The Word: UIW Community Newsletter - October 1, 2021

Heritage Week is a week-long celebration during which the University of the Incarnate Word community recalls its heritage and Mission. The celebration highlights the history of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word and their legacy of service, faith and love. Heritage Week also serves as a time for the University community to extend its gratitude to employees who have dedicated years of service to continuing, promoting and living the University's Mission.

The origin story of UIW begins in 1869 with the decision of three French nuns to come to San Antonio, Texas in response to a cholera outbreak. Today, their work spans the globe, reaching peoples of different cultures and affirming God's love for all humanity.The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word and the University of the Incarnate Word continue the Catholic tradition of reflection on wonders of human knowledge and of advancing it through our own contributions and inspiring innovation and creativity in order to promote the development of the whole persons who go forth as concerned and enlightened citizens within the global community.

2021 Heritage Week Celebrations

Heritage Day Remembering Ceremony - Cemetery Ritual

Wednesday, Oct. 6, 8 a.m. (Zoom)

Each year, the University of the Incarnate Word celebrates Heritage Week. This is a time to pause and reflect on the communal call of the University flowing from “Our Lord Jesus Christ suffering.” The legacy of the past informs who we are now and invites us to contemplate the future.  

Register for the Zoom link here

Presentation on Amoris Laetitia, The Joy of Love (Pope Francis, 2016) 

Wednesday, Oct. 6, 4:30 p.m. (SEC 2051 and 2052) 

As part of Heritage Week, Fr. Roger Keeler, professor of Theology at the Oblate School of Theology, will offer an overview of Pope Francis’ exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, its history, and its unique place in the species of pontifical writing. Register.

Heritage Day Mass

Thursday, Oct. 7, Noon (Our Lady's Chapel)

You are cordially invited to participate in our 2021 Heritage Day Mass on Thursday, Oct. 7, at noon in Our Lady’s Chapel. This will be a hybrid presentation with limited in-person seating and livestreamed via Zoom.  

Our Heritage Day Mass is an opportunity to remember with gratitude the foundation of the University by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word and to recommit ourselves to our Mission values. Links to register for either in-person attendance or for Zoom can be found at our UMM Registration site.

Drama of Mother St. Pierre

Thursday, Oct. 7, 3 p.m. (Cavendar Westgate)

Born May 22, 1845 in Beaujeu, France, Jeanne Cinquin received the religious habit at the monastery of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament (Lyon, France) in 1868 and was given the name of Sister St. Pierre of the Passion. She left France in October 1868 for a new mission in Galveston, Texas. Just a few months after arriving in Galveston, she was sent to San Antonio to open a new hospital to tend to the victims of the cholera epidemic. At the same time, she was given the responsibility of establishing the new foundation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio. She served the Congregation as a superior and spiritual leader until her death in 1891. This special drama will be presented for the UIW family.

Employee Recognitions

See 2020 and 2021 honorees.

The FIRST tech challenge kickoff occurred Saturday, Sept. 18, marking the start of FIRST Lego League preparations for the UIW Girls in Engineering, Mathematics and Science (GEMS). GEMS sponsors after-school clubs at Barkley-Ruiz Elementary School and Tafolla Middle School in San Antonio ISD, and Elolf Elementary School in Judson ISD.

FIRST Lego League introduces students from K-8 grades to the fundamentals of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through hands-on learning and real-world problem-solving experiences using guided robotic programs. FIRST Lego League participants engage in hands-on STEM experiences through robotic challenges, which helps in building confidence, growing their knowledge, and developing great learning habits.

This year, all FIRST teams will address today’s challenges related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No.9. The goal is focused on building resilient infrastructure and promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization all while fostering innovation. GEMS three schools are currently preparing their teams to think about the sustainability of future transportation systems. In CARGO CONNECTSM, teams will re-imagine global transportation systems and explore ways of improving how companies access and deliver needed and desired goods, making all communities more connected. A very harrowing challenge was presented during the current pandemic.

