2018-19: Cohort 3 —— Strategic Initiatives Awardees Update

 Impact to unit, combination of units, institution, and/or community  Indications of success  Budget  Required resources, including those that are existing or new  Feasibility, achievability, and measurability  Sustainability, the potential to become financially sustainable if the project is expected to continue beyond the funding period  Direct benefits to the university  Outcomes, action steps, measures, benchmarks/criteria, and targeted start dates and completion dates Step 4. The full proposal is reviewed by the Strategic Initiative Review Council (SIRC), another subcommittee of the SPSC, and the full SPSC with utilization of a scoring rubric. Recommendations by these bodies are provided to the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT), which prioritizes proposals for funding. The president makes the final decision regarding which proposals to fund during May of each year. Step 5. Once funding is approved, the proposer will establish an assessment plan with major outcomes/indications of success. After this happens, implementation may begin. Progress will be documented along the way and reported in a summary format in the Strategic Initiatives Annual Report.

The Awardees

This year's annual report describes all initiatives currently receiving funding (Cohorts 3-4) and initiatives whose funds will soon commence (Cohort 5). Initiatives from Cohorts 1-2 can be found in prior annual reports.

2018-19: Cohort 3 Strategic Initiatives Awardees Update

(projects that received funding for FY 2020 and FY 2021) Strategic Initiative: Operational Excellence Development Program

Project Contact(s): Simon Croom, PhD, Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management, School of Business; Bradley Chase, PhD, Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering, Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering; and Leonard Perry, PhD, Associate Professor, Industrial Engineering, Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering Main Strategic Goal Alignment: Goal 3: Improving Structural and Operational Effectiveness Monetary Award Category: b) $25,000-$49,999 About: This initiative seeks to build on the existing expertise in the School of Business and the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering to develop an accessible professional development program for USD employees focused on improving process effectiveness across campus operations. It will be called Operational Excellence Academy. The program will employ project-based learning for operational staff, supervisors, managers, and executives and provide certification for successful participants. Major Successes in 2020-21: All program materials were developed and utilized in the academy. A pilot project (Concur travel implementation) was initiated and one was completed (car rental/car mileage). The car rental/car mileage program delivered an estimated $60,000 cost avoidance by diverting employees toward vehicle rental for journeys in excess of 80 miles per day. Another project tied to custodial services was initiated during COVID, and we are awaiting numerical results. The pandemic had a profound impact on our work, especially the remote work policy, which removed most travel, but required advanced protocols for facilities cleaning. It is very clear that USD has a significant need for this program to improve process efficiency and especially internal user service experiences. We see a need for top management support and involvement going forward to facilitate significant improvements across campus operations and administration. We have the majority of materials available for hybrid delivery of the academy post-COVID. The evaluation of the academy itself was delayed due to COVID, but will take place in Spring 2022. Strategic Initiative: Department Chair Leadership Development Program

Project Contact(s): Lorri Sulpizio, PhD, Executive Director, Conscious Leadership Academy Main Strategic Goal Alignment: Goal 4: Elevating Faculty and Staff Engagement Monetary Award Category: c) $50,000-$74,999 About: This initiative seeks to create a Department Chair Leadership Program (DCLP) at USD to serve department chairs and other faculty interested in developing as leaders, and to aid the transition from faculty to administration. The DCLP will help USD engage and develop faculty members into leaders, creating a positive campus environment and filtering down to student learning. The program will also develop campus leaders who value and promote diversity and inclusion. Major Successes in 2020-21: We completed all milestones this year and launched a very successful department chair program. The pandemic highlighted a need for leadership with new skills: skills such as leading in uncertainty; supporting people in times of complexity and chaos; and making hard decisions with little information. The DCLP program pivoted in both design and format, which resulted in a robust and engaging online training. Nine USD department chairs participated in the three-day intensive program. The participants engaged in deep personal learning about their own leadership strengths and liabilities, and explored how to take up critical issues, such as resolving conflict among faculty members

and working with diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The design team is currently creating the next iteration of this leadership program and is looking forward to launching another cohort at the end of 2021 and one in early 2022. The pilot program was very successful. We did both formal evaluations and survey reflections and heard from administrators that the participants gained valuable learning. Participants gave us feedback on what worked and also suggested some adjustments for the future. While we had some significant obstacles due to the pandemic, the participants seemed to get very much out of the program. It was encouraging to see their growth and we continue to be motivated about creating a lasting DCLP for USD leaders. Strategic Initiative: Launch of the USD Military “Hub”

