Education
RICK VIRGIN
USD Welcomes the
New Vice President for
University Advancement
Rick and his family
R
ick Virgin was named the University of San Diego’s Vice President of University
Advancement in August, during a key juncture in USD’s history. The university was
completing its $317 million Leading Change Campaign and looking forward to its
75th anniversary through the lens of a new strategic initiative known as Envisioning
2024. Virgin previously held leadership positions at Creighton University, George
Mason University and The George Washington University. Virgin is excited to work at a Catholic
institution with values that align so closely with his own - including a commitment to education,
service, community, faith and family.
82 GBSAN.COM | DECEMBER 2018
“Since my earliest days,
my parents instilled in us a
responsibility to help others
have a better life - and that’s
also part of the DNA at USD,”
Virgin shared with Giving Back
Magazine. “I knew I wanted to
be a part of the USD culture,
embrace the mission and make
a positive difference in the lives
of our students, our faculty and
our staff.” His mantra, “Do good,
be good” came from his 5-foot-
2-inch grandmother, Ernestina
Perez, the family matriarch. She
inspired his love of learning, his
passion for education, and his
life-long enjoyment of cooking
great food.
USD plays an integral role in
strengthening the San Diego
region by educating some of the
best and brightest students from
around the world, by serving
the community and by sparking
a spirit of social innovation
across all disciplines. Virgin
will work hard to garner the
funds to fuel that innovation, to
establish more scholarships and
endowed faculty positions, and
to give students a life-changing
educational experience that’s
affordable and accessible.
“I couldn’t be more excited
about the opportunity to lead the
University Advancement division,”
he said. “I’ll do whatever I can to
assure that people around the
world know why the University of
San Diego is a special place.”
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