Both FIRST and GEMS hope to build the next generation of STEM leaders and innovators by cultivating them to tackle the world’s toughest challenges, starting at an elementary level, to keep students engaged in the fields of STEM and hopefully encourage them to pursue careers in the diverse fields of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics).

More about FIRST Lego League

Dr. Halimin Herjanto, assistant professor of Marketing, served as a virtual guest speaker to upper-level marketing students at Anahuac University Mexico on Sept. 23. He spoke to on the topic of “Post COVID-19 Market Trend 2021.” Thirty students, as well as business faculty from the university, attended his lecture.

“The students were very enthusiastic and interested in this topic,” said Herjanto about the experience. “I felt it was a great honor for me to serve in this role as well as to represent UIW in the international academic community.”

Herjanto will give the same lecture to business faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, and marketing professionals from Indonesia for the Universitas Islam Syekh Yusuf (Tangerang, Indonesia) on Oct. 18. 

Dr. Suleyman Tek, professor of Mathematics, and the department of Mathematics and Statistics hosted a Cardinal Math Talk session on Sept. 30 with guest speaker Dr. Ummugul Bulut, assistant professor of Mathematics from Texas A&M University San Antonio.  Bulut’s topic was “A Stochastic Model of Avian Influenza in the Migratory Birds.”

“During the Fall 2020 semester, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics started a virtual departmental colloquium series called Cardinal Math Talk," explained Tek (left). "We invite experts from mathematics, statistics, and data science to share their research, as well as their professional experiences, with UIW students and faculty. For the talk on Thursday, we had 36 participants. It was a great success.”

Through these seminars, current UIW students get a chance to meet people from the industry, university, and K-12 education system. Students see how mathematics is used in many different fields and what professional life looks like. It also gives them an idea of what kind of career they would like to pursue after they graduate, allowing them to plan for that career path. In addition, it allows faculty members to interact with the speaker and look for possible collaboration opportunities.

Bulut is with the department of Mathematics, Physical and Engineering Sciences at Texas A&M University San Antonio. She completed her Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics at Texas Tech and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Grand Valley State University. Bulut’s research interests are numerical analysis, stochastic differential equations, and mathematical biology. 

According to Bulut’s abstract, Avian Influenza (AI) is a zootonic disease with a 53% case fatality rate (H5N1 strain) since 2003. The number of humans infected with AI increased in the recent epidemic wave during the period 2016-2017. Bulut discussed the use of the stochastic fisher equation, with time-dependent white noise, to investigate the dynamics of the susceptible-infected (SI) compartmental model. The goal was to see whether applying the random perturbation to the migration speed of the wild bird population can eradicate the disease. The study proves that the disease-free equilibrium is exponentially asymptotically stable almost surely for the stochastic model. The computational graphs support the theoretical results.

Faith Formation Opportunities - The Bible in a Year Study Groups, Confirmation Classes, and More

University Mission and Ministry invites students, faculty, and staff to form Bible Study groups using the Ascension Press Bible in a Year Podcast, hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz. A survey was created to identify when individuals are available to meet and who would like to serve as group facilitators. Once your information is gathered, groups will be matched with same days and times. Please complete the survey here. If you would like to facilitate a group, please indicate so in the survey.

In addition to Bible Study, we are offering other opportunities for faith formation such as confirmation classes. For more information, complete the Faith Formation Interest Form here.

Need Prayers?

Our UIW family is always in our prayers. If you have a special intention for which you would like us to pray, please feel free to submit it through our prayer link or via email to ministry@uiwtx.edu.

Join our flock!

If you consider UIW your worshiping community, or simply want to stay connected to Mission and Ministry to receive information about our events, ministries, and other ministry-related news, we invite you to register as part of our University of the Incarnate Word Flocknote network. Flocknote is the best means we have of keeping connected with our UIW family and sharing information quickly. Registration is free and open to students, faculty, staff, administrators, Incarnate Word Sisters, alumni and friends of UIW.

