University of San Diego
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The University of San Diego is a Catholic university in San Diego, California. USD offers more than sixty bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs. The university consists of six schools, namely: the School of Business Administration, the School of Education, the School of Law, the School of Nursing & Health Science, the College of Arts & Sciences, and the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies (currently under development).
The school's sports teams are called the Toreros, which is Spanish for "Bullfighters". They participate in the NCAA's Division I (I-AA for football) and in the West Coast Conference; for football, USD is a member of the Pioneer Football League. Their colors are navy blue and columbia blue.
The Alcala Park campus sits atop the edge of a mesa overlooking America's Finest City, San Diego, California. The beauty of Alcala Park is renowned and much celebrated; the school's founder believed that studying in beautiful surroundings could improve one's educational experience. The university's buildings are designed in the Spanish Renaissance architecture style, paying homage to San Diego's Spanish Catholic heritage. Many students and faculty choose live on campus and immerse themselves in the univeristy's refined setting.
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History
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The University opened its doors to its first class of students in 1952 as the San Diego College for Women. Most Reverend Charles F. Buddy, then bishop of the diocese of San Diego and Mother Rosalie Hill, superior vicar of the Society of the Sacred Heart, chartered the institution from resources drawn from their respective organizations on a stretch of land known as "Alcala Park," named for San Diego de Alcala. In 1954, a separate school for men, then known as San Diego University was chartered on the same campus. For nearly two decades, both schools co-existed on Alcala Park, but merged in 1972 to form the University of San Diego. Since then, the University has grown quickly and dramatically increased its assets and academic programs with the financial capital coming primarily from the student body. The community, including local patrons and businesses, have also been integral to the University's success.
Arguably, the most dramatic growth since the 1972 merger has occurred in the past decade. In 1998, Joan B. Kroc, philanthropist and wife of McDonald's finacier Ray Kroc, and a strong advocate for World Peace, endowed USD with a gift of $25 million for the construction of the Institute for Peace & Justice. USD further benefited from the general trend of yearly, unprecedented tuition increases among private Universities, as well as multi-million dollar gifts from weight-loss tycoon Jenny Craig, inventor Donald Shiley, investment banker and alumnus Bert Degheri, and an addition $50 million Mrs. Kroc left the IPJ upon her passing. These gifts made possible, respectively, the Jenny Craig Pavilion (an athletic arena), the Donald P. Shiley Institute for Science and Technology, the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice, and the Degheri Alumni Center. Consequently, USD has been in the media spolight hosting the West Coast Conference (WCC) basketball tournament in 2003 and 2004, and has been able to host prestigious 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 of the most state-of-the-art teaching laboratories in Southern California. In 2005 the university broke ground on an expansion of the Colachis Plaza from the Immaculata Church along Marian Way to the east end of Bishop Leo T. Maher Hall, which effectively closes the east end of the campus to traffic. Also in 2005, the student body approved plans for a renovation and expansion of the Hahn University Center made possible by a $30 million gift from an anonymous alum.
Location
The University of San Diego is located approximately two miles north of downtown San Diego, on the north crest of Mission Valley, or Mission Heights. Two miles to the west of the University is Mission Bay, La Jolla is approximately five miles north, and the San Diego neighborhood, Keary Mesa, is east of the campus.
Administration
Though a Catholic University, the school is no longer governed directly by the Church or any religious order. Today, a secular board of trustees oversees the University's operations.
Et cetera
- In the Portuguese soap opera Saber Amar, Diana Alfarroba, the show's protagonist, returns to Portugal after studying marine biology at USD.
- The university played host to a nationally televised debate between Republican Bob Dole and Democrat Bill Clinton in the 1996 U.S. Presidential election.
- Noted graduates of USD include novelist Robert Clark Young.
Related links
- University of San Diegoofficial (http://www.sandiego.edu/) website
- School of Law (http://www.sandiego.edu/usdlaw/)
- College of Arts & Sciences (http://www.sandiego.edu/as/)
- School of Business Administration (http://business.sandiego.edu/)
- Department of Engineering (http://www.sandiego.edu/engineering/) currently under School of Business
- School of Leadership & Education Sciences (http://www.sandiego.edu/soe/)
- Philip Y. Hahn School of Nursing (http://www.sandiego.edu/academics/nursing/)
- Joan B. Kroc Institue for Peace and Justice (http://peace.sandiego.edu/)
- School of Peace Studies (http://www.sandiego.edu/academics/peace/) currently under development
- USD Toreros (http://www.usdtoreros.com/) official athletic website
- UNet (http://unet.sandiego.edu/) USD student portal