Ron and Alexis Fowler Stewardship Report

RON AND ALEXIS FOWLER

STEWARDSHIP REPORT Highlighting the Fowler Business Concept Challenge and the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge

2020

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A MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT HARRIS Dear Ron and Alexis, I hope you are both doing well and making the best of what has been a crazy year.

You have both been on mind lately and I wanted to reach out to thank you again for supporting the University of San Diego’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship programming through your leadership and financial support.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shined a bright light on what it means to be an engaged, contemporary Catholic university and a Changemaker campus. I am both humbled and proud to be a part of a community that continues to set the example for making deep sacrifices for others in the face of difficult challenges.

It is clear to me that the Fowler Business Concept Challenge and the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge have been inspirational programs for our students during the darkness of the pandemic.

Our Innovation and Entrepreneurship programming is solely supported through philanthropy, and we are grateful for your passion in guiding and resourcing our next generation of entrepreneurs and leaders.

We are able to inspire passionate future innovators at the start of the academic year with the Fowler Business Concept Challenge and at the end with the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge.

These initiatives encourage students to conceive bold ideas to explore their entrepreneurship potential and start making a positive impact on the world.

This past week we learned that USD will be recognized by Princeton Review as one of the top universities in the country for developing the next generation of entrepreneurs. This would not have happened without your vision and generous support.

Mary and I wish you a very happy holiday season and hope to be with you in person in the new year.

Sincerely,

James T. Harris III, D.Ed. President

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RON’S VISION: FROM CONCEPT TO FUNDING When you first step foot on the University of San Diego campus, it’s easy to be left in awe — of its vistas, its viewpoints, its storied arches.

You can literally feel the energy of brilliant minds all around you. It’s the perfect place to get inspired. And, even better, campus is full of resources to harness BIG ideas.

No matter what stage they’re in, student entrepreneurs who are wondering how best to pursue their vision, hone their concept, create their product, secure their funding, or launch their business — will find everything they need at USD. The Entrepreneurship and Innovation CatalyZer at the USD School of Business empowers entrepreneurs with the values, knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enable them to create world-changing innovations that address humanity’s most urgent challenges and opportunities.

“The entrepreneurial journey can be arduous, complex and filled with career detours,” says Tim Keane, dean of the USD School of Business. “Recognizing that entrepreneurial skills are honed through experience and persistence, the USD School of Business has created a pathway to enable our ‘Toreropreneurs’ to learn the innovation, design, and systems thinking necessary to speed their journey toward success.”

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The Toreropreneur Journey The Toreropreneur Journey, as coined by the Entrepreneurship and Innovation CatalyZer, guides students along a path that begins with exploring opportunities and tapping into their creative selves and ends with launching an actual business before graduating.

By mapping out the entrepreneurial journey at USD, students at the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Business at USD can be sure to take advantage of every opportunity on campus that enables them to embrace their inner entrepreneur.

It was articulated best by Priya Kannan-Narasimhan, founding director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation CatalyZer and professor, who said, “entrepreneurs aren’t born, they’re made.” And with the Toreropreneur Journey, entrepreneurs are made right here at USD.

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Student Success Story

Brittany Catton Kirk ’05, ’21 (MA) Brittany Catton Kirk ’05, ’21 (MA) earned a master’s degree in social innovation from the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies.

Kirk has many reasons to be grateful — she has a beautiful family, great friends, a solid academic and professional resume and established a community organization to help herself and others to process and heal from traumatic situations.

Development at USD, Then and Now Kirk majored in political science, minored in leadership and earned a bachelor’s degree from USD in 2005. During her time at USD, she was president of USD Rotaract.

She also served as president of the Student International Business Council, was involved in Gamma Phi Beta, Associated Student Government and the Student Alumni Association.

Kirk was in the audience during the 2019 Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge and it motivated her to return to USD as a graduate student.

Kirk connected with The Brink, a countywide small business development center program with a USD-based chapter, she’s listened to the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice’s Women PeaceMakers share their experiences from all over the world, attended a Women’s Venture Summit, and benefited from coaching opportunities through the Fowler Business Concept Challenge and Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge. She also started a USD graduate club, called Sunlight for Survivors.

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Those efforts led to the creation of Sunlight U, a for-profit social enterprise that focuses on online education to empower survivors of trauma.

