Campus Life
2019: The Year in Review
The top 10 USF News stories of the year
Take a look back at the best and biggest moments of the year at the University of San Francisco, as chosen by students, alumni, parents, faculty, and staff readers. Here are the most-read USF News stories of 2019, starting with the No. 1 story:
- USF Repeats Top 100 Ranking. In September, USF repeated its Top 100 ranking in U.S. News & World Report, with high marks for student excellence and social mobility. USF ranks No. 5 in the nation for campus ethnic diversity and strengthened its position as a top-tier university.
- USF Professor Brings More Equity to Education. School of Education Professor Patrick Camangian shared his story in September about dropping out of high school after being caught fighting and realizing that education was the only thing that would save him. A new curriculum he created out of his experience was adopted by the San Francisco Unified School District.
- Meet USF's New Rabbi in Residence. In August, for the first time in its 164-year history, the University of San Francisco appointed a rabbi in residence. Rabbi Camille Shira Angel is a ninth-generation rabbi who has taught at USF since 2017.
- From Felonies to 4.0. Antonio Reza ’18 beat the odds and graduated top of his class. As his class commencement speaker in December 2018, he told the story of how he arrived at USF after serving time in jail.
- The Possible Dream. USF Magazine spoke with Provost Don Heller (a first-generation college student) and Assistant Vice Provost Mary Booker (the daughter of Mississippi sharecroppers and a first-generation college student) about the cost of a USF degree, how students can afford it, and the university campaign to raise $100 million for scholarships and financial aid.
- Cura Personalis of Design. A USF Magazine feature in June explored how planned new spaces on campus — as part of the Campaign for the University of San Francisco — will engage the mind, body, and spirit of students, faculty, and staff at USF.
- Be Persistent. That’s the advice finance major Chelsey Gonzales ’19 gave last summer when asked for a pro tip on getting a good internship, like the one she got in Philadelphia at Comcast.
- Together We Can. In June, USF President Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J., shared his own story as the son of factory workers, the middle child among five children, the first in his family to attend and graduate from college in a USF Magazine feature on the Campaign for the University of San Francisco.
- “I’m Still in Shock.” School of Law professor Bill Ong Hing in July explained his heartbreaking journey to inspect centers at the Mexico-U.S. border where children were left to care for themselves.
- How to Install a Two-Ton Sculpture. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Class of 1968, a marble sculpture was installed near the top of Lone Mountain on Oct. 7, providing inspiration for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and visitors to USF.
