The Word: UIW Community Newsletter - March 19, 2021

Next Thursday, March 25, UIW will kick off its 3rd annual Day of Giving, One Word, One Goal, in tandem with the annual Incarnate Word Day celebration! In honor of our founding year, One Word, One Goal is an 1881-minute push to bring UIW alumni, friends, students, parents, employees and supporters together to raise money for the UIW scholarships and programs that mean the most to them. This year, we celebrate 140 of the legacy of the University of the Incarnate Word and all who have made their mark on our beloved institution. 

Our story is the legacy of three young Sisters following their hearts and their faith to lead lives of service. Responding to the crisis of an ongoing cholera epidemic, their service and devotion led to the creation of a hospital, known today as the CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System. They didn't stop there – as adults were lost to the epidemic, their children were left with a need for care. That need led to the founding of an orphanage. Those children needed to be educated, so the Sisters would eventually embark on a journey that led to the establishment of the University we know and love today. One hundred and forty years, thousands of graduates and an expanding global reach later, UIW stands strong, serving more and more students and community members every year. 

This is our legacy. We continue to grow with our circumstances and serve our communities here in Texas and around the world. With your support during One Word, One Goal, we can educate more students, serve more communities, and strengthen our programs, carrying on the legacy of our founders.

More than 30 programs are asking for your support this year. All are accepting donations at this time. Please click the button below, select the area(s) you're most passionate about, and make a gift. Gifts of all sizes come together to make a big impact.

Join us for our 3rd Annual Day of Giving One Word, One Goal, to celebrate and be part of our legacy. 

Praised be the Incarnate Word!

Fund Your Passion

Medical students of the UIW School of Osteopathic Medicine's (UIWSOM) inaugural class learned where they matched for residency today during the nationwide celebration known as Match Day! Students and their loved ones gathered on the UIWSOM campus at Brooks for an outdoor, socially distant celebration. Vehicles were decorated and medical students waited in anticipation to receive the 11 a.m. e-mail that would notify them where they matched for residency. 

UIWSOM's impact is now reaching every corner of the United States. Students were matched at hospitals from Alaska, California and Hawaii on the West Coast, to New York, North Carolina and Florida on the East Coast. 

Listen to what some of these students had to say about #Match2021 and what it has meant to be part of UIWSOM's first class ever. 

As we continue to celebrate the UIWSOM inaugural class, stay tuned for additional footage, photos and interviews. 

UIW's 3D Animation and Game Department was recently ranked as a top program in the nation and state according to the 2021 College Rankings as ranked by Animation Career Review. Programs are selected based upon academic reputation, admission selectivity, depth and breadth of program faculty, value as related to tuition and indebtedness, graduation rate, geographic location and employment data. 

UIW ranked 4th on the list of Top Animation School Programs in Texas and also ranked among the "Top 25 Schools and Colleges with Game Design BFA Programs."

Learn more about UIW's 3D Animation and Game Design BFA here

UIW was recently approved to start a provisional chapter of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). As a new member institution, UIW will hold provisional status for one year and, if in good standing after the provisional status, will obtain chapter status. SACNAS chapters are a powerful and inclusive source of community that provides local and regional support for college students and professionals in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Collectively, their chapters are the on-the-ground ambassadors behind SACNAS’ movement to achieve true diversity in STEM. 

Congratulations to Dr. Alex Martinez, assistant professor of Biology, for his efforts to establish this chapter. 

Jack Kennady, OMS-II, was selected for the Texas Academy of Family Physician’s Council on Medical Practice.  The objective of the Council is to support the family physicians of Texas and their practices. The Council works to empower family physicians to achieve professional excellence and personal satisfaction, help members succeed in the ever-changing health care marketplace, reduce administrative burdens imposed on physicians, and transform the U.S. health care system so family physicians and their patients can thrive. 

Catheryn Teav, OMS-III, was appointed to the Texas Academy of Family Physicians Council on Workforce and Member Engagement. The Council's objective is to advance the specialty of family medicine and strengthen the organization. The Council works to ensure a health care workforce sufficient to provide every Texan access to a personal family physician, foster the development of strong family physician leaders, and support a strong, engaged community of family physicians across Texas. 

Both council appointments last nine months, ending in November 2021.