Fowler Business Concept Challenge In November 2019, Kirk pitched her enterprise at the inaugural Fowler Business Concept Challenge, finishing second and earning $7,500 in student scholarship funding.

Calling support for her idea validating, Kirk was encouraged to know that Sunlight U could help others who might feel they are alone. “It’s about being a voice for the voiceless,” she says. “Many people can relate to this, but they’re not vocal. We’re all brave to be able to survive an attack. By normalizing it among the USD community and the business community, survivors can feel supported.”

Kirk continued with courses in the Social Innovation program and enhanced Sunlight U in anticipation of applying

for the Center for Peace and Commerce’s Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge.

The application deadline fell one day after university announced it would start teaching classes remotely, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It gave Kirk a reason to believe that Sunlight U was ripe for change too.

“I pivoted Sunlight U after COVID-19 hit to include all trauma. I noticed that in a lot of my trauma support groups, survivors were being triggered by the chaos, uncertainty, and isolation they had to deal with after their trauma,” Kirk explains. “We learn at Sunlight Retreats … that trauma is trauma is trauma. Our brains deal with trauma the same way, even if we may respond differently. I know, even if I scaled Sunlight Retreats, I would never be able to meet the massive need; survivors email me daily needing help all over the world.”

Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge Kirk’s progress with Sunlight U continued on April 29, 2020. Her idea, along with Xatalyze, an undergraduate project idea to utilize a capacitor energy storage device, finished in the top two among 15 USD teams. She went on to represent USD at the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge in June winning two awards — the Woman Innovator Award and the Most Resilient Award, resulting in $8,000 in seed funding.

In a letter to Ron and Alexis Fowler, for whom the Fowler Business Concept Challenge and Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge are named, Kirk outlined her progress. She partnered with a film production company, called Futures Past, a local, woman-owned company, to

film with trauma specialist Dr. Shiva Ghaed for three days in July at the women-owned community space called You Belong Here.

She’s also working on a complementary workbook that will help trauma survivors work through their trauma.

“The goal is to make this book approachable and optimistic, not cold and clinical, so it might be sold in Anthropologie or given as a gift by a friend without the person feeling defensive,” she wrote. “I also have several hundred trauma survivors who want to be beta testers when we launch in the new year. I am still getting help from all the great teams at the Global Social Innovation Challenge and the CatalyZer who are giving me great advice and support.”

Kirk says she’ll be back once it is safe to continue doing Sunlight Retreats for survivors of rape.

“Thank you for helping my dream to make the science of trauma more accessible to all,” she wrote. “I literally could not have done it without you both and I look forward to staying in touch. If you have any thoughts or advice, I would love to hear it. I appreciated all your great feedback at the competition that helped me get it to this point.”

“USD is light years ahead of many other schools in terms of innovation and entrepreneurship.

USD’s approach of hands-on learning and building ventures from the ground up has led to great things. As a graduate student, I’ve been dazzled and slightly overwhelmed with all I could possibly do.”

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FOWLER BUSINESS CONCEPT CHALLENGE Student Success Story

Harmony Prado ’24

When anxiety, happiness, and a sense of accomplishment happen simultaneously, what does that feel like? Well, when the winner of the second Fowler Business Concept Challenge (FBCC) was revealed, all of the above emotions expressed were in perfect Harmony.

“I was so shocked, eternally grateful, I was feeling so many emotions when I won,” says 18-year-old first-year student Harmony Prado. “I saw my competitors and thought...oh my gosh, I’m the youngest competitor. But I knew I had a strong community supporting me, an amazing mentor and everyone believed in me, so I believed in myself. But I still can’t believe I won first place!”

Believe it. Prado’s idea, called Harmony’s Room, is a digital safe space and mental health and well-being platform offering emotional support services for youth, earned the top scholarship prize of $15,000.

The USD School of Business’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship CatalyZer put on a wonderful virtual event, but the day really belonged to Prado, who was rewarded for her work ethic.

Harmony’s Room is a concept she first thought about at age 15 after struggling with her own mental health issues.

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“I love entrepreneurship at USD. It’s extremely vibrant and that really stood out to me when I was 16. Now, at 18, and even though it’s online, I still feel the warmth and embrace of the entrepreneurial spirit here.”

Mental health awareness has grown considerably as a societal issue affecting people of all ages, genders and ethnicities.

