University of San Diego
Encyclopedia
The University of San Diego (USD) is a Roman Catholic
university
in San Diego
, California
. USD offers more than sixty bachelor's, master’s
, and doctoral
programs. The university consists of six schools: the School of Business Administration, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the School of Law, the School of Nursing and Health Science, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies.
Chartered in 1949, the University opened its doors to its first class of students in 1952 as the San Diego College for Women
. Reverend Charles F. Buddy, D.D.
, then bishop of the Diocese of San Diego
and Reverend Mother Rosalie Hill, RSCJ, a Superior Vicar
ess of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, chartered the institution from resources drawn from their respective organizations on a stretch of land known as "Alcalá Park," named for San Diego de Alcalá
. In September 1954, the San Diego College for Men and the School of Law opened. These two schools originally occupied Bogue Hall on the same site of University High School, which would later become the home of the University of San Diego High School
. Starting in 1954, Alcalá Park also served as the diocesan chancery office and housed the episcopal offices, until the diocese moved to a vacated Benedictine convent that was converted to a pastoral center. In 1957, Immaculate Heart Major Seminary and St. Francis Minor Seminary were moved into their newly completed facility, now known as Maher Hall. The Immaculata Chapel, now no longer affiliated with USD, also opened that year as part of the seminary facilities. For nearly two decades, these schools co-existed on Alcalá Park. Immaculate Heart closed at the end of 1968, when its building was renamed De Sales Hall; St. Francis remained open until 1970, when it was transferred to another location on campus, leaving all of the newly named Bishop Leo T. Maher Hall to the newly merged co-educational University of San Diego in 1972. Since then, the university has grown quickly and has been able to increase its assets and academic programs. The student body, the local community, patrons, alumni, and many organizations have been integral to the university's development.
Significant periods of expansion of the university, since the 1972 merger, occurred in the mid-1980s, as well as in 1998, when Joan B. Kroc
, philanthropist and wife of McDonald's
financier Ray Kroc
, endowed USD with a gift of $25 million for the construction of the Institute for Peace & Justice. Another significant donation to the college came in the form of multi-million dollar gifts from weight-loss tycoon Jenny Craig
, inventor Donald Shiley
, investment banker and alumnus Bert Degheri, and an additional gift of $50 million Mrs. Kroc left the School of Peace Studies upon her passing. These gifts helped make possible, respectively, the Jenny Craig Pavilion
(an athletic arena), the Donald P. Shiley Institute for Science and Technology, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Degheri Alumni Center. As a result, USD has been able to host the West Coast Conference (WCC) basketball tournament in 2002, 2003 and 2008, and hosted international functions such as the Kyoto Laureate Symposium
at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice. Shiley's gift has provided the university with some additional, and more advanced, teaching laboratories that it had previously had. In 2005, the university expanded the Colachis Plaza from the Immaculata along Marian Way to the east end of Hall, which effectively closed the east end of the campus to vehicular traffic. That same year, the student body approved plans for a renovation and expansion of the Hahn University Center which began at the end of 2007. The new Student Life Pavilion (SLP) opened in 2009 and hosts the university's new student dining area(s), offices for student organizations and event spaces. The Hahn University Center is now home to administrative offices, meeting and event spaces, and a new restaurant and wine bar, La Gran Terazza: http://www.sandiego.edu/dining/lagranterraza/.
USD's current enrollment is 7,800 undergraduate and graduate students.
Alcalá Park sits atop the edge of a mesa
overlooking Mission Bay and other parts of San Diego
. The philosophy of USD's founder and her fellow religious relied on the belief that studying in beautiful surroundings could improve the educational experience of students. Thus, the university's buildings are designed in a 16th-century Spanish Renaissance
architectural style, paying homage to both San Diego's Catholic heritage and the Universidad de Alcalá
in Spain.
The campus is located approximately two miles north of downtown San Diego, on the north crest of Mission Valley in the community of Linda Vista
. From the westernmost edges of Alcalá Park the communities of Mission Hills
, Old Town, Point Loma, Ocean Beach
, Bay Park, Mission Beach
, and Pacific Beach
can be seen. Also, the Pacific Ocean
, San Diego Harbor
, the Coronado Islands
, and La Jolla
are visible from the campus.
or any religious order
. Today, a lay
board of trustees governs the university's operations. However, the Bishop of San Diego, the Most Rev. Robert H. Brom, retains a seat as a permanent member and retains control of the school's designation of "Catholic."
USD offers more than 60 degrees at the bachelor's , master's, and doctoral levels. USD is divided into six schools and colleges. The College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Law are the oldest academic divisions at USD; the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies is the university's newest school. USD offers an honors program at the undergraduate level, with approximately 300 students enrolled annually.
U.S. News & World Report
ranks USD 94th among "National Universities" and the
Princeton Review includes USD in its guidebook of the 351 best universities.
In 2009, the Princeton Review ranked USD as the No. 6 Most Beautiful Campus.
In 2010, the Princeton Review ranked USD as the No. 4 Most Beautiful Campus.
For potential applicants, the average GPA of admitted freshmen for fall 2007 was 3.76. The average SAT I score was 1175 and the average ACT score was 26.1. For fall 2009, the average GPA of admitted freshman was a 3.9 on a 4.0 scale and the average SAT I score was a 1240.
The Institute of International Education said in their Open Doors 2009 Report on International Educational Exchange that USD ranks second among national universities for its percentage of undergraduate students participating in study abroad programs.
In the '08-'09 year USD had a 78.5 percent undergraduate student participation rate, up from the previous year’s 60 percent participation and No. 6 ranking. The current ranking continues a sharp increase for the university, which, as recently as 2006, was not ranked. In 2007, USD was ranked 26th among the top 40.
national honors society for college seniors, and participates with the National Society of Collegiate Scholars
in recognizing the academic achievements of first- and second-year students. Several Fulbright
, Truman, Goldwater and Strauss finalists and scholars have earned their undergraduate degree at USD.