In reading the story of Lazarus, I am reminded of the premature death of my brother, Albert, to cancer two years ago. I, too, like Martha and Mary, Lazarus’s sisters, wanted Jesus to save him and in the most essential way my brother Albert was saved. Before he died, he acknowledged that the Lord was his Savior and God. In verse 25-26 Jesus tells Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life: whoever believes in me, though he should die, will come to life; and whoever is alive and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Jesus is asking each one of us as the faithful to believe in His resurrection. As a member of the University of the Incarnate Word community, I try to demonstrate through my interactions with students, staff, faculty, and families how I encounter the glory of God. We are God’s disciples and the most important manifestations of His glory are how we treat one another. Jesus cried with Martha and Mary to teach us to console each other in times of loss and sorrow.

I pray during this Lenten season that we as the Incarnate Word community embrace the examples of Jesus. We show this not only by caring for one another but accompanying each other in our times of difficulty to create a more compassionate University environment.

Dr. Barbara Aranda-Naranjo
Provost

In the spring of 2009, a UIW student created the first 24-hour Pray-a-thon as a way to more fully immerse the UIW campus into deeper prayer in anticipation of Easter. What began as 24 hours of prayer has evolved into a week-long Pray-a-thon filled with opportunities to experience prayer in different forms, expressions and traditions.

Today, Pray-a-thon is celebrated annually as a week-long celebration – Sunday to Sunday – in conjunction with the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25, otherwise known as Incarnate Word Day. This year it will take place from March 21-28, 2021.

While we find ourselves still in the midst of the global pandemic that started a year ago, we draw on the hope and strength of the Mission and heritage of our University. The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, through their dedication to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word, have demonstrated for us perseverance, faith, and hope in the midst of worldly challenges.

We invite you next week, March 21-28, 2021, to take intentional time for yourself and your community to participate the prayer opportunities that are already taking place on your individual campuses, as well any of the additional events in celebration of this special week. Below are some of the opportunities available. For more opportunities and resources, including a Busy Person’s Retreat, visit our Pray-a-thon website.

• Sunday, March 21
  • 11 a.m. – Mass for 5th Sunday of Lent: Livestreamed via Zoom and in person for students. Register via the UMM Event Registration Site.
• Monday, March 22
  • Noon – Daily Mass: Our Lady’s Chapel
  • 6 p.m. – Ecumenical and Interfaith Virtual Service. Register via the UMM Event Registration Site. 
• Tuesday, March 23
  • Noon – Daily Mass: Our Lady’s Chapel
• Wednesday, March 24
  • Noon – Daily Mass: Our Lady’s Chapel
  • Noon – Virtual Rosary: Join here via Zoom.
  • 6 p.m. – CCVI Evening Prayer: This Evening Prayer celebrating Incarnate Word Day will be livestreamed. Join here. Passcode: 161879
• Thursday, March 25 – Incarnate Word Day
  • Noon – Daily Mass: Our Lady’s Chapel
  • 3 p.m. – Incarnate Word Day Presentation by Dr. Tim O’Malley and Presentation of CCVI Awards: Student Engagement Center Ballroom (Space is limited due to social distancing protocols. Please contact Brenda Dimas at (210) 829-3128 or dimas@uiwtx.edu to reserve a seat.)
  • 5 p.m. – Mass for the Feast of the Annunciation (Incarnate Word Day): Join through this link. Passcode: 199523
• Friday, March 26
  • Noon – 2 p.m. – UIW Honors Program: A Celebration of Arts and Music Panel Presentation and Virtual Auction
• Saturday, March 27
  • 11 a.m. – Outdoor Stations of the Cross: Headwaters at Incarnate Word
• Sunday, March 28
  • 11 a.m. – Palm Sunday Mass: Livestreamed and in person for students. Register via the UMM Event Registration Site.
• Sacrament of Reconciliation
  • Fr. Thomas Dymowski, University Chaplain, is available throughout the week via walk-in or by appointment. You may contact Fr. Tom at (210) 829-3131 or dymowski@uiwtx.edu.

Please see the information below for our upcoming liturgies, as well as our new Flocknote app. 