Add in the complete lifestyle shift, due to COVID-19, and that’s another layer for those who feel stress, depression, anxiety and other emotions.

Prado wanted to find a way to help, saying, “This is my purpose in life. I’m extremely dedicated and determined.”

She edged out three other Fowler Business Concept Challenge finalists when they gave final full pitches with several top industry executive leaders present online that morning. Prado was one of 16 semifinalists to give a full pitch to other judges.

Prado may only be a few months in as a Torero, but she considered USD her top college destination since at least her junior year of high school. The entrepreneurial community, resources and the atmosphere has been to Prado’s liking.

Her other strong connection comes through a familiar source.

“My family is my rock,” she says. She has three siblings, but gives special emphasis to an older sister, Charity, who was her biggest role model, mentor and the one who introduced her to social entrepreneurship.

“She coached me. It’s a supportive sisterhood,” Prado says. “She showed me how to find where passion meets purpose and that’s how I started Harmony’s Room.”

Prado beta launched her website — Harmonysroom.org — earlier this summer. Prado expects a mobile app to be developed by the end of 2020 and already has a partnership with San Diego Unified School District to begin an implementation model.

She enjoyed weekly training sessions for the FBCC, but when she became a semifinalist, weekly consultations strengthened her idea and networking capabilities and she’s interested in learning about other on-campus resources.

“It’s really unlike any other community,” Prado continues. “I think what sets USD apart is its strong community. It uplifts so many voices, especially with social impact. I think that’s extremely huge, extremely important. I’m so grateful to be connected in this space.”

While she works on ways to reach teen girls, winning the Fowler Business Concept Challenge is a positive step forward for her confidence — and just as likely for other young entrepreneurs watching her succeed.

“Winning this competition really validates my determination. It doesn’t matter how old you are.

If you have a passion and you’re rooted in that passion, you can go out and accomplish anything.”

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Student Success Story

Carl Dumesle ’21

International student Carl Dumesle, from Haiti, was a new member in USD’s fulltime MBA program and excited to start his journey as a student at USD. But his first hurdle, before he even set foot on campus, was to find a place to live — a task that’s particularly difficult for international students who are forced to jump through endless hoops to find a place in their new host city.

“It takes many of us several months and multiple application rejections before securing housing due to the lack of a credit score, co-signer or social security number,” he says. “We are also victims of potential scams and security risks. The process of finding housing was very time consuming and created extra frustrations before I even took my first MBA class.”

On Nov. 15, 2019, Dumesle partnered with Bria d’Amours, of Montreal, to create a solution that resulted in an entrepreneurial victory. At the inaugural Fowler Business Concept Challenge (FBCC) in 2019, hosted by the Entrepreneurship and Innovation CatalyZer in the USD School of Business, the duo’s idea, called Housing for Undergraduates and Graduate Students (HUGS), won the top prize of $15,000 in scholarship money.

Dumesle and d’Amours also competed in the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge and made it all the way to the USD finals, winning a prize of $2,000. They have since secured HUGS’ first housing partner that will list 20 housing units as a beta test for their platform.

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Biznis Casual is yet another one of Carl’s entrepreneurial endeavors with a mission to bridge the knowledge gap between the Haitian community and the rest of the world.

“My professional experience and MBA classes at the USD School of Business have taught me well and I hope to transfer that knowledge onto others. With 60 percent of Haiti’s population living under the poverty line, only a few of us get the opportunity to pursue an MBA. But the next revolutionary idea might come from the mind of someone who cannot afford it.”

On Oct. 30, during the 2020 Fowler Business Concept Challenge, Dumesle shared his latest entrepreneurial endeavor and was rewarded with two scholarship prize amounts totaling $8,500. His new idea, Anapryze, brings the words analytics and enterprise together, but the main goal is to serve a much larger international demographic. He wants to be the go-to credit data provider service to support all international entrants into the United States.

“We believe people should not be penalized for starting life in a new country,” Dumesle says. “We are a fintech company that assesses immigrants’ credit worthiness without the need for a U.S. Social Security Number or a pre-existing credit score.”

As a native of Haiti, Dumesle has witnessed firsthand the country’s limited access to information and was compelled to offer free business lessons in Haitian Creole to empower his community.