Project Contact(s): Amanda Etter, Director, Military and Veterans Programs Main Strategic Goal Alignment: Goal 5: Amplifying Local and Global Engagement and Reputation Monetary Award Category: c) $50,000-$74,999 About: This initiative seeks to establish a USD Military Hub to will address the needs of the military community and deepen the work of various entities around campus. It will open the door for stronger military outreach and community partnerships through the development of united campus efforts to educate the military population on higher education opportunities. Major Successes in 2020-21: In Phase 1 of its funding, hub leaders created an advisory board, hired a faculty expert to organize its efforts, and created mission, vision, and goal statements. In Phase 2 of its funding, the hub built partnerships with community organizations such as the San Diego Coast Guard City Committee and the San Diego Chamber of Commerce Committee for Veterans and Military Affairs, created data collection processes, and began membership in elite military and veteran organizations. In Phase 3 of its funding, the hub marketed and branded itself via an online presence and also secured increased scholarships for students. In Phase 4, it hopes to focus on campus connections to support student growth and retention as the military-connected student enrollment population has grown by 45% over the last five years (Fall 2015-Fall 2020).

Strategic Initiative: Urgent Challenges Collective —— Homelessness and Food Insecurity

Project Contact(s): Mike Williams, PhD, JD, Director, Changemaker Hub and Professor, Political Science and International Relations; Kate DeConinck, PhD, Adjunct Assistant Professor in Theology and Religious Studies

Main Strategic Goal Alignment: Goal 5: Amplifying Local and Global Engagement and Reputation Monetary Award Category: d) $75,000 or more About: This initiative seeks to establish an Urgent Challenges Collective, creating new opportunities for faculty members, students, staff, and community partners to become more engaged in addressing the issues of homelessness and food insecurity. Specifically, over the next two years, the Urgent Challenges Collective will work to coordinate USD’s efforts and create new initiatives (where necessary) to build upon our knowledge of these issues (engaged research and interdisciplinary courses), to support community partners who are engaged with these issues (community engagement), and to advocate and spread awareness about homelessness and food insecurity issues on and off campus (advocacy). Major Successes in 2020-21: Much progress was made on engaged research year. The collective solicited requests regarding research projects for round two, and the collective received more than 100 applications for 15 student researchers. The engaged research projects included USD faculty and students as well as five community partners and five community consultants. Five pilot engaged research projects were funded and they will be published on the collective’s website as well as presentations will be made. In addition, each of the community partners reported that they would like these pilot projects to continue in AY 2021-22. Round-one recipients produced reports on stigmatization, affordable housing, and community assessment and engagement, and these papers were presented at a total of four conferences from December through March. The collective also made great progress on the development of interdisciplinary courses. During the Fall 2020 semester, the collective partnered with the Changemaker Hub to craft the Changemaker Challenge, an annual design-thinking competition that aligns with the theme of homelessness. The collective collaborated with two community partners, Think Dignity and PATH, to frame two or three core problems that each organization was facing, and created short briefs inviting students and faculty members to devise meaningful solutions to those problems. All faculty members were invited to integrate the Changemaker Challenge into their fall classes and five instructors received grants to do so. Also this year, the collective team assisted seven faculty members across different units at USD in creating and implementing modules and assignments related to homelessness. As a result of the course development grant program, a total of 201 students gained meaningful exposure to the issue of homelessness in these classes alone. The course, INST 352 Understanding the Homelessness Crisis, was offered for the first time during Fall 2021. This course also included an innovative Community Fellows Program, which invited legal advocates, case workers, and those with lived experience of homelessness to be part of the class for the semester. Despite the challenges of COVID-19 during this academic year, the collective also hosted events — 14 in total. Through these events and workshops, the collective engaged a total of 361 students, faculty members, and staff and 18 community partners. Those surveyed indicated they learned from the event, were inspired, and would like to get more involved. Strategic Initiative: USD Rome Center

