Warm afternoon sunlight magnified the row of stained-glass windows high above the congregation gathered inside Founders Chapel for the opening Mass of the Lighting the Way Forward Conference. The assembly included members of the University of San Diego community and guests — from across the country and around the world — all of whom had come together to discuss the future of Catholic higher education.
The Eucharistic Liturgy of the novel conference carried a distinguished air as both a warm welcome to guests visiting USD’s Alcalá Park and the official beginning of the university’s 75th anniversary — appropriately themed “Lighting the Way Forward.”
“It is timely for us to gather at this moment to rethink, reimagine and rearticulate our deepest purposes and our highest aspirations,” USD President James T. Harris III, DEd, said during his welcome speech. “I sincerely hope this conference will provide an opportunity to draw wisdom from the incredibly rich history of Catholic higher education and chart a course forward to navigate a more inclusive, sustainable and hopeful future.”
Roughly 250 individuals representing more than 40 Catholic colleges and universities and numerous K-12 school districts participated in the conference, held to explore what it means to be a Catholic university at a time in history riddled with urgent global challenges, including climate change, structural racism, lack of trust in institutions, polarizing political discourse, breakdown of communities and more.
Cardinal Robert W. McElroy provided the keynote plenary session on Care for Our Common Home. After his talk, McElroy, the bishop of the San Diego Diocese, was named a Laudato Si’ Fellow for his efforts promoting Care for Our Common Home, one of the university’s Envisioning 2024 pathways that embodies Pope Francis’ urgent call of Laudato Si’.
In his 2015 papal encyclical, the pope called for urgent action to support the poor and the vulnerable who are disproportionately impacted by global environmental problems such as climate change, pollution, access to clean water and loss of biodiversity. Care for Our Common Home is one of USD’s six core values.
Other plenary topics at the conference included: Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging; Pope Francis’ Pontificate and Catholic Colleges and Universities; the Liberal Arts; and the Emerging Needs, Challenges and Opportunities of Generation Z.
The genesis of the conference emerged during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Fall 2020. USD Vice President of Mission Integration Michael Lovette-Colyer, PhD, began working with others in Mission Integration to determine what a post-pandemic world would look like in Catholic higher education.
Pope Francis published an opinion piece in The New York Times on Nov. 26, 2020, titled “A Crisis Reveals What Is in Our Hearts.” In the article — which was subsequently turned into the bestselling book Let Us Dream — the pope makes the argument that society will emerge from any crisis either better or worse, but never the same.
“What will make the difference, he says, is if we take the time to honestly reflect on what happened and then to dream together of a better future,” explained Lovette-Colyer. “We were really struck by that.” The Office for Mission began to have conversations, both internally and with colleagues around the country, and there was a strong desire to put together this unique gathering.
Ultimately, the conference exceeded expectations, Lovette-Colyer said, both in terms of the attendance and the quality of presentations.
“The energy that came from gathering people from different institutions was really exciting. We can sometimes get caught up in our own narrow focus, but to realize that we are all a part of something much larger elicits a great deal of hope and joy.”
The Lighting the Way Forward Conference was a reaffirmation of USD’s unique identity and an important milestone in the university’s diamond jubilee.
“In the moment, I profoundly appreciated how appropriate it was that we were beginning the conference in Founders Chapel inside Founders Hall, one of the very first buildings constructed at USD,” said Lovette-Colyer. “It was the perfect way to mark this transition from our first 75 years to the next 75. The dream of Bishop Buddy and Mother Hill has come true in so many ways and required an incredible amount of faith and grace. For us to be in the Chapel to remember the faith of our founders and all those who got us here was incredibly touching as we think about what is ahead of us.”
— Story and photos by Matthew Piechalak, Assistant Director of Digital Communications at the University of San Diego
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Studio S
AUGUST 28, 2026
The Art of Slowing Down at Little Frenchie
Inspired by the effortless charm of French cafés, this taste of France on Orange Avenue invites guests to embrace the simple pleasure of taking their time.
Strolling down Orange Avenue on a sunny afternoon, you’ll hear the hum of beach cruisers rolling by and visitors making their way toward the Hotel del Coronado. Dogs pause to greet one another on the sidewalk, palm trees sway overhead, and for a moment, you’re convinced you’re living inside the postcard from the gift shop you just passed.
Then the scene shifts. Towering white columns, black café awnings and gold-trimmed windows frame Little Frenchie, where woven bistro chairs spill onto the sidewalk and servers deliver bubbling crocks of French onion soup. The scent of caramelized onions and melted Gruyère is practically an invitation to ask, “How long for a table for two?”
That feeling of pulling up a chair and staying awhile is exactly what inspired Little Frenchie. French cuisine has a reputation for feeling a little intimidating, but the restaurant is rewriting that narrative with food and wine that feels approachable.
“Sometimes when you read a French menu, you come across words you can’t even pronounce,” David Spatafore, the owner of Little Frenchie, says. “We wanted to create a restaurant where people felt comfortable.”