Join Flocknote here

Fr. Roger Keeler, OST, Oblate Shool of Theology, provides a reflection on the love and care we feel for family, and the effects COVID-19 has had on those relationships.

Read Part 1

“I always wanted to be a pharmacist, and never wanted to leave San Antonio. I was blessed by the University of the Incarnate Word to attend Pharmacy school in San Antonio.”

Dr. Christopher Alvarado, PharmD ’10, wanted to be a pharmacist from the time he was a small child, knowing this would be a great way to give back to his community. Growing up in a tight-knit family, with parents who served as mentors, helped fuel his desire to help people.

Now, in the midst of a pandemic, Alvarado’s desire is as strong as ever. He serves on UIW’s Board of Trustees, is the Alumni Association president and is the president of the Feik School of Pharmacy Alumni. Additionally, he feels a strong calling to do all he can in the fight against COVID.

“My parents always provided in the way of giving back,” said Alvarado. “Now, with all the vaccinations and everything going on, I’m glad to give back to the community and to help people understand about the importance of vaccinations.”

Alvarado’s journey to graduating with a PharmD degree from UIW was not a straight path. After graduating from college, he became a pharmacy technician and was happy, learning from pharmacists and helping his community.

With his desire to stay in San Antonio, he said, it was easy to create excuses for not attending pharmacy school. But when UIW started a program in town, his wife, his family and even his customers encouraged him to attend. As Alvarado explored UIW’s new program, it felt right. He loved that UIW is a Hispanic-Serving Institution with a strong component of faith.

“UIW has a lot of pluses in the way of being faith-based and helping with the Hispanic culture. That's one of the perks there,” said Alvarado. “I just can’t be more proud to be part of that class, especially in that first class because we had quite a few Hispanics graduating.”

Attending a faith-based university with such an emphasis on the Hispanic community was a blessing. Coming from the same culture, Alvarado recognizes that having a cultural awareness and understanding is a key part of being able to help a community.

“From our first year, they talked about cultural awareness,” said Alvarado. “If you don’t understand it, you can’t help the patient. That’s what they teach us in school, to understand the culture so that we can get our point through to the customer.

“You can’t just tell somebody who grew up in a Hispanic family [where food is a major cultural staple] – to say ‘you can just stop [eating those foods],’ that’s not going to happen. You have to be able to understand that you limit those things, but you know that you’re still going to enjoy them, because that’s tradition.”

In addition to his parents as mentors, Alvarado has numerous professional mentors. Several of his high school friends also went on to become pharmacists, and he remains close to them. Now, he works hard to give back to those aspiring to be pharmacists. He talks to them about more than just the practice, though. He wants them to be successful in life as well.

“I talk to my students, too,” said Alvarado. “I definitely take a day to get away from the store and talk to them about real life, and how to work their new income, how to make sure they save away for the future, how to give back to the profession, those type things. I’m always excited to discuss with the students.”

Alvarado, now a pharmacist at H-E-B, has done more than just discuss and mentor. A member of the West Texas Pharmacy Association that places an emphasis on giving scholarships to students, Alvarado decided to start his own scholarship so he could give back to the University who has given him so much. The Alvarado Advocacy Scholarship is given to a student who shows that they know the importance of the political process outside of pharmacy school. Someone who shows an interest in understanding how legislators and senators can change the profession with one signature.

“I definitely look to see who those students are and want to help them with their school, because I was that way,” said Alvarado. “I was very involved, and my mentors always showed me that you had to be involved with the profession.”

Throughout his time working in the pharmacy profession, Alvarado has seen a lot of changes. He wants to continue to share his wisdom and knowledge with younger generations, and he wants them to understand that it is important for them to give back, too.

