The University of San Francisco was named one of the top 20 most diverse colleges and universities in the category “National Universities—Doctoral” by U.S. News & World Report’s annual “America’s Best Colleges” issue published Sept. 16.

USF also scored in the second tier of schools for best education overall. Schools not ranked in the top 50 are divided into second, third, and fourth tiers. USF scored a 2.9 out of a possible 5.0. Scores are graded on peer assessments from other schools, student retention, faculty resources, and graduation rates, among other factors.

USF scored a .61 out of a possible 1.0 for diversity, tying with the University of California, Davis. The survey reflects numbers submitted by the schools, then measured in proportion to the school’s total population. The survey lists Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as the largest minority group at USF, making up 28 percent of the undergraduate population.

“It’s a true strength of the university that what we do in a relatively safe and mentored environment helps students deal effectively in the multicultural world they face when they graduate,” said B.J. Johnson, dean of academic services.

USF’s freshman class this year shows the university continues to diversify: 51 percent are students of color, 36 percent are white, and 13 percent are international or other/undefined.

Costco Scholarship Fund to Help USF Students

Costco, the bulk goods retailer, gave $125,000 to USF for scholarships for underrepresented students. The company’s scholarship fund, started in 2000, supports underrepresented students at the University of Washington, Seattle University, and San Francisco State.

“The generosity of the friends of the university is essential if we are going to enroll students whose resources are limited,” said Susan Murphy, director of financial aid. Last year, 455 undergraduates received more than $6 million in scholarship money from the university, Murphy said.

A fundraising breakfast will be held Oct. 10 at the Koret Health and Recreation Center to benefit the scholarship fund. Actor Danny Glover will be speaking. For ticket information, contact Arceil Juranty, director of special events, at (415) 422-2818, or email juranty@usfca.edu.

The Admissions Maze

During a panel discussion Tuesday at the USF Presentation Theater, New York Times national education reporter Jaques Steinberg told an audience of parents, high school students, and counselors that the traditionally secretive college admissions process is far more humane than people may think.

“The decisions are not made by computers.” he said. “They are made by human beings. As far as I can tell, there is no formula for getting in.” Instead, admissions offices consider each applicant on his or her own merits and individual situation, carefully weighing grades, SAT scores, life experiences, and activities.

USF Dean of Academic Services B.J. Johnson and Senior Associate Director of Admissions Mike Hughes also participated on the panel, co-sponsored by USF and the Times. The panel fielded questions from the audience on everything from the importance of the application essay to whether admissions officers consider an applicant’s financial need in making acceptance decisions.

Steinberg based his comments on research he did for a spring 2000 New York Times series on the college admissions process. He spent eight months with admissions officers at Wesleyan University, where a pool of 7,000 applicants for the class of 2004 had to be whittled down to just 700. The series was recently expanded into a book, The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College, which he was promoting during his appearance at USF.

New Faces on the USF Board of Trustees

The University of San Francisco Board of Trustees welcomed four new board members and three new representatives in September. The new board members are:

Suzanne McDonnel Giraudo ’71, E ’75, PhD ’89. McDonnel Giraudo is clinical director of the department of pediatrics’ child development center at California Pacific Medical Center. She was an adjunct professor in the USF School of Education from 1991 to 1992. She has extensive board experience, including a three-year term as president of Catholic Charities of San Francisco’s Board of Directors.

Teresa Win ’85. After completing a computer science degree from USF, Win began her career as a programmer with Hewlett Packard. Since then, she earned a law degree from Santa Clara University and worked for several technology companies. Currently, she is a consultant to venture capital firms, assessing the prospects of potential investments.

Thomas Scirghi, S.J. Fr. Scirghi is an assistant professor of liturgical theology at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. Prior to this position, he assisted with liturgies and retreats at Fordham University.

Jeanne Cunicelli, MBA ’98. Cunicelli is a vice president at Bay City Capital and was formerly with Ernst & Young. She also has served on the USF School of Business and Management Advisory Council.

The board also appointed one faculty and two student representatives as non-voting members. Karen Bouwer, associate professor of French, will serve a two-year term. The undergraduate representative is senior Mark Thomas, ASUSF president and international business major. The graduate student representative is Hollis Pierce, who is pursuing her doctorate in organization and leadership from the School of Education. Both students will serve one-year terms.

Board Approves New GEC

At its Sept. 24 meeting, the USF Board of Trustees approved the new General Education Curriculum (GEC) designed by a faculty committee. The new GEC will be implemented in January.

The new requirement, based on a “general distribution model” used by a number of schools nationally, allows students to fulfill their general education requirements from courses already offered by departments as part of their major curricula. Currently, students must take some courses specifically designed for the GEC. The new model would also require students to take fewer units, from 51 GEC units or 17 classes, to 44 units or 11 classes.

The board vote was taken after the committee determined the new model met Jesuit Catholic learning outcomes, including requirements for service learning participation and classes that incorporated reflection on morality and spirituality.

“This new core curriculum is distinct because the university’s mission and values are embedded across the curriculum, in all areas of the core,” said Jennifer Turpin, associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and co-chair of the faculty committee.

RAT Conference

The University of San Francisco’s Performing Arts and Social Justice major is hosting an arts showcase this weekend, Oct. 3-6, with actors from around the world attending and performances by theater companies from Peru and San Francisco. Called the Regional Alternative Theaters (RAT) Conference, performances will comment on political injustice and social prejudice. Shows will include two pieces by Grupo Cultural Yuyachkani of Peru titled Rosa Cuchillo, a play about the mother of a victim of totalitarian violence, and Adios Ayacucho, about a peasant killed by the military. San Francisco’s Sopastone Theater Company, directed by USF Assistant Professor Robert Varea, will perform Boxing with Ghosts, featuring victims and ex-offenders of violent crimes. The conference will also include a silent march for murdered actress Evelyn Hernandez, whose body was found in San Francisco Bay four months after her disappearance. Her 6-year-old son is still missing. The march will occur Oct. 5 at 11:30 a.m. and begins at Centro Familiar de La Raza at Mission and 25^th streets. For a schedule of performances and more information, contact Assistant Professor Peter Novak at (415) 422-5286 or email him at novakp@usfca.edu

New York Met Comes to KUSF

Beginning in late November, USF’s KUSF radio will broadcast live New York’s Metropolitan Opera. Considered one of the most prestigious series in radio broadcasting, the Met’s productions will be aired Saturday mornings starting between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. The Met has aired its programming on the radio for more than 70 years. As the Met’s San Francisco broadcaster, KUSF will air 20 live broadcasts during the 2002-03 season. The series begins Nov. 30 with a three-hour season preview. The following 20 consecutive Saturdays will feature the complete Met presentation without commercials.

Scholarships to go to 25 Graduate Students in Theology

Starting next year, 25 full scholarships will be awarded to University of San Francisco graduate students in theology attending either the San Francisco campus or a USF satellite program at the Kino Institute in Phoenix. The grant is funded by the Zabala Trust and the Ignatian Tuition Grant, two Jesuit funds.

Applicants should be parochial or public school administrators and faculty as well as campus ministry administrators, said Daniel Kendall, S.J., a member of the committee that disperses monies from the fund. The offering of 25 scholarships is a one-time opportunity, and will pay recipients’ tuition from the time they enter a program, in August 2003, to the time they graduate, in May 2006.

For more information, contact the USF department of theology at (415) 422-6601