USD offers an MFA in Dramatic Arts in collaboration with the Old Globe Theater in San Diego's Balboa Park. This partnership makes it one of the top graduate-level acting programs in California and the nation. Only seven students are chosen each year, and they are given full scholarships and stipends (worth more than $50,000/year). Students get to perform at the Old Globe, one of America's top regional theaters. Guest directors have included Jack O'Brien, Daniel Sullivan, Nicholas Martin, John Rando and Matthew August.
is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools
. The School of Law is one of 80 ABA-accredited law schools to hold a membership in the Order of the Coif
, a distinguished rank of American law schools. Legal educator Brian Leiter
regards the School of Law as having a strong law faculty. In 2003-2004, he ranked the school 22nd in the nation in terms of scholarly impact. In 2007, Leiter ranked the school's faculty 27th in the nation based on mean scholarly impact.
Among its several projects is the Center for Criminal Justice Policy and Management of which former United States Attorney General
Edwin Meese
was director from 1977 to 1981.
Stephen C. Ferruolo was named dean of the School of Law in June 2011, beginning Aug. 1, 2011.
, and Marital and Family Therapy, as well as the Department of Learning and Teaching. The school offers the following degrees: PhD, M.Ed., M.A.T., and M.A. Additionally, SOLES has certificate programs in American Humanics, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and Character Development.
s provided by The Westreich Foundation and the Bruce T. Halle Family Foundation. In 2007 the Center received a naming contribution from the Caster family. Housed within the School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES) the work of the Center is co-directed and is supported by an active Advisory Committee. The Center is staffed by doctoral students. The mission of the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit Research is to study issues of strategic importance to the sector and to identify and advance best practices in nonprofit leadership and management.
engineering degree accreditation. The School is also home to the Ahlers Center for International Business, one of the few private endowments for international business in the world.
The school's undergraduate business program is ranked No. 36 in the country by BusinessWeek, and is one of the top three ranked programs on the west coast. In the ranking, BusinessWeek gave the school A+ grades for teaching quality, facilities and services, and job placement. The MBA program is ranked No. 39 in the world for social responsibility in the Beyond Grey Pinstripes Global 100 list, and is the highest ranking program on that measure in Southern California. The Evening MBA program for working professionals is currently ranked No. 14 in BusinessWeek's survey of the best part-time MBA programs. The Princeton Review ranked the school No. 2 for Best Campus Environment, out of 294 participating schools.
The university also offers a specialized International MBA program. Students enrolled in the International MBA have the option to pursue a joint Masters degree abroad with EGADE Business School at Tec de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico or the WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management in Vallendar (near Koblenz), Germany.
The school has a number of specialized master degree programs. The Master of Science in Real Estate
(MSRE) provides students with a solid foundation and helps them develop the decision-making, negotiating, communication and technology skills needed by real estate professionals. The MSRE degree prepares students for careers in mortgage lending, development, equity investment, brokerage and sales, valuation, consulting, property and asset management, and to become entrepreneurs. The school also offers an undergraduate major in real estate, which launched in the fall of 2009.
Dean David F. Pyke joined the school in July, 2008 after having previously served as associate dean at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business
where he ran Tuck's highly ranked MBA program.
, University Ministry and the Values Institute. The Center for Inclusion and Diversity opened on September 1, 2010.
USD athletes compete in the West Coast Conference
at the Division I level of the NCAA
. The football program does not offer scholarships, and competes at Division I-AA in the Pioneer Football League
. The women's softball program competes in the Pacific Coast Softball Conference
, and in 2004-05 the women's swimming and diving teams began to compete in the Western Athletic Conference
but as of 2010-11 compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
. USD athletes and teams are known as the Toreros
, which is Spanish for "Bullfighters". Team uniforms and jerseys are in university's colors: navy blue
, columbia blue
, and white
. Facilities include the Jenny Craig Pavilion
, McNamara Fitness Room, Varsity Weight Room, Erg Rowing Room, Golf Team Room Sports Center Gym and Pool, East and West Tennis Courts, Torero Stadium
, John Cunningham Stadium, Torero Softball Complex, USD Mission Bay Boathouse, and two intramural fields. The student spirit club, is called The Frontline.
The USD sports program has won the West Coast Conference's annual Commissioner's Cup the last four years (2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11), becoming the first WCC school to win the award four consecutive years and the first WCC to win it four times. The Commissioner's Cup is given to the WCC institution with the best overall performances by all of its programs that compete in a WCC sport during the year, based on a points system.
The Toreros' lone national champion is Zuzana Lesenarova, who won the women's tennis singles championship in 2000 by defeating Stanford's Marissa Irvin 4-6, 6-3, 7-6.
In 2007, Toreros' quarterback Josh Johnson
threw for 43 touchdown passes and just 1 interception, a school record. Johnson was taken in the fifth round of the NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
. Johnson, who was recruited to USD by former head coach Jim Harbaugh (USD football coach 2004-06), is the first USD football player to be drafted by an NFL team.
In 1992, the Toreros ran off a series of men's college soccer
upsets, playing all the way to the finals of the College Cup. There they finally lost 2-0 to a heavily favored University of Virginia
team in the midst of their four consecutive NCAA titles.
The 13th-seeded Toreros upset the University of Connecticut
in the first round of the 2008 Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament
on March 21, 2008. This marked the first time USD had advanced in the tournament, as well as the first time UConn was eliminated in the first round while coached by Jim Calhoun
. It was the first ever NCAA Tournament win for any school in the city of San Diego.
Bowl Games
Student Affairs is the university's division focused on creating an educational environment which motivates and inspires student learning and personal development, serves the University community, and challenges students to make a positive contribution to society. Within Student Affairs is the Wellness Division which includes the Counseling Center, Disability Services and the Health Center. Another Division of Student Affairs is Student Life which includes Associated Students, Student Activities, Student Organizations, Greek Life, Outdoor Adventures and Campus Recreation. The last division of Student Affairs are all programs falling under the Dean of Students and these include Community Service Learning, Career Services, Parent Relations, International Center, University Ministry, United Front Multicultural Center, Summer Conferences, and the Women's Center.
Upperclassmen Housing:
Graduate and Law Student Housing:
The University of San Diego also offers its students many locations for study abroad programs. In return, the University has a history of openness to other study abroad students from many regions including the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.
, sorority, or coeducational Greek house. First semester students are not allowed to join Greek organizations.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. USD offers more than sixty bachelor's, master’s
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
, and doctoral
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
programs. The university consists of six schools: the School of Business Administration, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the School of Law, the School of Nursing and Health Science, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies.