Liturgy schedule:

• Sunday, March 21 at 11 a.m. – Sunday Morning Mass 
  • IN-PERSON attendance:  Due to physical distancing requirements, space in Our Lady’s Chapel is severely impacted. For the time being, in-person attendance will be limited to students only. Students wishing to attend Mass in person will be asked to register for a seat using our new Flocknote app (see below), as well as abide by all safety guidelines put in place for the pandemic, including the health screening via the Cardinal Daily Health Check and wearing a mask during the entirety of the liturgy. 
  • VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE: Those wishing to attend Mass virtually should continue registering through Zoom. 
    Register for the March 21 virtual service.

Over the last few months our online gatherings have brought forth a wonderful community of worshippers whom we value and want to continue to serve along with our in-person assembly. Our livestream Mass will be a hybrid broadcast bringing the in-person assembly in Our Lady’s Chapel and online assembly together. The in-person assembly will also be able to see the online assembly and vice-versa. 

We appreciate your understanding, patience, and support as our staff, graduate assistants, and student interns work to unite the prayer of our Incarnate Word family in as much as technology will allow. 

About Flocknote

Flocknote is a ministry database and communication tool used by many churches nationwide to keep connected to their flocks. One of the things the pandemic made us keenly aware of was that we had limited channels of communicating to our worshipping community in an emergency. Most especially, this affected our contact with our worshippers from the local community. Though we will continue to use social media and our website as communication tools, we will be using Flocknote to communicate via secure email and/or text with our worshipping community and ministry volunteers – especially for cancellations, delays or rescheduling due to inclement weather or other unexpected circumstances. It will also facilitate registration for in-person attendance by students at Sunday Mass (a necessity for Our Lady’s Chapel due to physical distancing requirements and limited seating), for faith formation opportunities, and a host of other things. If you worship at the University or wish to stay active with University Mission and Ministry, registering through Flocknote will be the best way for us to reach you. 

We invite students, faculty, staff, administrators, CCVIs, alumni, and community members who wish to be involved in Mission and Ministry events to sign up via Cardinal Apps or by going through our Flocknote web address. Please note that if you are searching for the University of the Incarnate Word by city, the app locates us in Alamo Heights, zip code 78209. 

If you have additional questions or need further information, please email ministry@uiwtx.edu. 

Dear UIW Community,

It is with great pleasure that I announce Dr. Rafael Hoyle as the inaugural director of the Liza and Jack Lewis III Institute of the Americas. UIW was fortunate to have had many extremely talented and experienced candidates apply for this coveted position. After interviewing the final candidates, the search committee agreed that the best fit for the director of the Institute is Dr. Hoyle.

Dr. Hoyle currently serves as associate vice president, Planning and Campus Management in the Administrative Services Division and will transition to the International Affairs Division on June 1, 2021. This position is funded by the generous gift to UIW that created the Institute.

In his current position, Dr. Hoyle has done an outstanding job leading the Facilities team through challenging times including managing the recent snow event, which greatly impacted our campuses. In addition, his leadership, especially with regard to our many capital projects and Founders Hall, has been invaluable.

Prior to UIW, Dr. Hoyle served as the managing director of International Studies Abroad (ISA). The Austin-based organization is one of the largest and most respected providers of study abroad programs for U.S. college students. Over the course of 20 years, Dr. Hoyle was instrumental in forging institutional partnerships with over 400 universities, led the development of ISA’s Office of Health and Safety, created the Department of Academic Affairs, and established many of the management protocols, policies and systems that facilitated organizational growth which continue to sustain ISA to this day. Dr. Hoyle is fully bilingual in Spanish and has extensive experience in higher education in Latin America.

As director of the Institute, Dr. Hoyle will promote better relations and understanding among the people and nations of the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Central and South America through cooperative study, research, service and dialogue. He will also work to advance and strengthen relationships between the UIW campuses in Mexico and San Antonio.

I have no doubt that Dr. Hoyle’s deep experience in international education and organizational directorship will be a great asset for the Liza and Jack Lewis III Institute of the Americas.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Hoyle on his new endeavor!

Sincerely,

Mr. Marcos Fragoso
Vice President for International Affairs

As part of the University's continued celebration of Women's History Month, we caught up with Dr. LuElla D'Amico, coordinator of the UIW Women's and Gender Studies program and associate professor of English, for another UIW faculty Q&A! Read below to learn about her take on what it means to be a feminist, how her love of literature and women's history go hand in hand and what UIW still has coming up for Women's History Month.

