University of San Francisco - USF Don Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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Individual Excellence Dedicated to Excellence professors on this campus, and they are certainly appreciated by the students. So often, however, it seems that students fail to take ftdl advantage of the opporunities of utilizing their professors to the fullest. Very few indeed take the opj ortuniiy just to talk to them, not in regard to some particular academic problem, but simply by way of conversation. Some professors go out of their way to make themselves readily available to their students. It is experiences such as these that make college life the rich and rewarding experience it can and should be. It is this type of thing which spurs students to excellence. Often it seems that we are so close to it all that we fail to appreciate the truly great things which arc going on about us. How many students appreciate the pioneering work done on this campus in regard to the language laboratory by Father P. Carlo Rossi, S.J.? This technique has now been almost universally adopted in the effective teaching of modern languages, but Father Rossi was among the first and even today, USF’s is among the very best by way of facilities to aid the individual student. Few students realize, it seems, the quiet revolution in the theology department. Under the chairmanship of Father Albert J. Zabala, S.}., the curriculum has been revised and USF's program is hailed by experts in the field as one of the most progressive and forward looking of any. It embodies the spirit of the contemporary revival in biblical students and is giving the students the fruit of the latest scholarship. These are truly significant academic accomplishments of the first magnitude. Yet. how often are they forgotten? This is the stuff of which excellence is made, but in order for that goal to be realized, the student must take advantage of it. There are without question many students who could hardly care less about excellence or the intellectual life in general. These are the ones interested in getting through college with as little work as possible, who are interested in a course only because it is a cinch.” Their main objective, more often than not, is to get that degree because it has been proven that college graduates make more money than those who have not had the benefits of higher education. It is inevitable that such students will be present, in some degree at least, in any institution, particularly when the emphasis that college education is receiving today is taken into consideration. But, as the years go on, USF to be truly excellent must weed out the disinterested, dissatisfied, complacent individuals whom she finds within her walls. She must and she will, for the mediocre will not be allowed to stand in the way of her pursuit of excellence. As has been said often, USF is in transition; the school of today is far different from what it was a decade or two ago. This process is far from ending. But, as USF continues to grow and develop, we can be sure that the basic objective, development of the student, will never be forgotten. This is the University’s raison d’etre. This is the goal for which everyone connected with her is working. The dedication of the administration and faculty, a dedication centered on the students, is something which we at times forget. The debt of gratitude will not be fully appreciated for many years to come, but as it dawns it will be seen to be most great indeed. To return now to that original question which we j osed: is the commitment to excellence of USF really significant and noteworthy? We have seen what the area is in which excellence is trying to be achieved. We have seen other possible fields in which a University could strive to be excellent. It would seem that we can judge quite fairly, and, discounting prejudice, that the founding principles of this institution arc the only ones that make sense out of the intellectual life. It is the outlook of USF upon knowledge that unifies and integrates the whole field of learning. Consequently we must say that to achivc excellence, to be committed always to becoming more excellent in the field of developing the whole man is eminently worthwhile, and most worthy of attention. Finally, we have seen that USF has indeed achieved a great measure of excellence at the present moment. There is much reason indeed for pride in this institution. There is no reason for the terrific inferiority complex with which students often seem to be alllicted. Excellence is no stranger here, there is much improvement | os-sible, but a firm foundation has certainly been constructed.