Was Anapryze an idea that came from HUGS? Dumesle said it was the other way around. Anapryze tackles the core problem that’s bigger than just struggling to find housing as an international student.

The lack of a Social Security Number or a credit score affects all who come to the United States. He looks forward to building up both HUGS and Anapryze.

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A MESSAGE FROM TIMOTHY KEANE Dear Ron and Alexis, The year 2020 has demanded innovative and creative business solutions. At USD, we believe there’s no better place to start changing than here.

The Fowler Business Concept Challenge energizes the entrepreneurial spirit of University of San Diego students from across campus. The sky’s the limit on creative ideas and watching our students explore their entrepreneurship potential to make a positive impact on the world is truly inspiring.

This FBCC provides our students with an experiential learning opportunity with real-world insights from expert mentors in San Diego’s innovation ecosystem and an unparalleled immersive experience.

This is only made possible because of your generous support and for that we are forever grateful.

Sincerely,

Timothy Keane, PhD Dean, School of Business

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FOWLER GLOBAL SOCIAL INNOVATION CHALLENGE In 2020, the virtual Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge engaged more than 1,000 student innovators globally.

65% of them were female students, from 24 universities, representing more than 43 global ventures.

The challenge elicited more than 100 mentoring hours from 25 mentors and 600+ judging hours from 95 judges. Students competed for the $80,500 in cash prizes, plus a host of in-kind prizes, with an estimated value of more than $100,000 for their social ventures.

The opportunities for students to receive seed funding for their social innovation ventures almost tripled from 2019 to 2020.

As a direct feedback from Ron, the Center for Peace and Commerce got inventive in creating prize incentives that would, for example, allow for more teams from countries underrepresented in the Top 3 to receive funding. A prize to celebrate determination and gritty entrepreneurs who market through social media with the Instagram award was awarded to our Venezuela student team or the new COVID Innovation prize to highlight inventions in India tied to sanitation.

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First Place Winner: BIOMILQ, Duke University, U.S.A., SDG #2. BIOMILQ produces breastmilk from mothercultured cells to create a product with the nutrition of breastmilk but the practicality of infant formula that protects moms, babies, and the environment.

Team: Michelle Egger and Leila Strickland

Second Place Tie Winners: Thermoplastiks, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Spain, SDG #6. Sustainable and efficient PET plastic degradation using thermostable enzymes at an industrial scale for bioremediation in the Asiatic textile industry.

Team: Carlota Monedero, MarĂ­a Ponce, Blanca Gonzalez, Guillermo Chumaceiro BrilliantBiome, University of California, San Diego, U.S.A. SDG #10. Eliminating the risk of opioid abuse from the inside out, using the human biome.

Team: Sierra Simpson, Carrie Herbert and Greg Peters

The result: a wide distribution of funding across countries, universities and ventures: • 6 countries (Venezuela, Spain, Colombia, India, South Korea and USA) • 9 states within the United States (Texas, California, Minnesota, Michigan, North Dakota, Florida, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and North Carolina) • 10 universities received capital

Virtual Experience Through COVID Brought Hope and Inspiration The virtual experience allowed for larger number of people to engage with the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge through various media outlets to have a collective reach of more than 175,000 people.

• 27 total student ventures received funding

The Experience

Fully aligned with the United Nation’s 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development (a.k.a. the Sustainable Development Goals — SDGs), the unique and impactful Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge recognizes, resources, and rewards student-led social ventures focused on sustainable change.

• Live-streamed Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge ceremony

Student teams are typically multidisciplinary teams of students tackling a social issue from various communities and environments globally. In 2020, we are proud to report that all 17 SDGs were represented in USD and global student teams.

The most representation was found in: SDG #3: Good Health and Well-Being (53% of all SDGs); followed by SDG #4: Quality Education (41%); and SDG #12: Responsible Consumption and Production (41%).

The youth of our world will innovate toward a more sustainable future through health innovations, educational equity and responsibly developed products. It’s a world we will be inspired to leave as a legacy for generations to come.

• Innovation Week (webinars, discussions, and virtual networking)

• 30-day Instagram challenge to increase engagement of ventures and participants globally • Competition Week (5 days of judging with more than 70 judges)

“The Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge virtual finals matter to us because we interacted and acquired new skills from other teams, organizers, and judges. We learned to be patient in a unique situation and keep fighting in order to achieve our goals, even if it was hard to achieve them. We found that, no matter the challenge you are in, you still can present your venture and receive feedback as you would prior to COVID-19.”

