CADEN HAYNOR / NEWS EDITOR

The University of San Diego officially changed the name of the Center for Inclusion and Diversity (CID) to the Center for Cultural Development (CCD). The renaming  occurred  in the  summer of 2025 and  was done as part of the CCD’s broad reorganization under  a USD multi-year plan that started in 2021, which aims to focus on “diversity, inclusion and social justice”  with the  goal of enhancing Catholic higher education. Two of those goals were removed from the name, “diversity” and “inclusion,” were removed from the name and replaced with cultural development this summer.

The USD Vista requested a comment on why the name change occurred. Cameran Zech, a media relations representative with the University of San Diego, responded to that request.

“While the name may have been updated,  the  goals  of  the CCD remain important and unchanged: to enhance student learning, to create a campus culture that celebrates inclusive excellence, and to grow innovative practices to address the ever-shifting politics and poetics of difference,” Zech stated. “The updated name reflects our commitment and alignment with the Catholic intellectual tradition in serving all     students,     supporting    the   entire     community      and   celebrating the dignity of all humans.”

USD sophomore Sofia Jahraus outlined her reaction to this comment by the University.

“I  can’t  believe  that  was  their only response to that,” Jahraus stated. “When they named this center something else,  they immediately targeted those in marginalized  communities. Those people that feel less represented by  the name now feel less heard by their university. They need to actually respond to that.”

The Center for Inclusion and Diversity was renamed the Center for Cultural Development. Hailey Howell/The USD Vista

Despite the name change, the Center still offers cultural events, faculty and staff training and student mentorship opportunities. The Center began actively hosting events and publishing under its new name, with  the  University’s  Juneteenth celebration.  They   have  continued events throughout the summer  and  into  the  school year.

Recently, universities like Columbia and Harvard have come under heavy scrutiny from the Trump administration for their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and clubs. Despite this outside scrutiny, other catholic-centered universities, Santa Clara and Loyola Marymount University, have an office for diversity and inclusion and an area on their website dedicated to diversity, equity   and   inclusion   respectively.

Earlier   this   year,  USD   received a civil rights complaint from the Legal Insurrection Organization, that placed them under  attack    for  DEI organizations and scholarship opportunities. The complaint claimed that these opportunities are discriminatory towards white students.

USD sophomore Sofia Jahraus outlined her reaction to this renaming and the importance that she finds in the words diversity and inclusion.

“In general, I think it’s pretty spineless of the University,” Jahraus stated. “I think they’re trying their hardest to not offend anybody, but by doing that, they show fear in those words —  diversity  and   inclusion. It   is people  trying   to get away  from DEI, but   we don’t need  to sugarcoat diversity, equity and inclusion.”

As USD students and faculty seek mentorship and the celebration of identities through this center, they will continue to test whether this new name reflects Catholic intellectual tradition or misrepresents marginalized communities.

The Center for Cultural Development offers cultural events, faculty and staff training and student mentorship opportunities. Photo courtesy of @usd_ccd/Instagram