History
San Diego College for Women
The San Diego College for Women was a private, Catholic women's college in San Diego, California. In 1972, it merged with San Diego University, a men's college founded by the Diocese of San Diego, to form the coeducational University of San Diego.-History:...
. Reverend Charles F. Buddy, D.D.
Charles F. Buddy
Charles Francis Buddy was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of San Diego from 1936 until his death in 1966.-Early life and education:...
, then bishop of the Diocese of San Diego
Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the western region of the United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of San Diego and Imperial Counties in Southern California, with a Catholic population of 1,981,057...
and Reverend Mother Rosalie Hill, RSCJ, a Superior Vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
ess of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, chartered the institution from resources drawn from their respective organizations on a stretch of land known as "Alcalá Park," named for San Diego de Alcalá
Didacus of Alcalá
Saint Didacus of Alcalá, , Saint Diego, was a lay brother of the Order of Friars Minor who died at Alcalá de Henares, Spain, November 12, 1463.-History:...
. In September 1954, the San Diego College for Men and the School of Law opened. These two schools originally occupied Bogue Hall on the same site of University High School, which would later become the home of the University of San Diego High School
University of San Diego High School
The University of San Diego High School , also known as The University High School or "Uni", was a Catholic, co-educational, college preparatory secondary school located in San Diego, California...
. Starting in 1954, Alcalá Park also served as the diocesan chancery office and housed the episcopal offices, until the diocese moved to a vacated Benedictine convent that was converted to a pastoral center. In 1957, Immaculate Heart Major Seminary and St. Francis Minor Seminary were moved into their newly completed facility, now known as Maher Hall. The Immaculata Chapel, now no longer affiliated with USD, also opened that year as part of the seminary facilities. For nearly two decades, these schools co-existed on Alcalá Park. Immaculate Heart closed at the end of 1968, when its building was renamed De Sales Hall; St. Francis remained open until 1970, when it was transferred to another location on campus, leaving all of the newly named Bishop Leo T. Maher Hall to the newly merged co-educational University of San Diego in 1972. Since then, the university has grown quickly and has been able to increase its assets and academic programs. The student body, the local community, patrons, alumni, and many organizations have been integral to the university's development.
Joan B. Kroc
Joan Beverly Kroc was the third wife of McDonald's CEO Ray Kroc and a philanthropist.-Early life:...
, philanthropist and wife of McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
financier Ray Kroc
Ray Kroc
Raymond Albert "Ray" Kroc was an American fast food businessman who joined McDonald's in 1954 and built it into the most successful fast food operation in the world. Kroc was included in Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century, and amassed a fortune during his lifetime...
, endowed USD with a gift of $25 million for the construction of the Institute for Peace & Justice. Another significant donation to the college came in the form of multi-million dollar gifts from weight-loss tycoon Jenny Craig
Jenny Craig
Jenny Craig is an American weight loss guru and founder of Jenny Craig, Inc. Craig was raised in New Orleans and married Sidney Harvey Craig in 1979. In 1983, she and her husband created a nutrition, fitness, and weight loss program in Australia...
, inventor Donald Shiley
Donald Shiley
Donald Pearce Shiley was one of the co-inventors of Pfizer's Bjork–Shiley heart valve. He was a 1951 alumnus of the University of Portland, where he studied engineering....
, investment banker and alumnus Bert Degheri, and an additional gift of $50 million Mrs. Kroc left the School of Peace Studies upon her passing. These gifts helped make possible, respectively, the Jenny Craig Pavilion
Jenny Craig Pavilion
Jenny Craig Pavilion is a 5,100 seat, multi-purpose arena, built in 2000 in San Diego, California, on the campus of the University of San Diego. It was named for weight-loss entrepreneur Jenny Craig. The Pavilion is sometimes affectionately known as the "Slim Gym", a punning reference to the...
(an athletic arena), the Donald P. Shiley Institute for Science and Technology, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Degheri Alumni Center. As a result, USD has been able to host the West Coast Conference (WCC) basketball tournament in 2002, 2003 and 2008, and hosted international functions such as the Kyoto Laureate Symposium
Kyoto Prize
The has been awarded annually since 1985 by the Inamori Foundation, founded by Kazuo Inamori. The prize is a Japanese award similar in intent to the Nobel Prize, as it recognizes outstanding works in the fields of philosophy, arts, science and technology...
at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice. Shiley's gift has provided the university with some additional, and more advanced, teaching laboratories that it had previously had. In 2005, the university expanded the Colachis Plaza from the Immaculata along Marian Way to the east end of Hall, which effectively closed the east end of the campus to vehicular traffic. That same year, the student body approved plans for a renovation and expansion of the Hahn University Center which began at the end of 2007. The new Student Life Pavilion (SLP) opened in 2009 and hosts the university's new student dining area(s), offices for student organizations and event spaces. The Hahn University Center is now home to administrative offices, meeting and event spaces, and a new restaurant and wine bar, La Gran Terazza: http://www.sandiego.edu/dining/lagranterraza/.
USD's current enrollment is 7,800 undergraduate and graduate students.
Environment and location
Mesa
A mesa or table mountain is an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs. It takes its name from its characteristic table-top shape....
overlooking Mission Bay and other parts of San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. The philosophy of USD's founder and her fellow religious relied on the belief that studying in beautiful surroundings could improve the educational experience of students. Thus, the university's buildings are designed in a 16th-century Spanish Renaissance
Spanish Renaissance
The Spanish Renaissance refers to a movement in Spain, emerging from the Italian Renaissance in Italy during the 14th century, that spread to Spain during the 15th and 16th centuries...
architectural style, paying homage to both San Diego's Catholic heritage and the Universidad de Alcalá
University of Alcalá
The University of Alcalá is a public university located in Alcalá de Henares, a city 35 km northeast of Madrid in Spain. Founded in 1499, it was moved in 1836 to Madrid. In 1977, the University was reopened in its same historical buildings...
in Spain.
The campus is located approximately two miles north of downtown San Diego, on the north crest of Mission Valley in the community of Linda Vista
Linda Vista, San Diego, California
Linda Vista is a community in San Diego, California, United States. It is east of Mission Bay, north of Mission Valley, and south-east of Tecolote Canyon. It lies on a mesa overlooking Mission Valley...