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that there is such a thing as objective truth and that this truth is knowablc. It believes that there is a God. and that man has definite obligations to Him. On the academic plane, as a Jesuit institution, it is dedicated to instilling these truths and to give in general the best education possible. It is committed to training leaders, not followers. This training goes far beyond imparting information. It is designed to teach the man to think, pure and simple. There most certainly is an effort to instill the truths mentioned above as we have said, but this effort is directed by the principle that these truths are eminently reasonable and, therefore, “force-feeding could hardly characterize the approach by which they are presented. There is an effort to educate the whole man, a familiar expression. Towards attainment of that end, a liberal arts program is in effect prescribed for all. This is simply a further amplification and ramification of the essential philosphy that to neglect one aspect of man’s nature is to fail in educating him. Required courses, about which we hear so much by way of criticism are designed to fill this requirement. The philosophy curriculum is based on the firm conviction that man. as a rational animal, should direct his action in a rational way. The theology department exists because there is something more than this life, of the most urgent importance. The other requirements are designed to fill various needs of one who is to be called truly educated. All this is based on a firm conviction that college education is something more than vocational training for whatever life work the student might have in mind. It is based upon the belief that the truth of which we spoke earlier as existing and being know- able, is worthwhile knowing as truth; that the joy of learning is something that should be cultivated. These are certainly most ambitious and noble aims and convictions, and one recognizes that their fulfillment will of necessity be conditioned by the men concerned, both the educators and the educated; men are fallible and the system will therefore never perfectly achieve its ends. Perfection is, although never attainable in human affairs, always the ideal goal, that for which we strive. On this same plane we can consider excellence. The goals of USF have remained constant throughout the years, for they are based on our concept of the nature of things, man in particular. But the proximity with which we approached these goals, the measure of excellence which we have attained in pursuit of them has never been higher. The University of San Francisco is a University which is moving forward and at an ever-increasing pace. The goal towards which we are striving is not an increased enrollment, better facilities, strengthened faculty and so on, but these are the stepping stones, the means of attaining the ultimate objective. The school must grow if she is to serve as well as possible. This growth has been accompanied, however, with an increase, not a decline in academic quality. USF is what is considered by many to be the ideal size: large enough to furnish the requisite facilities, small enough so that the professors and students are not completely isolated from one another by an unassailable wall of educational bureaucracy. The relationship still maintains, if the student so desires, a personal aspect, which contributes not a little to the joy and richness of the learning process. The facilities, those tangible indicators by which so many judge the growth and improvement of an institution, simply because they are so obvious, are hardly essential, and certainly no measures at all of excellence. They do, however, again, aid in its attainment. In this regard, USF in the past decade has made and is continuing to make great strides forward. The Second Century program is truly building for an even greater future in the material sense at USF. As the years go by, the campus will undergo a real metamorphosis. But, after all, this is as nothing compared to the improvement in faculty which is planned. This is coming much closer to directly aiding the pursuit of excellence towards the goal of full development of the student. A truly outstanding faculty member can do truly phenomenal things with his students, firing within them the spark of intellectual curiosity and wonder, filling them with the joy and satisfaction of learning; in short, inspiring them to pursue with real vigor the academic life; and this is the stuff of which excellence is made. One notes many instances of such Liberal Arts Program Increase of Academic Quality 9

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Dedication A legacy of concern If the University is committed to excellence, ii is so only because individuals who have made the University are so committed. The individual dedicated to excellence is concerned; he is never content with the pomposity and convenience of the status quo, but therapeutically finds fault with the existing order and strives to remedy the flaws he discovers. Such a man is rare. Usually, many aspire to this level of sendee and, although they are noteworthy, are dominated by an occasional charismatic leader. USF has had such a leader within the past half century. He has made Saint Ignatius College into the University of San Francisco. In more recent years, he has striven in every way possible to keep the school “on its toes, by constructively criticizing and contributing. In the future, his legacy will be even more fully realized: that of an almost insatiable desire for the University of San Francisco to rise above the commonplace, to be not a follower of the educational world, but a leader. In short, the excellence of the University—past, present and future—is this man’s very life. In all aspects of his life—teacher, dean, administrator, confessor, preacher, lecturer, scholar—he has been called, most appropriately, Mr. USF.” Today, however, he may be a mystery to the present crop of students. Unless they have become intimately associated with him, (and few do); the students fail to know the man. Some have been more fortunate, having heard of him from alumni who are their fathers, relatives or friends. And many who are not juniors or seniors may not know him at all. It is unfortunate that some do not know a man very similar to many of us in hopes, desires, dreams and feelings, only different from us essentially in two major facets: experience and achievement. The century was not twenty-years-old when a young Saint Ignatius College graduate (A.B. magna cum laude 1914. Ll.B. 1916), Ray Feely, turned down a job in a law firm to enter the Society of Jesus. Another USF law grad (of the twenties), Judge Preston Devine, later said, “We knew that you were destined to be a distinguished lawyer. Still, somehow, it seemed you belonged to the institution of old St. Ignatius. l'he rest of the story is history: Ray came bach from his Jesuit studies, never to leave the Hilltop. Throughout his tenure at the institution (which was the Hayes Street “shirt factory” when he first knew it), his dedication has made USF an integral part of him and ha.s made him an integral part of USF. 11