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College Factual recently ranked University of San Diego School of Business' real estate program No. 1 out of 29 colleges for its "2020 Best Real Estate Colleges in the U.S." ranking. This is the third year in a row that USD School of Business' Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate has received this No. 1 ranking.

College Factual lists the best real estate colleges in order of quality. According to their website, ranking methodology takes into account factors including education quality, average earnings of graduates, accreditation, and several other relevant factors.

"Our undergraduate real estate program provides an unparalleled education for our students through our extraordinary faculty and staff, and the support offered through the Burnham-Moores Center," said Barbara Lougee, interim dean for the USD School of Business. "We provide our students with relevant curriculum, personalized career coaching, vast networking opportunities, and access to mentorships, internships, and jobs. In addition, we offer more than $400,000 in scholarships for undergraduate and graduate real estate students at the USD School of Business. It is great to see our efforts being recognized once again by College Factual."

"We are incredibly excited to learn that our real estate program has retained its No. 1 ranking in the 2020 College Factual best real estate college category," said Stath Karras, executive director of the Burnham-Moores Center. "This ranking once again validates our mission to recruit, educate and mentor real estate students, in strong collaboration with our industry partners, with the goal of facilitating their career pursuits in a socially responsible manner and with a global perspective. Moreover, it comes on the heels of our announcement last week of the launch of our Campaign for 2020 to raise $10 million to directly support real estate students and our USD School of Business real estate faculty. Our campaign has raised $3.4 million to date, with a leadership gift of $2.3 million from Malin and Roberta Burnham."

USD School of Business has seen a dramatic increase in declared real estate majors and minors in 2019. To date, there are more than 180 students in the undergraduate real estate program, representing an approximate 40 % growth from the year prior. This figure may continue to rise throughout the academic year.

For more information, visit www.usdrealestate.com.

UNDEFEATED MESA COLLEGE OLYMPIANS CELEBRATE NEW SEASON 

San Diego Mesa College Olympians headed into their homecoming football game and triumphed against L.A. Pierce’s team this past Saturday, Sept. 21. Before the game, the Mesa College Associated Students hosted a Tailgate Party, complete with student club booths, games, prizes, and food.

Leading up to the homecoming game, Mesa College celebrated Spirit Week and the success of athletics teams – including both men’s and women’s water polo and soccer along with women’s volleyball. Many of the teams are having record seasons so far. Before their win against L.A. Pierce, the San Diego Mesa College football team beat Golden West College 51-33 on Saturday, Sept. 14. Freshman kicker Raul Reyes (Crawford HS) connected on a 41-yard field goal giving Mesa a 23-21 lead going into halftime – a key moment in the game that shifted the momentum back to Mesa. 

Freshman Thomas Yam (Kamehameha HS) was 19-26 for 219 yards and 5 TD’s. Yam’s leading receiver, sophomore Antwoine Ware, turned in 10 catches for 141 yards and 3 TD’s. Ranse Garner, a freshman from El Camino High School, had a total of 89 yards returned, 29.7 average, and a long of 45.

“Our defense continues to play solidly under new defensive coordinator, Rob Hartenfels,” stated Head Coach Gary Watkins. “We tallied three interceptions against Golden West College.”

The Olympians’ Football team defeated Southwestern College on Saturday, Sept. 7, 14-4. Their last victory over Southwestern College was in 2008.

For more information on Mesa Athletics and upcoming contests, visit gosdmesa.com.

SAN DIEGO FOUNDATION AWARDS $52 MILLION IN GRANTS 

The San Diego Foundation announced that, during the 2019 fiscal year, it awarded more than $52 million in grants to the nonprofit community. The news was shared at the 2019 annual meeting on Sept. 17 in La Jolla, where donors, partners, and community leaders celebrated the joy of giving, and the positive impact San Diego philanthropists have on the community.

As the community foundation’s annual report highlights, during Fiscal Year 2019, grantmaking supported 1,740 nonprofit organizations with 5,667 individual grants to a variety of social impact areas, including: $16.7 million for Health & Human Services, $14.5 million for Education, $7.8 million for Arts & Culture, $4.8 million for Civil Society, $3.6 million for the Environment, and $1.9 million for Youth Development. 

For 44 years, the foundation has focused on joy-making for donors, partners, nonprofits, and the many San Diegans whose lives are positively impacted by charitable giving. The benefits of this work can be seen throughout San Diego County — from the cities that are creating age-friendly policies and programs to support our oldest residents to the first-generation students who now have more opportunities to contribute to our regional economy thanks to the Community Scholars Initiative.

“San Diego County is a region rich with generous philanthropists and changemakers, as well as unique challenges that require strong leadership,” shared Mark Stuart, President & CEO of the San Diego Foundation. “As we look toward the future, we are focused on how we can further increase joy for the donors we support and the communities we serve.”

“As a community foundation, the San Diego Foundation is a creative builder and co-creator of a deep and pervasive culture of philanthropy and gratitude for San Diego; a dedicated and trusted connector of causes, donors, and leaders; and a transformative partner aligning systems, sectors, and structures,” added Stuart.

Over the past year, the San Diego Foundation and its generous donors have invested in a variety of new initiatives and spearheaded numerous projects that are bringing joy to more San Diegans. Among the many noteworthy milestones, The foundation launched an impact investing partnership to help build affordable homes for low-income families; the Hervey Family and the Donna Knox Sefton Family provided $10 million for a new library in the Mission Hills and Hillcrest neighborhood; and San Diego County was named a Thrive Outside Community, which will enable the San Diego Foundation and its partners to create an even greener and more active region.

To learn more about the foundation’s impact, visit SDFoundation.org/AnnualReport.