UCSD Ranked 15th For Peace Corps Volunteers
UCSD ranked 15th on the Peace Corps’ 2015 Top Colleges list, the fifth time in a row the school has ranked in the top 15 and the ninth time it has appeared in the top 25. This list, on which six UC schools reside, ranks educational institutions based on the number of Peace Corps volunteers coming from the institutions. More than 3000 schools with alumni volunteering in the Peace Corps ranked in categories based on size: small, medium, large, and graduate schools. UCSD’s ranking resides in the large category.
“UC San Diego’s commitments to public service and civic engagement are core strengths that have enabled our campus to educate generations of individuals dedicated to Peace Corps’ mission of promoting world peace,” UCSD Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla said in a press release on Feb. 19.
San Diego Schools Develop Joint Health Program
The division of global public health at the UCSD School of Medicine and San Diego State University’s School of Social Work have launched a joint doctoral program in interdisciplinary research on substance abuse.
The program will emphasize research on the social and health consequences of the use and abuse of alcohol and drugs, aimed at assessing substance-use risk and creating intervention and prevention programs.
Co-director Dr. Steffanie Strathdee gave her opinion of the program, stating that the program came just in time due to the growing impact of substance use worldwide. Students in the program spend their first year at SDSU, their second at UCSD and their remaining years between both schools.
Chancellor Announces All-Campus Commencement
Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla announced on Feb. 19 that a new all-campus commencement ceremony will take place beginning with the graduating class of 2016. The new ceremony aims to unite undergraduates, graduates, the Rady School of Management and the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies as one graduating student body. It will replace the previous All Campus Graduation Celebration, started in 2008 with a similar goal of campus unification. The chancellor accepted a recommendation from the Campuswide Commencement Planning Committee to apply the change in 2016, allowing time for and finding a speaker. These changes to the main ceremony will not affect the individual ceremonies of each undergraduate college and the Graduate Division, which will proceed with its own personalized events before the final ceremony.
Tritons Help Restore Ross Elementary School
One hundred thirty Triton volunteers, consisting of current students, alumni, staff, their family, and others came together to help improve and restore Ross Elementary School on Feb. 19.
The San Diego Promise for Education hosted the event, with the goal of connecting alumni, students and community members and also increase the success of students.
Rosemary Cruz, the school’s principal, voiced the aspirations she has for her students, explaining the hope she has that the volunteers’ efforts would foster a sense of pride in her students and influence them to become future leaders.
Volunteers in the San Diego Promise for Education will participate in more activities, and students who are interested can find out more information by visiting http://alumni.ucsd.edu/sdpromise.