— Student team in Rwanda

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BIOMILQ, Duke University

LyfBox, University of San Diego

BIOMILQ, the winner of Fowler GSIC, targeting infant nutrition by attempting to reproduce mother’s breast milk from cultured mammary cells, wins big by raising $3.5 million in Series A funding from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Bill Gates’ investment firm (highlighted in CNBC).

Charlie Bullard and Matteo Hernandez, USD graduating seniors 2020, are the brains behind LyfBox. LyfBox is a multi-disciplinary student project, with other team members, Mickey Miller (Electrical Engineering); Brandon Kennedy (Mechanical Engineering); and Colin Polacek (Mechanical Engineering), with a goal to develop a first responder relief base that provides a space to care for people during a crisis.

CEO and co-founder, Michelle Egger, from Duke University, was also interviewed

by Forbes, stating that optimism, a supporting community, and impact-focused collaborations are key components of BIOMILQ’s success factors.

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Originally, the space was geared toward hurricane rescue teams and firefighters battling wildfires. Today, their model has been reformatted to help doctors and nurses fight a pandemic. The students developed the concept of LyfBox to fit into a shipping container and unfold into a 1,600 squarefoot space that can fit 18 beds — with antibacterial flooring and negative pressure inside. The product could strive to be operational within 90 minutes. The students looked to USD’s crowdfunding platform for support to develop a prototype and begin the process to help communities.

Hanguler, South Korea

Leather Heart, Venezuela

The most memorable highlight was the real-time Q&A and judges feedback session.

Supportive feedback helped us think over our mission and develop our ideas, resulting in higher learner and tutor satisfaction.

The Instagram challenge was a perfect opportunity to showcase our milestones and communicate the Venezuelan context from a positive point of view.

We were able to solidify our business model through each round of the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge. We analyzed the social problems that we wanted to solve in more depth at ‘Hanguler’, so we got ready to take our business to a global scale.

‘Hanguler’ hired two software developers.

They are currently working on improving the web service and the app. This will enable us to get more foreign learners meeting with visually impaired tutors through our online channel with better user experience and accessibility.

We look forward to a society where the visually impaired are not considered as people who always need a helping hand, but an independent worker who has one’s own beautiful story one can share with dignity.

Our followers connected very deeply with the Instagram Challenge prompts, so when it was finished they kept asking for more stories about SDGs. Now we incorporate more information about the global challenges and how to tackle them in our communications.

Seed funding is limited and hard to find in Venezuela, every cent is important for us to keep growing our venture and our impact. Furthermore, we were chosen for the Watson Institute Accelerator Program and, without the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge funding, we wouldn’t have been competitive enough.

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Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge builds innovation communities at universities globally.

The University of Texas, Austin, university leaders and their top social innovation students applauded and appreciated the engaged, sustainable network of university leaders and our supportive leadership to build capacity within universities.

What were the highlights of your virtual Fowler GSIC experience as a social innovation advocate and university leader?

And for your students?

This was our first year participating in Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge, and our team was thoroughly impressed with all facets of the competition. The Kroc School’s staff (especially Juliet Zimmer) were supportive from before registration to after the final showcase.

Our students found great value in meeting others passionate about sustainability both within and outside of our college, and enjoyed access to a wide array of online curricula that they could complete on their own time. In addition, preparing for our campus competition gave the UT-Austin Social Innovation Initiative team a chance to build on how we teach systems thinking, business strategy, and more in all of our programs.

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Why did the virtual Fowler GSIC matter to your students?

The virtual format allowed UTAustin finalists to pitch their ideas and listen to social change experts in a safe environment during a global health crisis.

What positive outcomes occurred during Fowler GSIC for you and your students?

Building a social innovation challenge at UT-Austin helped our growing center establish a reputation for interdisciplinary, innovative thinking and programs across campus and with outside partners.

Our staff also enjoyed establishing a professional connection with other universities during weekly check-in calls, and brainstorming with these colleagues.

In addition, adapting the competition instead of canceling it gave our students a sense of stability in a chaotic world while also teaching them about the importance of flexibility in entrepreneurship.

Our students received both financial and emotional support for their budding ventures, thus helping them move idea to reality.