Tell us about your personal and professional backgrounds.

I was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina and have lived in Oklahoma, Washington state, and now Texas. My husband Scott and I have two children, a six-year-old son Jack and a five-year-old daughter named Emmeline. I grew up in an old mill town, where jobs were scarce for everyone; my family was no exception. My dad was funny and quick-witted, and my mom was thoughtful, lighthearted, and kind. They died about 10 years ago, which led to my conversion to Catholicism when I was seeking answers to some of the hardest questions we’re faced with as humans. I am blessed to work at UIW where I can explore these same questions with students on a daily basis.

Professionally, I study early and nineteenth century American literature, and my primary research interests lie in girlhood and girl culture during this timeframe. I have edited two volumes on this topic, Girls’ Series Fiction and American Popular Culture and Reading Transatlantic Girlhood in the Long Nineteenth Century (with Robin Cadwallader). As a feminist literary historian, I seek to recover voices and stories that have been lost or repressed because of authorship or subject matter. I have published works on topics, such as early female pirate narratives, the “mean girl” legacy of the Salem Witch Trials, the girl savior motif in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Christian Evangelical feminism in Amelia E. Johnson’s Clarence and Corinne (the first novel thought to be published for a Black child audience), and the power of female friendship in Wynema (the first novel known to have been written by a woman of American Indian descent). My work centers on sentimental literature, a genre that takes seriously tenderness, compassion, and emotions as a force for sweeping cultural change.

Who are your female role models and how have they influenced your career?

There are too many to name, and I believe that a Christian feminist life is one lived in collaborative engagement and appreciation of those whom you love and admire. I’ll share two gems of advice from career role models and an important UIW specific story. The first gem comes from Dr. Beth Lueck, who was a longstanding president of the Harriet Beecher Stowe Society. I met her as a graduate student at a conference when I happened upon a mentoring session about balancing an academic career and motherhood. At the time, I didn’t have children, and my husband and I were having trouble conceiving. I thought that perhaps this might be for the best—that if I was going to try to get a job that perhaps this wasn’t the best time for motherhood. Dr. Lueck told me at that session about how much she loved her son with specific stories about him that I will never forget. She said I should never let the academy, or any job, dictate a timeline for decisions that matter to the heart and soul—that there will never be a good time—and that the world is always going to tell women that they cannot achieve what they want in their family and social lives for various reasons. She told me not to listen to the world, that life will always be messy, and that I should never let the academy choose any life plans for me because it does not make those demands of men.

The second gem of advice is from Dr. Pam Parker, a fierce Victorian scholar, and the department chair at the institution I worked at before here. Dr. Parker found out she had skin cancer quite suddenly and passed away the summer before I moved to Texas about five years ago. We had pie at a café the day I left, and she said, “I know you’re looking for a piece of advice from me. And what can I tell you? Make hay! Do everything! Love everyone! Love God! Write! Grab! Ask! Don’t wait. Enjoy it all now.” In the year that she found out she had cancer, Dr. Parker and I shopped a lot, played a lot, went to church together, ate a lot of pie (and other food), and she travelled the world and told me all about it. She was the most giving person whom I’ve ever known, and the brassiest—the one with the most energy, the biggest laugh, the biggest opinions, and the most fun. With her, there was always a seat at the table. Her unique combination of frankness, certitude, and openness is the type of role model that I think about every day in my career here, and I try to live up to the energy and the expansive love she had in her career and life for everyone in her path.

Finally, my patron saint is Elizabeth Ann Seton, whom I chose in graduate school when I converted. She founded the first American Congregation of religious sisters, the Sisters of Charity and is the patron saint of Catholic schools. Throughout my academic career, I have asked for her intercession. I have always thought it providential that I have come to work here. I will never forget meeting Sr. Walter Maher for the first time or the moment when I saw this particular job ad come open. During the pandemic, I have often asked for Elizabeth Ann Seton’s prayers and shared this quote with my students during the Texas snowstorm, “The accidents of life separate us from our dearest friends, but let us not despair. God is like a looking glass in which souls see each other. The more we are united to Him by love, the nearer we are to those who belong to Him.”