“I just keep working as hard as I can to get a few to give back,” said Alvarado. “I want them to know the importance of them giving back when they get out. If I have one student that gives back when they get out, I get excited. I give God all the credit for all I can give back to UIW and the profession of pharmacy. ”

On Thursdays, we wear Red! #RepRed, presented by H-E-B, is the perfect way to show off your UIW pride every week! So find your favorite red T-shirt or stock up on new UIW gear at the links below to show everyone you're proud to be a UIW fan! 

Be sure to share your #RepRed photos with us on social media. Tag @uiwcardinals, @uiwathletics and @heb in all your #RepRed posts!

Purchase your UIW gear on the official UIW Amazon site, the Cardinal Shoppe or uiwcardinalgear.com to get ready for the next #RepRed Thursday. 

UIW student organization Sustain invites the community to volunteer at the Community Gardens this fall semester. UIW Sustain offers students and staff opportunities to act, connect, and educate others on the most pressing issue of our time: preserving the world for generations to come. Together, we work to spread awareness about environmental issues and to provide opportunities to conserve the world's natural beauty and resources in the UIW community. 

“UIW's community gardens remain central to the ongoing work we do at UIW to heed students' calls for a more sustainable UIW community,” said Dr. Ben Miele, associate professor of English and chair of the Sustainability Advisory Board. “These gardens are not only sanctuaries for spiritual growth, but also classrooms and laboratories. These gardens enrich students' experiences at UIW, letting their creativity flourish and sense of service to others blossom.”

The Community Garden was started in 2012 by alum Stephen Luck. It has grown from a small, two-raised bed garden to a staple of the main UIW campus with three different locations and a composting sight.

“I believe that the UIW community gardens have become a way for many UIW community members to come together and reconnect through the shared interest in sustainability,” said Heather Barton-Weston, PhD, assistant professor in the Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions and co-director of the Sustainability Advisory Board. “The UIW gardens are a visual reminder of our role as stewards and our responsibilities to take care of our environment.”

The garden is a feature for parents and prospective student tours, a reflection location for UIW faculty, staff and students, and it provides fresh vegetation for students through the UIW Cardinal’s Cupboard.

“While working in the garden gives you great insights into the natural processes, I think the mission of the garden itself is valuable too, since community gardens provide locals with affordable food options that are more removed from profit-oriented establishments,” said Miranda Van Doren, a junior communication arts major and vice president of Sustain.

UIW’s new interdisciplinary concentration in Sustainability Studies, which helps students develop solutions to current and future climate changes while growing to become sustainable leaders in their communities, uses the gardens for hands-on, experiential learning.

“Students continue to be the driving force behind the growth of the gardens, from the composting site, which was designed and built by students, to the redesign of Gorman garden and the development of pollinator, herb, and insectivorous-plant gardens around campus,” added Miele. “Garden days occur every Friday. Students and anyone in the San Antonio community are welcome!”

Kelechi Anyalebechi and Kevin Nguyen were named Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week and SLC Special Teams Player of the Week, respectively, following their performances in a 31-0 victory over McNeese in the team’s SLC-opening game.

Anyalebechi had a team-high 10 tackles with two tackles for loss, a sack and a pass breakup in UIW’s first shutout of a Division I opponent in program history. On McNeese’s first play from scrimmage, Anyalebechi’s tackles gave the Cowboys a six-yard loss. Two plays later, another tackle forced a three-and-out to give UIW the ball back. In the third quarter, Anyalebechi sacked the McNeese quarterback for a seven-yard loss on third down. He also added a pass breakup to secure his second weekly award of the season.

Nguyen averaged 40.2 yards a punt on four attempts, including landing two inside the McNeese 20-yard line. None of his punts were returned. Nguyen’s longest punt of the day was 45 yards. This marks his first career weekly honor.

Under the direction of Dr. Michael Forrest, professor of Business Law, students from the H-E-B School of Business and Administration have an opportunity to meet with business leaders to discuss entrepreneurship in a variety of business ventures. Forrest will invite entrepreneurial leaders from different industries to come to UIW to visit with students about entrepreneurship.   