. From the westernmost edges of Alcalá Park the communities of Mission Hills
Mission Hills, San Diego, California
Mission Hills is a neighborhood of San Diego, California, USA. It is located on hills just south of the San Diego River valley and north of downtown San Diego, overlooking Old Town and San Diego Bay. It was subdivided on January 20, 1908 as a smaller portion of what is now referred to as Mission...
, Old Town, Point Loma, Ocean Beach
Ocean Beach
- Places :Australia* Ocean Beach * Ocean Beach New Zealand* Ocean Beach, Hawke's Bay* Ocean Beach, OtagoUnited States* Ocean Beach, San Diego, California, also community* Ocean Beach, San Francisco, California...
, Bay Park, Mission Beach
Mission Beach, San Diego, California
Mission Beach is a community built on a sandbar between the Pacific Ocean and Mission Bay. It is part of the city of San Diego, California.Mission Beach spans nearly two miles of ocean front. It is bounded by the San Diego River estuary on the south, Mission Bay Park on the east, and the community...
, and Pacific Beach
Pacific Beach, San Diego, California
Pacific Beach is a neighborhood of San Diego, bounded by La Jolla to the north, Mission Beach and Mission Bay to the south, Interstate 5 to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. While largely populated by young people, surfers, and college students, the population is becoming older, more...
can be seen. Also, the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, San Diego Harbor
San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port adjacent to San Diego, California. It is 12 mi/19 km long, 1 mi/1.6 km–3 mi/4.8 km wide...
, the Coronado Islands
Coronado Islands
The Coronado Islands are a group of four islands off the northwest coast of the Mexican state of Baja California. Battered by the wind and waves, they are largely infertile and uninhabited except for a small military detachment and a few lighthouse keepers...
, and La Jolla
La Jolla, San Diego, California
La Jolla is an affluent, hilly seaside resort community, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean in Southern California within the northern city limits of San Diego. La Jolla had the highest home prices in the nation in 2008 and 2009; the average price of a standardized...
are visible from the campus.
Administration
Though a Catholic university, the school is no longer governed directly by the Diocese of San DiegoRoman Catholic Diocese of San Diego
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the western region of the United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of San Diego and Imperial Counties in Southern California, with a Catholic population of 1,981,057...
or any religious order
Roman Catholic religious order
Catholic religious orders are, historically, a category of Catholic religious institutes.Subcategories are canons regular ; monastics ; mendicants Catholic religious orders are, historically, a category of Catholic religious institutes.Subcategories are canons regular (canons and canonesses regular...
. Today, a lay
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
board of trustees governs the university's operations. However, the Bishop of San Diego, the Most Rev. Robert H. Brom, retains a seat as a permanent member and retains control of the school's designation of "Catholic."
Academics
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
ranks USD 94th among "National Universities" and the
Princeton Review includes USD in its guidebook of the 351 best universities.
In 2009, the Princeton Review ranked USD as the No. 6 Most Beautiful Campus.
In 2010, the Princeton Review ranked USD as the No. 4 Most Beautiful Campus.
For potential applicants, the average GPA of admitted freshmen for fall 2007 was 3.76. The average SAT I score was 1175 and the average ACT score was 26.1. For fall 2009, the average GPA of admitted freshman was a 3.9 on a 4.0 scale and the average SAT I score was a 1240.
The Institute of International Education said in their Open Doors 2009 Report on International Educational Exchange that USD ranks second among national universities for its percentage of undergraduate students participating in study abroad programs.
In the '08-'09 year USD had a 78.5 percent undergraduate student participation rate, up from the previous year’s 60 percent participation and No. 6 ranking. The current ranking continues a sharp increase for the university, which, as recently as 2006, was not ranked. In 2007, USD was ranked 26th among the top 40.
College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. The university is also a member of Mortar BoardMortar Board
Mortar Board is an American national honor society whose purpose is to recognize outstanding students dedicated to the values of scholarship, leadership, and service. The Cornell University Der Hexenkreis chapter, founded in 1892, is the oldest and predates the national society's founding in 1918...
national honors society for college seniors, and participates with the National Society of Collegiate Scholars
National Society of Collegiate Scholars
The National Society of Collegiate Scholars is a national nonprofit academic honor society for college students in the United States. NSCS has active chapters at more than 280 colleges and universities in the United States, including in the District of Columbia, and in Puerto Rico, consisting of a...
in recognizing the academic achievements of first- and second-year students. Several Fulbright
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
, Truman, Goldwater and Strauss finalists and scholars have earned their undergraduate degree at USD.
USD offers an MFA in Dramatic Arts in collaboration with the Old Globe Theater in San Diego's Balboa Park. This partnership makes it one of the top graduate-level acting programs in California and the nation. Only seven students are chosen each year, and they are given full scholarships and stipends (worth more than $50,000/year). Students get to perform at the Old Globe, one of America's top regional theaters. Guest directors have included Jack O'Brien, Daniel Sullivan, Nicholas Martin, John Rando and Matthew August.
School of Law
Founded in 1954, the School of LawUniversity of San Diego School of Law
The University of San Diego School of Law, commonly referred to as USD Law, is a law school located on the campus of the University of San Diego in San Diego, California in the community of Linda Vista. Founded in 1954, the law school has held ABA approval since 1961...
is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools
Association of American Law Schools
The Association of American Law Schools is a non-profit organization of 170 law schools in the United States. Another 25 schools are "non-member fee paid" schools, which are not members but choose to pay AALS dues. Its purpose is to improve the legal profession through the improvement of legal...
. The School of Law is one of 80 ABA-accredited law schools to hold a membership in the Order of the Coif
Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. A student at an American law school who earns a Juris Doctor degree and graduates in the top 10 percent of his or her class is eligible for membership if the student's law school has a chapter of the...
, a distinguished rank of American law schools. Legal educator Brian Leiter
Brian Leiter
Brian Leiter is an American philosopher and legal scholar who is currently John Wilson Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School, and founder and Director of Chicago's new Center for Law, Philosophy, and Human Values and the editor of the Philosophical Gourmet Report. He taught from...
regards the School of Law as having a strong law faculty. In 2003-2004, he ranked the school 22nd in the nation in terms of scholarly impact. In 2007, Leiter ranked the school's faculty 27th in the nation based on mean scholarly impact.
