Alumni | Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good

Presenting Your Best Self

Rabbi Stephen Pierce was the former chair of the Leo T. McCarthy Center. Beginning in his college days, he didn’t know exactly how to present his best self in a professional setting. In his new book, I Wish I’d Said That: A Guide for Writers, Speakers, and Healers, Pearce provides the tools he learned to the…

Sheryl Davis pictured speaking after receiving her hononarary doctorate

Through Courage, Community & Creativity

We are honored to showcase the inspiring words of Sheryl Davis, USF alum, McCarthy Center Board Member and Executive Director of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission. She was recently conferred an Honorary Doctorate by USF and spoke on the need to share our gifts, through courage, community and creativity I wrestled with what to…

Releasing our 2017 Annual Report

Each year the Center strives to honor the legacy of Leo T. McCarthy through programs and scholarship that promote public service and the common good. This includes undergraduate community-engagement learning, faculty and university-wide development, graduate engagement, and community partnerships at both the local and global level. We are excited to share our 2017 annual report…

Alumnus Sees the Future of the Booker T. Washington Community Service Center

Jerry Trotter Program Director, Booker T. Washington Community Service Center Ayah Mouhktar, our Communications Assistant, interviewed Jerry Trotter at the construction site for the Booker T. Washington Community Service Center. Below is a reflection on her experience meeting Jerry, discussing the new facility and what it will mean for the families and children of San…

Changing Transportation: My Path from USF to Sacramento

When I started at Master of Arts in Urban Affairs program at the University of San Francisco I just knew that I was interested in understanding the opportunities to mitigate climate change through urban transportation policies and planning. To be working for the state of California as a transportation planner at Caltrans just two years later as an alumna of the Urban Affairs program is still a little crazy to me; but also very exciting. – Shannon Simonds

3 Numbers To Know About Our Masters Programs

The Master of Public Affairs and Practical Politics (MoPA) program was founded in 2010 and graduated its first cohort in 2011. The vision of MoPA was to prepare students to thrive in the public affairs and political worlds that is unique to the Bay Area. A few years later in 2013, the Master of Arts in Urban Affairs (Urban) was established. Urban was designed to train students to graduate ready to be specialists in analyzing the policy challenges of 21st century urbanism—providing the skills and the knowledge to be effective leaders in community-driven urban policy and projects.

Random acts of kindness

There’s a quote I often think of that’s often used when tragic events happen in the world – the Boko Haram kidnapping, the Paris attack, Newtown shooting, Boston bombing, Colorado shootings, Kenya attack and countless others. – Rebecca McDowell

Diving into our Nation’s Capitol

As a Media Studies major, I had always been interested in the news, but desired a deeper understanding of political processes. When I heard about USF in DC, I jumped at the opportunity to participate to broaden the scope of my education at USF. Through the program, I gained experience and critical insight to our political system through working, studying and living in our nation’s capitol. – Presley Attardo