“This new Business School initiative, the Entrepreneurs Coffee Club, just had the first of hopefully many meetings planned for select Friday mornings throughout the school year,” said Forrest. “The meetings will provide students the opportunity to gather casually in a small group setting with local businesspeople to talk about entrepreneurship over a cup of coffee.”

The activity, called a “Coffee Club,” is not a traditional club or student organization and is open to any business student interested in the proposed topic and speaker. The Coffee Club name was selected because the meetings are held in a small setting, in the morning, and they wanted conversational discussions rather than a formal class or lecture.  It is held in the private dining room of the SEC. 

The first meeting of the Coffee Club, held on Sept. 24, 2021, featured local attorney Ben Holliday of the Holliday Energy Law Group. Holliday is the former president of the Entrepreneurs Association San Antonio. He led a conversation on innovative strategies to create and operate a successful company that can survive the unexpected, such as a global pandemic.

Alumna Cindy Nieto-Ruiz ’14 was recently named the KENS5 EXCEL Award recipient. Nieto-Ruiz, who received her degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from UIW, teaches first grade at Northside ISD’s Scarborough Elementary School. Her passion for teaching started at a young age, when her parents – who never had the chance to go to high school while living in Mexico – taught her to value education. 

The award recognizes outstanding teachers in the San Antonio community. Nieto-Ruiz was shocked to receive the award. Typically, she is advocating for others, but this year, her colleagues advocated for her with the special nomination.

Congratulations, Cindy!  

Alumnus Martin Gomez ’93, known for his work with Selena Quintanilla-Perez and extensive involvement in the global apparel industry, will be back on campus to speak to students about his journey from designer to executive. Gomez invites you to learn more about his experience maneuvering the fashion world.  

Gomez originally met Selena while he was in an executive training program at Dillard’s, and she was shopping at the store. She convinced him to take a chance on a clothing line, and the duo began designing a clothing line by Selena. The first Selena Etc. boutique opened in Corpus Christi in 1994, followed by a second in San Antonio.

Gomez lives in Duluth, Minnesota, with his wife and two children. Gomez is now the vice president of product development and sourcing for Maurice’s clothing store.

This presentation will be held in the SEC Ballroom on Oct. 11 from 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

UIW Homecoming: October 28 - 31

Registration for UIW Homecoming is now open! This year, the Department of Alumni and Parent Relations is excited to welcome all of our UIW Alumni back to the Nest for in-person festivities for the first time since 2019. Old and new traditions will be celebrated! All alumni, from from the Incarnate Word College-era to our most recent Cardinal graduates, are welcome to the festivities. This year we also celebrate the Class of 1971 for their 50th Anniversary Class Reunion, which included some of the first gentlemen to graduate from the Incarnate Word family with undergraduate degrees.

Register for homecoming events

The University of the Incarnate Word Athletics Department celebrated multiple wins over the last week. The weekend kicked off with women’s soccer clinching a 2-0 win over Southland Conference opponent Nicholls. Lauren Miller scored for the Cardinals, while a Nicholls own goal put the final score at 2-0.

Football had another momentous win on Saturday, holding McNeese scoreless in a 31-0 victory at Benson Stadium. This was the first shutout for the Cardinals over a Division I program. Cameron Ward led a balanced offensive attack as he threw for 352 yards and two touchdowns. UIW had 468 yards of total offense. The Cardinal defense had another stellar performance, holding the Cowboys to just 290 yards of total offense, including only 75 rushing yards.

Men’s soccer also had a big win on Saturday as it traveled to Houston for its first Western Athletic Conference match of the season. The Cardinals secured a 2-0 victory, with goals from Alec Rodriguez and Eduardo “Edu” Perez scoring goals within two minutes of each other late in the first half.