Among its several projects is the Center for Criminal Justice Policy and Management of which former United States Attorney General
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
Edwin Meese
Edwin Meese
Edwin "Ed" Meese, III is an attorney, law professor, and author who served in official capacities within the Ronald Reagan Gubernatorial Administration , the Reagan Presidential Transition Team , and the Reagan White House , eventually rising to hold the position of the 75th Attorney General of...
was director from 1977 to 1981.
Stephen C. Ferruolo was named dean of the School of Law in June 2011, beginning Aug. 1, 2011.
Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science
The Philip Y. Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science is among the top 10 percent of graduate-level nursing programs according to the U.S. News & World Report (#47). USD Nursing was the first PhD nursing program in California. Two important assets of the nursing school are its Simulation and Standardized Patient Nursing Laboratory which opened in 2002, and the Master's Entry Program of Nursing (MEPN). The MEPN program allows students who already possess a bachelor's degree in another field but want to get into nursing the opportunity to take an accelerated program to earn a master's degree in clinical nursing. Once the student graduates, they're eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for registered nursing licensure. Graduates are eligible to sit for the Clinical Nurse Leader certificate exam. Starting in 2010, the School of Nursing started offering the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program. This specialty masters training program is just one of many master's specialties offered for study by the School of Nursing.School of Leadership and Education Sciences
The School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES) has nearly 700 students at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. SOLES academic programs include Counseling, Leadership StudiesLeadership studies
Leadership studies is a multidisciplinary academic field of study that focuses on leadership in organizational contexts and in human life. Leadership studies has origins in the social sciences , in humanities , as well as in professional and applied fields of study...
, and Marital and Family Therapy, as well as the Department of Learning and Teaching. The school offers the following degrees: PhD, M.Ed., M.A.T., and M.A. Additionally, SOLES has certificate programs in American Humanics, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and Character Development.
Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research
The Caster Family Center for Nonprofit Research was launched in 2004 with start-up grantGrant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
s provided by The Westreich Foundation and the Bruce T. Halle Family Foundation. In 2007 the Center received a naming contribution from the Caster family. Housed within the School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES) the work of the Center is co-directed and is supported by an active Advisory Committee. The Center is staffed by doctoral students. The mission of the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit Research is to study issues of strategic importance to the sector and to identify and advance best practices in nonprofit leadership and management.
School of Business Administration
The School of Business Administration has AACSB business program accreditation and ABETAbet
Abet may refer to:* Abet Guidaben , former Philippine Basketball Association basketball player* ABET, Inc., a non-profit organization that accredits higher education programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology....
engineering degree accreditation. The School is also home to the Ahlers Center for International Business, one of the few private endowments for international business in the world.
The school's undergraduate business program is ranked No. 36 in the country by BusinessWeek, and is one of the top three ranked programs on the west coast. In the ranking, BusinessWeek gave the school A+ grades for teaching quality, facilities and services, and job placement. The MBA program is ranked No. 39 in the world for social responsibility in the Beyond Grey Pinstripes Global 100 list, and is the highest ranking program on that measure in Southern California. The Evening MBA program for working professionals is currently ranked No. 14 in BusinessWeek's survey of the best part-time MBA programs. The Princeton Review ranked the school No. 2 for Best Campus Environment, out of 294 participating schools.
The university also offers a specialized International MBA program. Students enrolled in the International MBA have the option to pursue a joint Masters degree abroad with EGADE Business School at Tec de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico or the WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management in Vallendar (near Koblenz), Germany.
The school has a number of specialized master degree programs. The Master of Science in Real Estate
Graduate real estate education
The study of real estate and real estate development at the graduate school level has taken many forms, giving rise to various educational models in the United States and abroad...
(MSRE) provides students with a solid foundation and helps them develop the decision-making, negotiating, communication and technology skills needed by real estate professionals. The MSRE degree prepares students for careers in mortgage lending, development, equity investment, brokerage and sales, valuation, consulting, property and asset management, and to become entrepreneurs. The school also offers an undergraduate major in real estate, which launched in the fall of 2009.
Dean David F. Pyke joined the school in July, 2008 after having previously served as associate dean at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business
Tuck School of Business
The Amos Tuck School of Business Administration is the graduate business school of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, in the United States...
where he ran Tuck's highly ranked MBA program.
Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies
The Kroc School of Peace Studies opened in fall 2007. The Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice was established thanks to Mrs. Kroc's gift of $75 million in-all "to not only teach peace, but make peace". The first Master’s level graduate students entered the Kroc Institute in 2002 for a 12-month program. In August 2009, the master's program added a 17-month track and the first seven graduates completed their studies in December 2010.Social justice, ethics, and spirituality related programs
USD is committed to addressing issues of social justice, ethics and spirituality. It has several programs, centers, and institutes that focus on a wide variety of these issues: Center for Community Service Learning, Center for Latino/a Catholicism, Center for Christian Spirituality, the Character Development Center, Ethnic Studies Program, the Romero Center, the Social Issues Committee, the Trans-Border InstituteTrans-Border Institute
The Trans-Border Institute was founded in 1994 at the University of San Diego to promote scholarship, studies, research, and activities related to Mexico and the United States-Mexico border, and to encourage an active role for the University in the cross-border community.The TBI provides ...
, University Ministry and the Values Institute. The Center for Inclusion and Diversity opened on September 1, 2010.
Athletics
West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference is an NCAA collegiate athletics conference consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, Utah and Washington....
at the Division I level of the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
. The football program does not offer scholarships, and competes at Division I-AA in the Pioneer Football League
Pioneer Football League
The Pioneer Football League is a college athletic conference which operates in the East, Midwest, and California of the United States. It has member schools that range from New York, North Carolina, and Florida in the east to California in the west. The conference participates in the NCAA's...
. The women's softball program competes in the Pacific Coast Softball Conference
Pacific Coast Softball Conference
The Pacific Coast Softball Conference is an NCAA Division I conference that only sponsors women's softball. The conference was founded in 2002 as a six-team league, composed of Loyola Marymount University, Portland State University, California State University, Sacramento, Saint Mary's College of...
, and in 2004-05 the women's swimming and diving teams began to compete in the Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
but as of 2010-11 compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation is a college athletic conference whose member teams are located in the western United States. The conference participates at the NCAA Division I level.-History:...