Our campus challenge awarded $10,000 across five finalist ventures, comprised of MBA, PhD, and undergraduate teams.

It also provided them with mentors from local companies and the UT faculty.

Our campus finalists who attended Fowler GSIC received further funding for their ventures, as well as future support from an incubator at the competition.

What are you looking forward to for the growing global network of Fowler GSIC universities?

The team looks forward to learning from a diverse array of campuses! The impact space is constantly changing, and Fowler GSIC allows us to stay up-to-date on through connections with experts from across the world.

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A MESSAGE FROM PATRICIA MÁRQUEZ Dear Ron and Alexis, More than a decade ago you helped us envision an incredible USD ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation for a better world. At the time, your ideas and support contributed to the University of San Diego’s 2011 designation as an Ashoka Changemaker Campus.

That was also the year that we launched what was then the Social Innovation Challenge. I still vividly remember the day when Provost Julie Sullivan called me to ask what we would do if we had more support (which came from you).

I had no doubt that the answer was to expand Social Innovation Challenge to all students at the university seeking to pitch their social ventures.

We saw the enormous potential and grew from 16 to 54 pitches the following year.

Thanks to your vision and generosity, we are now building a global movement of students and institutions with the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge.

We should feel very proud of the thousands of students we have engaged in entrepreneurship and innovation for a better world.

Building a university ecosystem for student entrepreneurs and changemakers would not have been possible without your belief in entrepreneurship as a force for good and your deep commitment to education.

Every day we are inspired by the students who come to the Fowler initiatives with an idea or a plan they want to share. We know that their fearlessness, paired with opportunities in entrepreneurship and innovation at the university, will make a big difference in the future of our societies. We thank you wholeheartedly for that.

Sincerely,

Patricia Márquez, PhD Dean, Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies

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FOWLER CHALLENGE MATCHING GIFT SUMMARY Thank you for your generous gift to USD to ignite the entrepreneurial spirit across campus.

In less than two years, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, the ShileyMarcos School of Engineering and the School of Business have collaborated to raise $2.25 million toward the match that accounts for almost 90% of your total gift.

The following amounts raised include the top donors as of October 31, 2020.

$1,012,000

Entrepreneurship Scholarships Love Kincaid

$811,000

$412,000

Acumen

Randy Vosti

Jerre Stead

Hugh Kendrick

David Cohn

Stephen Dalich

Carl Delia

Lynda Kull

Jacques Yeager II

John Glancy

Entrepreneurship Program Support

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Student Awards

LOOKING AHEAD AT WHAT’S TO COME Building Bonds. Pushing Boundaries. Inspiring Change.

We celebrate creative solutions, impact-driven innovations, the Torero entrepreneurial mindset and positive impact on the world. Your vision of supporting students by funding realitybased challenges at USD is empowering the next generation of students to jumpstart their entrepreneurial careers and accelerate their impact through innovation.

Inspired by faith, informed by our core mission and values, and dedicated to the ongoing legacy of our founders, your vision is intricately aligned to the University of San Diego’s strategic plan.

USD’s vision, coined Envisioning 2024, is to set the standard for an engaged, contemporary Catholic university where innovative Changemakers confront humanity’s urgent challenges through creating an environment that fosters and rewards creativity, innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The year is slated to be more inspiring with a goal for the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge of increasing the number of university partners by seven, for a total of 35, engaging with 1,500 students across our global network, and supporting 70 students ventures in the Global Finals round, an increase of 27 ventures.

The Fowler Business Concept Challenge in both universities will spur more innovative ideas to the surface at both the University of San Diego and the University of St. Thomas to aid in these growth goals.

Two strong partners in higher education social innovation programming and support — the University of San Diego and the University of St. Thomas — have created stronger strategic synergies this last year to enable capacity growth at both universities.

The leadership at the University of San Diego will promote, advocate, amplify and deliver the hybrid Global Finals event at the University of St. Thomas to enable students and university leaders to experience the energy and positive change that is possible when like-minded visionaries converge.

Successful innovators find the right signals in a sea of noise.

Innovating through an economic crisis, global pandemic and shifting virtual educational experiences, students had to create and ideate to effectively present their concepts and ventures. The next year will bring additional opportunities for students to architect innovation in spaces of inertia. Students inspire us every day with possibilities and we keep them at the center of our strategy of growth and impact.

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