Men’s tennis, competing in fall tournaments, headed up the road to the UTSA Roadrunner Invitational. Joao Sasso won the North C Draw, beating opponents from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Ivan Smith was undefeated in singles and doubles to win the B Draw, topping student-athletes from Abilene Christian, UTRGV, Arkansas and UTSA.

Volleyball swept Northwestern State, 3-0 (26-24, 25-20, 25-19), on Thursday night. Bethany Clapp led UIW with 14 kills. Macy Sumrall (12), Britney Ong (10) and Pilar Gonzaba (10) each contributed double-digit digs. Sumrall also had three aces, while Clapp, Gonzaba and Jacqueline Arrington had one each.

Congratulations, Cardinals!

Head coach Tom Rees joined the University of the Incarnate Word women's tennis program in July 2021 and got right to work building up the culture and creating a positive environment.

In his first two months at UIW, Rees has put an emphasis on culture change. He implemented a weekly book club where the team meets to discuss "Becoming a Great Team Player" by Allistair McCaw. This book club has created valuable team bonding that allows the student-athletes individually and as a team to focus on their goals.

"Culture wins. People win," said Rees.  "One of the things that guides my overall philosophy is that culture wins, and part of a successful culture is creating an all-around student-athlete."

This focus has translated well onto the court as the Cardinals have clenched three titles in their first two tournaments of the 2021-22 season.

Brandelyn Fulgenzi started off the season winning the top flight (3-0) at the St. Mary's Invitational. The following weekend, she carried that momentum to the Javelina Quad where she won the singles and doubles titles alongside her sister, Lauren Fulgenzi.

In the offseason, B. Fulgenzi put an emphasis on her mental game as she headed into her senior campaign. Having Rees step in as a coach who seeks to value and strengthen each student-athlete on and off the court has not only helped her, but the entire team.

"He pushes us to our limits and expects more out of us," said B. Fulgenzi.

"It's more than just results, it's the process and knowing that he cares a lot about you as a person, before a player, has really helped," added L. Fulgenzi.

The Cardinals finished 14-12 at the St. Mary's Invitational and 12-10 at the Javelina Quad.

"Coachability has been huge," said Rees. "The girls are excited to learn. They understand this is a great opportunity. Every day, each player or each doubles team has taken a step forward, which is great to see as a coach."

The team is learning that consistency can produce great results. Co-captain Taylor Parkinson feels confident in the future of the women's tennis program.

"This is going to be our year. We're not going to let anything stand in our way. We're finally going to come out on top with a couple wins," said Parkinson. "We're looking really good so far and we're going to work hard to keep that fire burning."

The University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball program announced its2021-22 schedule on Friday. The Cardinals begin their season on Thursday, Nov. 11, at 8 p.m. at UTEP.

UIW will play ten non-conference foes before heading to the inaugural Southland Conference Tip-Off, a pre-conference tournament in Katy, Texas, to kickoff conference play.

The Cardinals are coming off a 4-5 conference record and a 6-9 overall record as they head into their third season under head coach Jeff Dow. UIW has earned a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament both seasons under Dow.

"We're excited about the schedule that we're facing for this upcoming season,” said Dow. “We have a few non-conference games against teams that we faced last year in UTSA, UTEP, TCU and Texas Tech, but we'll also be starting up a two-year series with some new opponents in UTRGV, New Mexico State and Tarleton State. Plus, we'll be competing in the inaugural Southland Conference pre-season tournament January 3-5.

“We should definitely be prepared going into conference play by competing against a wide assortment of teams that will challenge us significantly not only with their talent, but also with their diverse styles of play."

The University of the Incarnate Word continues to monitor the local, regional and state-wide progression of COVID-19 to inform decisions about safe campus operations. Below you will find links to make an appointment for a COVID-19 test on one of UIW's campuses.

Schedule a COVID-19 test on the Broadway campus (students and employees ONLY)

Schedule a COVID-19 test at the UIWSOM campus (open to general public)