. USD athletes and teams are known as the Toreros
Matador
A torero or toureiro is a bullfighter and the main performer in bullfighting, practised in Spain, Colombia, Portugal, Mexico, France and various other countries influenced by Spanish culture. In Spanish, the word torero describes any of the performers who actively participate in the bullfight...
, which is Spanish for "Bullfighters". Team uniforms and jerseys are in university's colors: navy blue
Navy blue
Navy blue is a very dark shade of the color blue which almost appears as black. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue worn by officers in the British Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world....
, columbia blue
Columbia blue
Columbia blue, also known as Jordy blue, is a light blue tertiary color named after Columbia University. The typical Columbia blue is defined by Pantone Columbia Blue 3 .- Usage, symbolism, colloquial expressions :...
, and white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
. Facilities include the Jenny Craig Pavilion
Jenny Craig Pavilion
Jenny Craig Pavilion is a 5,100 seat, multi-purpose arena, built in 2000 in San Diego, California, on the campus of the University of San Diego. It was named for weight-loss entrepreneur Jenny Craig. The Pavilion is sometimes affectionately known as the "Slim Gym", a punning reference to the...
, McNamara Fitness Room, Varsity Weight Room, Erg Rowing Room, Golf Team Room Sports Center Gym and Pool, East and West Tennis Courts, Torero Stadium
Torero Stadium
The Torero Stadium is a 6,000-seat stadium in San Diego, California that is primarily used for soccer and American football. It was built in 1961...
, John Cunningham Stadium, Torero Softball Complex, USD Mission Bay Boathouse, and two intramural fields. The student spirit club, is called The Frontline.
The USD sports program has won the West Coast Conference's annual Commissioner's Cup the last four years (2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11), becoming the first WCC school to win the award four consecutive years and the first WCC to win it four times. The Commissioner's Cup is given to the WCC institution with the best overall performances by all of its programs that compete in a WCC sport during the year, based on a points system.
The Toreros' lone national champion is Zuzana Lesenarova, who won the women's tennis singles championship in 2000 by defeating Stanford's Marissa Irvin 4-6, 6-3, 7-6.
In 2007, Toreros' quarterback Josh Johnson
Josh Johnson (American football)
Josh Johnson is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He played college football quarterback for the University of San Diego Toreros. He was selected by the Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
threw for 43 touchdown passes and just 1 interception, a school record. Johnson was taken in the fifth round of the NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
. Johnson, who was recruited to USD by former head coach Jim Harbaugh (USD football coach 2004-06), is the first USD football player to be drafted by an NFL team.
In 1992, the Toreros ran off a series of men's college soccer
College soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
upsets, playing all the way to the finals of the College Cup. There they finally lost 2-0 to a heavily favored University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
team in the midst of their four consecutive NCAA titles.
The 13th-seeded Toreros upset the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
in the first round of the 2008 Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament
2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketball season...
on March 21, 2008. This marked the first time USD had advanced in the tournament, as well as the first time UConn was eliminated in the first round while coached by Jim Calhoun
Jim Calhoun
James A. Calhoun is the head coach of the University of Connecticut's men's basketball team. His teams have won three national championships , played in four Final Fours , won the 1988 NIT championship, and have won seven Big East tournament championships...
. It was the first ever NCAA Tournament win for any school in the city of San Diego.
- Men's programs: BaseballCollege baseballCollege baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
, BasketballCollege basketballCollege basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
, Cross CountryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, FootballCollege footballCollege football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, RowingSport rowingRowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, SoccerCollege soccerCollege soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
and TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
. - Women's programs: Basketball, Cross Country, Rowing, Soccer, SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
& DivingDivingDiving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
, Tennis, Track & Field and VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. - USD's cheerleading squad and dance team are open to men and women.
- Club Sports: Baseball, CyclingCyclingCycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
, EquestrianEquestrianismEquestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
, JudoJudois a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
, Men's and Women's LacrosseLacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, RugbyRugby footballRugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, Soccer, SurfingSurfingSurfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
, UltimateUltimate (sport)Ultimate is a sport played with a 175 gram flying disc. The object of the game is to score points by passing the disc to a player in the opposing end zone, similar to an end zone in American football or rugby...
, Men's and Women's Volleyball, Waterskiing, and Water PoloWater poloWater polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
. - Intramurals: Basketball, Flag footballFlag footballFlag football is a version of Canadian football or American football that is popular worldwide. The basic rules of the game are similar to those of the mainstream game , but instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier to end...
, Softball, Speed Soccer, Tennis, Volleyball, Innertube Water Polo, and Ultimate.
Bowl Games
| Season | Bowl | Champion | Runner-Up | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | College Division Bowl | Wittenberg | 21 | San Diego | 14 |
| 2006 | Gridiron Classic Gridiron Classic The Gridiron Classic was the name given to a college football game played between teams from the Pioneer Football League and Northeast Conference at the end of the 2006-2009 seasons... |
San Diego | 27 | Monmouth | 7 |
Student life
The undergraduate student body is represented by official student government known as the Associated Students (AS). The AS Leadership Team serves USD undergraduates as official student representatives who promote opportunities for growth and expression, address student issues, and enrich a diverse, inclusive and engaged community. AS works in areas of programming, student issues, marketing, finance, multicultural relations, academics, and student organizations. Student fees make up AS's $1,000,000 yearly budget. AS also assists in the funding of different "centers" on campus including Center for Awareness, Service & Action (CASA), Torero Days/Orientation, Social Issues Committee, USDtv, United Front Multicultural Center (UFMC or simply, UF), and Women's Center. The university acquired an unofficial radio station in the Spring of 2009, which was funded, designed and run entirely by the students themselves. In the fall of 2009 it became official (www.USDRadio.org). The undergraduate student body is also represented by the official student newspaper, The Vista. The Vista is a weekly, student-run publication focused on university and local news as well as relevant national stories.Student Affairs is the university's division focused on creating an educational environment which motivates and inspires student learning and personal development, serves the University community, and challenges students to make a positive contribution to society. Within Student Affairs is the Wellness Division which includes the Counseling Center, Disability Services and the Health Center. Another Division of Student Affairs is Student Life which includes Associated Students, Student Activities, Student Organizations, Greek Life, Outdoor Adventures and Campus Recreation. The last division of Student Affairs are all programs falling under the Dean of Students and these include Community Service Learning, Career Services, Parent Relations, International Center, University Ministry, United Front Multicultural Center, Summer Conferences, and the Women's Center.