Little Frenchie was designed to capture the spirit of the French sidewalk cafés that inspired it. Dating back to 1917, the space already carried the charm of a Parisian bistro, with architectural details that felt more at home on a European street corner than in Coronado. The team saw an opportunity to create a restaurant that matched the character of the space while filling a gap in the neighborhood.
The result is a French restaurant that honors tradition without taking itself too seriously.
At Little Frenchie, classic French techniques are at the heart of the menu, but there is always room for creativity. A cassoulet featuring Toulouse sausage and duck confit pays homage to the recipes and regions that inspired it, while a rich hot chocolate made with ingredients imported from France brings a taste of French café culture to Coronado.
The team loves finding unexpected ways to make familiar dishes feel new. A burger becomes a showstopper when it is finished tableside with melted raclette, while a French Dip gets elevated with prime beef and Wagyu makes its way into the burgers. Even Eggs Benedict gets a French twist, swapping the traditional English muffin for a buttery croissant. The GB&J, Little Frenchie’s take on a grilled cheese, brings that same playful approach with seasonal jam and French Brie layered into a comforting classic.
Nearly everything at Little Frenchie is made from scratch, with ingredients carefully chosen to match the restaurant’s standards. Even the bread receives special attention. Each morning, the team sends a car to Prager Brothers Artisan Bread to pick up freshly baked loaves, ensuring every element of the meal reflects the restaurant’s commitment to quality.
Wine is woven into the experience just as naturally as the food. Inspired by the effortless pairings found in French cafés and bistros, Little Frenchie’s by-the-glass selection invites guests to sip their way through different regions and discover new favorites without the pressure of knowing all the rules.
Growing up, Laika Nur, MD, Scripps Clinic sports medicine specialist, loved watching beach volleyball when the Association of Volleyball Professionals tour came to her hometown of Chicago. A talented volleyball player herself, she remembers sitting in the stands all day, and once, even got a couple autographs. Years later, Dr. Nur was attending a professional event focused on women’s sports, and the discussion turned to a new professional women’s volleyball league. The general manager and coaching staff for San Diego’s team, the Mojo, happened to be in attendance, and Dr. Nur took the opportunity to ask them if they needed a team doctor. Flash forward to the Mojo’s inaugural 2024 season, when Dr. Nur officially became the team physician. Click here to read more about Dr. Nur and how she incorporates lessons she learned on the court into her practice.
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Your feet and ankles probably aren’t something you give much thought to—until something goes wrong. Orthopedic surgeons at Scripps Clinic are on the leading edge of foot and ankle reconstruction, treating patients with sports injuries, deformities, traumatic injuries and other conditions. That includes repairing torn Achilles tendons with a minimally invasive procedure that shrinks the incision site to less than a centimeter, and performing advanced ankle replacement on some patients with ankle arthritis. Read more about Scripps’ innovations in foot and ankle care here.
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Mai Vue was just 34 weeks pregnant when she delivered her baby. Her pregnancy had been complicated, and she’d had a recent second trimester pregnancy loss, which led to her receiving specialized care from Sean Daneshmand, MD, a Scripps Clinic perinatologist who oversees high-risk pregnancies. Dr. Daneshmand and his team took care of Mai during her pregnancy, through the birth of her healthy baby girl and beyond. Mai was part of a program Scripps launched to provide support to new moms in the weeks and months after delivery. The postpartum program, known as Scripps Health’s Fourth Trimester Continuum of Care, provides care for women with high-risk pregnancies to optimize their health after childbirth and reduce the risk of complications in future pregnancies. Click here to learn more.
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It’s estimated that one in five people in the U.S. will develop skin cancer at some point in their lives. When you factor in living in a sun-soaked city like San Diego and the outdoorsy lifestyle that comes with it, that figure can jump to as high as one in three, which makes early detection and intervention all the more important. Dermatologists at Bighorn Mohs and Dermatology Center are using innovative imaging methods and advanced surgical techniques to diagnose and treat skin cancer. For certain cancers in sensitive spots, like the face, dermatologists perform Mohs surgery, removing skin tissue layer by layer until reaching healthy, cancer-free tissue. They also use a process called immunohistochemistry to view tissue samples taken during Mohs surgery in far greater detail than previous methods. Read more about how Scripps is advancing skin cancer care here.
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When endurance athlete Isaac Sanchez learned he had cancer, he felt blindsided. He was healthy, surfed often and was training for an Ironman triathlon. But he had to put that on hold to undergo treatment. His physicians at Scripps Cancer Center developed a plan to treat the cancer in his tonsil and lymph nodes that included six-and-a-half weeks of near-daily radiation and weekly chemotherapy. He also worked with a Scripps Cancer Center dietitian to enhance his nutrition to promote strength and healing. Today, Isaac’s back to doing what he loves. Read more of his story here.
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