sister Mary lo had always been interested in health care - but not in the traditional role of nursing that sisters usually filled - so she jumped at the opportunity. She quickly earned a master's degree in hospital administration from the University of California at Berkeley. Sister Mary lo launched her career as an administrator at M ercy Healthcare in 1968. O ver the years, she also worked for a health planning association and Children'sHospital and

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