Campus housing and residence life
Freshman Housing:- Maher - co-ed dorms
- Camino - male dorms
- Founders - female dorms
- Missions A - suites
- Missions B - co-ed dorms
Upperclassmen Housing:
- Alcala Vista Apartments
- Manchester Village
- San Antonio de Padua Apartments
- San Buenaventura
- University Terrace Apartments
Graduate and Law Student Housing:
- Presidio Terrace Apartments
- Manchester Village
Demographics
In Fall of 2007, there were 4932 undergraduate students, 1423 graduate students, and 1149 law students enrolled in the University for a total of 7504. Twenty-six percent of the entire student body are racial minorities with Hispanics being the largest minority group. Three percent of the student body are international. Fifty-nine percent of the student body are females, in the law school this number drops to 44% and in the graduate programs it rises to 63%. Between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2007, USD awarded 2124 degrees. There were 766 faculty employed by the University in Fall 2007, 388 men and 378 women with 117 of these being minorities.The University of San Diego also offers its students many locations for study abroad programs. In return, the University has a history of openness to other study abroad students from many regions including the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.
Alumni
- Bill BavasiBill BavasiWilliam J. Bavasi, born December 27, 1957 in Scarsdale, New York, is a former general manager and vice president of baseball operations for the Seattle Mariners, and currently works as a Special Assistant to the GM for the Cincinnati Reds, under Reds GM Walt Jocketty...
’80 (B.A.), Former General Manager of the Seattle MarinersSeattle MarinersThe Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July... - Bernie BickerstaffBernie BickerstaffBernard Tyrone "Bernie" Bickerstaff is an assistant coach for the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. Prior to the Trail Blazers, Bickerstaff was an assistant for the Chicago Bulls and Executive Vice President of the Charlotte Bobcats...
Sr. ’68 (B.A.), Former General Manager and Head Coach, NBA Charlotte BobcatsCharlotte BobcatsThe Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA... - Tom Breitling ’91 (B.A.), President, Breitling Ventures, former owner & vice chairman of Golden Nugget Casino, Las Vegas.
- Robert D. BohnRobert D. BohnRobert D. Bohn was a Major General in the United States Marine Corps.-Biography:Bohn, a native of Neenah, Wisconsin, graduated with a B.D. from the University of San Diego and a M.D. from George Washington University...
, U.S. Marine Corps Major General - Mike Brown '93 (BBA), Head Coach, Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles LakersThe Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, 2009 NBA Coach of the Year - Brady ClarkBrady ClarkBrady William Clark is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Brady is a class of 1991 graduate of Sunset High School in Portland, Oregon and 1996 graduate of the University of San Diego...
’96 (BBA), Outfielder, Milwaukee BrewersMilwaukee BrewersThe Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, Los Angeles DodgersLos Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, San Diego PadresSan Diego PadresThe San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
, New York MetsNew York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League... - Ryan CoinerRyan CoinerRyan Coiner is a retired American soccer forward who played professionally in Germany and Major League Soccer.-College:...
'03 (B.A.) Professional soccer player in Major League SoccerMajor League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada... - Most Rev. Salvatore J. CordileoneSalvatore J. CordileoneSalvatore Joseph Cordileone is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the current Bishop of Oakland.-Early life and ministry:...
’78 (B.A.), Bishop of Oakland, Former Auxiliary Bishop of San Diego (2002–2009) - Maggie DixonMaggie Dixon-External links:****...
’99 (B.A.), U.S. Army Black Knights women's basketball coach (deceased) - Lorenzo FertittaLorenzo FertittaLorenzo Joseph Fertitta is an American businessman, casino executive, sports promoter and entrepreneur. Fertitta resides in Las Vegas with his wife Teresa and three children.- Education :...
’91 (BBA), Chairman & CEO, UFC; Vice Chairman of the Board, Station Casinos Inc. - Andrew FirestoneAndrew FirestoneAndrew Boulton Firestone is an American TV reality show personality. He is the son of Brooks Firestone, a grandson of Leonard Firestone, and a great-grandson of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company founder Harvey Firestone and Idabelle Smith....
’98 (BBA), Reality TV Star-The Bachelor - Michael GaspersonMichael GaspersonMichael Gasperson is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He played for the Philadelphia Eagles for one season in 2007. He was signed by the Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
, American football wide receiver - Dan GieseDan Giese-School:Giese graduated from Rubidoux High School in Riverside, California, and then attended the University of San Diego. He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 34th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft.-Career:...
, '06 (BBA), Pitcher, Oakland AthleticsOakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum.... - Ryan GuyRyan GuyRyan Guy is an American professional soccer player who currently plays for the New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.-College and amateur:...
'06, (B.A.), striker, St Patrick's Athletic - Josh JohnsonJosh Johnson (American football)Josh Johnson is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He played college football quarterback for the University of San Diego Toreros. He was selected by the Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
, Quarterback Tampa Bay BuccaneersTampa Bay BuccaneersThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West... - Lowell McAdamLowell McAdam-Early life:McAdam earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from Cornell University and a master's degree in business administration from the University of San Diego. He also spent six years in the U.S...
'83 (MBA), President & CEO, Verizon CommunicationsVerizon CommunicationsVerizon Communications Inc. is a global broadband and telecommunications company and a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average... - Eric MusselmanEric MusselmanEric P. Musselman is an American basketball coach and the former head coach of the NBA's Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors...
’87 (B.A.), former head coach, Sacramento KingsSacramento KingsThe Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
(NBA) - Jim ParsonsJim ParsonsJames Joseph "Jim" Parsons is an American television and film actor. He is best known for playing Sheldon Cooper on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, with his performance often cited as a significant reason for the program's success...
'01 (MFA), Actor, CBS's "Big Bang Theory" - Steve PoltzSteve PoltzSteve Poltz is a Canadian-born American singer-songwriter and guitarist based in San Diego, California. He is a founding member of the indie-rock band The Rugburns and is best known for co-writing the #2 Jewel song "You Were Meant for Me"...
’85 (B.A.), musician - Greg ShermanGreg ShermanGreg Sherman Greg Sherman Greg Sherman ((born March 30, 1970 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States) is the current general manager of the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League, a post he has held since June 3, 2009. Sherman stepped into the role following seven years as a special...
