The original chapter of the University of San Diego was written on a brisk early winter afternoon in December of 1949, when local dignitaries joined Bishop Charles Francis Buddy and Mother Rosalie Clifton Hill for a groundbreaking ceremony atop a wind-swept mesa overlooking the burgeoning San Diego cityscape.Mother Hill had a special reason for wanting the campus, which would come to be known as Alcal Park, to be unrivaled in its exquisite beauty and intricate design.There are three things that are significant in education: beauty, truth and goodness, she said. But the only one that attracts people on sight is beauty. If beauty attracts people, they will come and find the truth and have goodness communicated to them by the kind of people here.The Society of the Sacred Heart concurred with Mother Hills sentiments, and volunteered to provide a $4 million endowment for the College for Women. The original furnishings included ornate crystal chandeliers, beautiful tapestries and of course, library books.In more modest surroundings, the College for Men and the School of Law began classes in 1954, eventually moving into Thomas Moore Hall, now known as Warren Hall. Other buildings were soon constructed, including the centerpiece of the university, the blue-domed Immaculata Church, which was consecrated in 1959.In 1972, the colleges merged and formed what is now the University of San Diego. Committed to the Catholic faith, the schools leaders also embraced the spirit of ecumenism and academic freedom. Currently, over 30 percent of the undergraduates attending USD profess to faiths other than Catholicism.Today, the University of San Diego is a nationally ranked Roman Catholic institution with more than 800 faculty members and 7,800 undergraduate, graduate and law students.Governed by an independent Board of Trustees, the university has eight academic divisions: the College of Arts and Sciences, the schools of Business Administration, Engineering, Law, Leadership and Education Sciences, Nursing and Health Sciences, Peace, and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. USD's values-based education offers students bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. The 180-acre campus now houses buildings that encompass more than two million square feet and provide educational, administrative, residential, athletic, dining and support services.Getting across campus now requires a hike. But thanks to steadfast planning by USD's leaders over the last six decades, the destination remains the same: a consummate liberal arts education.

Chartered in 1949, the university opened its doors to its first class of students in 1952 as the San Diego College for Women. Reverend Charles F. Buddy, D.D., then bishop of the Diocese of San Diego and Reverend Mother Rosalie Hill, RSCJ, a Superior Vicaress of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, chartered the institution from resources drawn from their respective organizations on a stretch of land known as "Alcal Park," named for San Diego de Alcal. In September 1954, the San Diego College for Men and the School of Law opened. These two schools originally occupied Bogue Hall on the same site of University High School, which would later become the home of the University of San Diego High School. Starting in 1954, Alcal Park also served as the diocesan chancery office and housed the episcopal offices, until the diocese moved to a vacated Benedictine convent that was converted to a pastoral center. In 1957, Immaculate Heart Major Seminary and St. Francis Minor Seminary were moved into their newly completed facility, now known as Maher Hall. The Immaculata Chapel, now no longer affiliated with USD, also opened that year as part of the seminary facilities. For nearly two decades, these schools co-existed on Alcal Park. Immaculate Heart closed at the end of 1968, when its building was renamed De Sales Hall; St. Francis remained open until 1970, when it was transferred to another location on campus, leaving all of the newly named Bishop Leo T. Maher Hall to the newly merged co-educational University of San Diego in 1972. Since then, the university has grown quickly and has been able to increase its assets and academic programs. The student body, the local community, patrons, alumni, and many organizations have been integral to the university's development.