Project Contact(s): Denise Dimon, PhD, Associate Provost for International Affairs, Professor of Economics, School of Business Main Strategic Goal Alignment: Goal 5: Amplifying Local and Global Engagement and Reputation Monetary Award Category: b) $25,000-$49,999 About: This initiative sought to expand USD’s global footprint by establishing a USD Rome Center in Italy. The university currently has several programs in Italy that could be enhanced by a permanent USD presence in Rome. In addition, such a center would allow the opportunity to develop new initiatives in a city strongly linked to USD's Catholic identity. Major Successes in 2020-21: USD’s current Madrid Center serves as a hub to connect with USD’s European partners and alumni. In 2018, USD began the process of establishing a similar USD Rome Center that will provide

space for teaching, research, and activities in a city that is strongly linked to USD’s Catholic identity: Rome, Italy. In 2019, an exploratory trip to Rome was made to connect with some USD partners, alumni, and friends to share the vision of a USD Rome Center, investigate some potential sites, and begin the legal process for USD to have a physical presence in Rome. The coronavirus pandemic has slowed the progress for site selection, but the goal is to have a location in place by 2024.

Strategic Initiative: University of San Diego's Tijuana Hub and Classroom

Project Contact(s): Rachel Christensen, Assistant Director, Center for Peace and Commerce

Main Strategic Goal Alignment: Goal 5: Amplifying Local and Global Engagement and Reputation Monetary Award Category: b) $25,000-$49,999 About: The first stage of this initiative seeks to map the current USD footprint in Tijuana using the collaboratory tool, which produces reports on student, faculty, and staff efforts in specific regions or across identifying themes. The second stage of this initiative will identify and pilot the use of a physical presence in Tijuana, Mexico. A co-located physical space accessible from the San Ysidro ports of entry would act as a Hub for Tijuana-based USD activities and serve a myriad of USD stakeholders’ needs as a meeting space, location for interviews, research center, art studio, temporary locker and storage unit, and space for collaboration with community partners. Major Successes in 2020-21: This year, we facilitated mapping sessions to document USD’s footprint in Tijuana through input from various cross campus stakeholder groups; gathered statistics on USD’s work in Tijuana and on the border; and created a document of reference for USD’s current work in Tijuana and placed it online in a central location. The map of USD’s current work has been very helpful to inform the rest of this project. Next, we need to determine a needs analysis and define criteria for the hub. We did what we could virtually and without being able to cross the border. We have postponed the identification of a space and placement of a MICAH fellow due to university guidelines on border crossing. However, we have negotiated some free use of space for the meantime with community partners to be ready for when in person gatherings and cross border student or faculty engagement is possible beyond the current virtual modalities. COVID-19 has provided some opportunities that weren’t initially part of our project’s scope. It has provided a tremendous challenge for the inclusion efforts due to the digital divide especially experienced in communities USD is engaged with in Tijuana, but there have also been some new cross-border virtual classes that we may not have pursued had we not had the constraints from the global pandemic. Once the hub is opened and utilized, we will track some of the measures regarding usage. Strategic Initiative: Co-creating the Future of Faith: The Role of Women in the Catholic Church)

Project Contact(s): Jeffrey Burns, Director, Frances G. Harpst Center for Catholic Thought and Culture Main Strategic Goal Alignment: Goal 5: Amplifying Local and Global Engagement and Reputation Monetary Award Category: b) $25,000-$49,999 About: This initiative seeks to support a sequence of three events to open the dialogue with female members of the Catholic community whose voices have long been neglected; engage high school youth in the process; and craft a message that can be shared with the diocese and beyond. The objective is to create tangible artifacts and recommendations for the future to increase the role of women in the Catholic church.

Major Successes in 2020-21: Due to COVID, our final event was held via zoom on November 16, 2020. Sixty people were in attendance. Special attention was paid to the role of women in the Church. Several specific recommendations were approved and a report was created. A survey was conducted that received 22 (36%) responses. While the number of responses was disappointing, the results indicate an overwhelmingly positive response to the event. An additional event was sponsored in April 2021. Noted theologian Dr. Phyllis Zagano spoke on “Women Deacons? The State of the Question.” We have prepared a report that we are planning to submit to Bishop Robert McElroy of the Diocese of San Diego. We hope to assist in the enactment of our recommendations.