’92 (BBA), General Manager, NHL's Colorado Avalanche - Juan VargasJuan VargasJuan C. Vargas is a Senator in the State of California, 40th District. He is a Democrat and former member of the California State Assembly, San Diego City Council, and Order of the Jesuits, having fought for the poor, aged, and infirmed....
’83 (B.A.), (former) San Diego City Council, (former) California State Assembly - Mike WhitmarshMike WhitmarshMichael John "Mike" Whitmarsh was an American volleyball player, who won the silver medal in the men's inaugural beach volleyball tournament at the 1996 Summer Olympics, partnering Mike Dodd. He was born in San Diego, California, graduated from Monte Vista High School in nearby Spring Valley, and...
’85 (B.A.), WCC Basketball, NBA Basketball (Minnesota Timberwolves), AVP Volleyball, Silver Medalist - '96 Olympics - Ken ZampeseKen ZampeseKenneth "Ken" Zampese is an American football coach. He began his coaching career in 1989 coaching for the University of San Diego. He is currently the Quarterbacks Coach for the Cincinnati Bengals...
’89 (BBA), Quarterbacks Coach, Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati BengalsThe Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
Faculty
- Jericho BrownJericho BrownJericho Brown is an American poet who was recently awarded a 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for Poetry.-Life:He graduated from Dillard University, and from the University of New Orleans with an MFA, and from the University of Houston with a Ph.D. He teaches at the University of...
(English) - John G. StoessingerJohn G. StoessingerJohn G. Stoessinger, Ph.D. , a prize winning author of ten leading books on world politics, has been the recipient of the distinguished Bancroft Prize for History for The Might of Nations, and has served as Acting Director for the Political Affairs Division at the United Nations. On the eve of...
(International Relations/Political Science)
Greek life
USD is home to several Greek organizations. In 2000, nearly a quarter of the undergraduate student body belonged to a fraternityFraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
, sorority, or coeducational Greek house. First semester students are not allowed to join Greek organizations.
Sororities
- Alpha Chi OmegaAlpha Chi OmegaAlpha Chi Omega is a women's fraternity founded on October 15, 1885. Currently, there are 135 chapters of Alpha Chi Omega at colleges and universities across the United States and more than 200,000 lifetime members...
, Kappa Lambda - Alpha Delta PiAlpha Delta PiAlpha Delta Pi is a fraternity founded on May 15, 1851 at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. The Executive office for this sorority is located on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia. Alpha Delta Pi is one of the two "Macon Magnolias," a term used to celebrate the bonds it shares with Phi Mu...
, Zeta Pi - Alpha PhiAlpha PhiAlpha Phi International Women's Fraternity was founded at Syracuse University on September 18, 1872. Alpha Phi currently has 152 active chapters and over 200,000 initiated members. Its celebrated Founders' Day is October 10. It was the third Greek-letter organization founded for women. In Alpha...
, Eta Rho - Gamma Phi BetaGamma Phi BetaGamma Phi Beta is an international sorority that was founded on November 11, 1874, at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. The term "sorority," meaning sisterhood, was coined for Gamma Phi Beta by Dr. Frank Smalley, a professor at Syracuse University.The four founders are Helen M. Dodge,...
, Epsilon Gamma - Kappa Alpha ThetaKappa Alpha ThetaKappa Alpha Theta , also known as Theta, is an international fraternity for women founded on January 27, 1870 at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury...
, Eta Iota - Kappa Kappa GammaKappa Kappa GammaKappa Kappa Gamma is a collegiate women's fraternity, founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois, USA. Although the groundwork of the organization was developed as early as 1869, the 1876 Convention voted that October 13, 1870 should be recognized at the official Founders Day, because no...
, Eta Gamma
Social Fraternities
- Beta Theta PiBeta Theta PiBeta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...
, Zeta Omega, chartered at USD since 2006 - Delta Tau DeltaDelta Tau DeltaDelta Tau Delta is a U.S.-based international secret letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded in 1858 at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, . It currently has around 125 student chapters nationwide, as well as more than 25 regional alumni groups. Its national community service...
, Theta Zeta, chartered at USD since 1988 - Lambda Chi AlphaLambda Chi AlphaLambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's secret general fraternities in North America, having initiated more than 280,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole, while he was a...
, Delta Kappa, chartered at USD since 1997 - Phi Kappa ThetaPhi Kappa ThetaPhi Kappa Theta is a national social fraternity with over 50 chapters and colonies at universities across the United States. "Phi Kaps", as they are commonly referred to colloquially, are known for diversity among their brothers and a dedication to service.-History:Phi Kappa Theta was established...
, California Phi Delta, established 1963, dis-established 2003, re-established 2006, chartered Spring 2009 - Sigma Phi EpsilonSigma Phi EpsilonSigma Phi Epsilon , commonly nicknamed SigEp or SPE, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College , and its national headquarters remains in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded on three principles: Virtue,...
, California Beta Beta, chartered at USD since 2001 - Phi Gamma DeltaPhi Gamma DeltaThe international fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta is a collegiate social fraternity with 120 chapters and 18 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, in 1848, and its headquarters are located in Lexington, Kentucky, USA...
, established Fall 2011
Professional/Coeducational Fraternities
- Alpha Kappa PsiAlpha Kappa PsiΑΚΨ is the oldest and largest professional business fraternity. The Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity was founded on October 5, 1904 at New York University, and was incorporated on May 20, 1905...
, Iota Tau - Delta Sigma PiDelta Sigma PiΔΣΠ ' is one of the largest co-ed professional business fraternities. Delta Sigma Pi was founded on November 7, 1907 at the School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance, New York University, New York, New York and is currently headquartered in Oxford, Ohio...
, Lambda Pi - Phi Alpha DeltaPhi Alpha DeltaΦAΔ , or P.A.D., is the largest co-ed professional law fraternity in the United States of America. Phi Alpha Delta has members who are university students, law school students, lawyers, judges, senators, and even presidents. It was founded in 1902 and today has over 300,000 initiated members...
- Phi Delta EpsilonPhi Delta Epsilon- History :In October 1904, Aaron Brown and eight of his friends founded Phi Delta Epsilon at Cornell University Medical College. During the first decade of this century there were many doors closed to Jewish medical students and physicians, doors which would not fully open until after World War II...
, CA Heta