University of San Francisco to Present the Leo T. McCarthy Award for Public Service to Stephen A. Privett, S.J.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (March 6, 2019) — The Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good at the University of San Francisco (USF) will present the 2019 Award for Public Service to Center Co-Founder and USF President Emeritus Stephen A. Privett, S.J., at a gala on Thursday, March 14 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Lakeside Clubhouse at the Olympic Club, located at 599 Skyline Blvd. in San Francisco.
The award is given annually to one who has inspired others to lead, devoted their energy to equity and justice, and maintained the highest ethical standards in their personal and professional lives. This year’s award recipient, Stephen A. Privett, S.J., is recognized as the Co-Founder of USF’s Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good. The Center is the University’s nexus for connecting with the community for the benefit of both.
During his 18 years as President and Chancellor of USF, Father Privett advocated the public purpose of higher education and the University’s commitment to the city it calls home. Inspired by the Jesuit tradition of locating universities in the center of great cities, Father Privett was dedicated to the purpose of educating students for the common good, “for bold, courageous, and intelligent leadership that changes society.”
“We are pleased to be honoring Father Privett with this award,” said Leo T. McCarthy Center Director David Donahue. “Under Steve Privett's leadership, USF moved into the vanguard of U.S. higher education by requiring all undergraduate students to engage in service learning. As one of the founders of the McCarthy Center, he helped establish an institution that continues to prepare USF students for community and political engagement and that leads in shaping the entire field of civic engagement in higher education with a vision of social justice.”
At the March 14 event, USF will bring together civic leaders, dignitaries, philanthropists and McCarthy Center supporters to celebrate the center’s mission to train a new generation of leaders dedicated to ethical public service.
Leo T. McCarthy, Speaker of the Assembly from 1974 to 1980 and Lieutenant Governor of California from 1983 to 1995, was a man of great political wisdom and personal integrity. He began his career in the 1960s as a San Francisco supervisor and was instrumental in establishing the city’s Human Rights Commission and keeping freeways out of Golden Gate Park. He was a champion of people without a voice and those pushed to the margins.
Journalists interested in covering the March 14 gala, or who would like to request an interview with Stephen A. Privett, S.J., should contact Kellie Samson at (415) 422-2697.
About the Leo T. McCarthy Center
The Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good is dedicated to inspiring and equipping students at USF to pursue lives and careers of ethical public service and service to others. The center provides a non-partisan forum for education, service and research in public programs and policy-making. It supports undergraduate and graduate academic programs, including a master’s program in public affairs and an undergraduate minor in public service. Additionally, the McCarthy Center provides community-based learning opportunities both domestically and abroad and facilitates government experiences for students.
About the University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco is located in the heart of one of the world’s most innovative and diverse cities and is home to a vibrant academic community of students and faculty who achieve excellence in their fields. Its diverse student body enjoys direct access to faculty, small classes, and outstanding opportunities in the city itself. USF is San Francisco’s first university, and its Jesuit Catholic mission helps ignite a student’s passion for social justice and a desire to “Change the World From Here.” For more information, visit USF Home Page.