What has been your proudest career moment/accomplishment to date?

Although I’ve had books published that have been reviewed positively, the proudest accomplishment is an article I had published in 2019 in Children’s Literature Association Quarterly titled “The Journey to American Womanhood: Travel and Feminist Christian Rebellion in Susan Warner’s The Wide, Wide World (1850) and Martha Finley’s Elsie’s Girlhood (1872).” My husband found copies of the Elsie Dinsmore series at his grandmother’s house in Oklahoma in 2009 and brought them to me, thinking from the old dusty covers and titles they might be books I’d enjoy. I read the series and noticed the third one held a striking similarity to a novel that coined the term “bestseller” in American literature, Susan Warner’s The Wide, Wide World. I wrote a paper in a graduate school class about it, and after ten years and multiple revisions, it was finally published. It was by far my proudest accomplishment, as I could see the level of growth I had from my first idea to where it eventually ended up 10 years later. Moreover, it is now my third published piece on Martha Finley, who wrote the 28-volume Elsie Dinsmore series. The Elsie Dinmore series was published the same year as Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, and was vastly popular in the nineteenth century and is still being published today. Reviving and contributing to critical scholarship on Finley is an important part of my career and that includes putting her work in conversation with other, more well-known authors like Susan Warner.

In addition to being UIW’s Women’s and Gender Studies coordinator, you are also a full-time faculty member in the English Dept. How has your study of literature influenced your desire to teach Women’s and Gender Studies?

They are inextricably linked. I remember sitting in a nineteenth-century American women’s writing class as a graduate student with Dr. Alison Piepmeier and being somewhat amazed, cheated, and then, finally, angered, that I had not heard of the women that she was teaching me about—Harriet Jacobs, Frances Harper, Ida B. Wells, E.D.E.N. Southworth, Fanny Fern, Catharine Maria Sedgwick, and others. I love Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters. I had grown up loving British Victorian women’s writing, and I learned in her class that American women had been writing at the same time, too, and that I didn’t know their novels because of the way that the literary canon was formed—the way that scholars at the turn of the twentieth century decided to omit female voices because of exclusionary, cultural standards about what merited “good” and “bad” literature. Importantly, for me, that doesn’t mean that the male voices of that time period should now likewise be excluded, but rather that we should tell all the stories—and make it known that they were all speaking to each other. Harriet Beecher Stowe was talking to Frederick Douglass, and they were both in conversation with Abraham Lincoln: all of these voices make up the fabric of a complex American experience, and none of them are perfect. This is what the process of recovery looks like—making sure that everyone’s stories are heard; the complexities and nuances of literature reflect the vast human experience. Dr. Piepmeier was the head of the Women’s and Gender Studies program at my undergraduate and master’s institution and her research and living out of third wave feminist activism inspired me to see the study of literature not as simply rooted in the page but rooted in the story beyond that page. Literature, at its best, can help us see beyond ourselves. That’s what Women’s and Gender Studies does, too. It helps us try to make the world a more equitable place. I simply begin that work in the literature classroom.

What does feminism mean to you?

Feminism is a movement to treat everyone equally.

What do you want people to understand about what it means to be a feminist?

I think the most important thing to understand is that number 5 (the previous question) really covers it. There are many branches of feminism—and types—and I specifically—if I were to go into more detail—am a Catholic Third Wave feminist. However, what matters most is that you can be any race, religion, political party, creed, sexual orientation, have absolutely any background, lived experience, come from any part of the country, you name it, and be a feminist. It is simply about treating everyone equally and hold the belief that that we should all do that. Please enroll in my class in the fall Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies to learn about all of the different types of feminist discourse and types of feminism that are out there; there are many. They are all attempting this same outcome, though. Don’t let charged rhetoric deter you from calling yourself a feminist. It’s a term you should be proud to call yourself because everyone should believe in equality of the sexes.

If you had to pick one - what is your favorite book by a female author and why?

Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women (1868-69) is probably my favorite novel by a female author because Alcott realized that girls’ experiences matter and contain stories worth telling. Alcott’s novel has always remained popular since its first publication not because it was taught in school settings, but because it was passed down from one generation of women readers to the next via families. My mom gave me a copy, as did other members of my family. I particularly love it because it displays a myriad of girl and women characters, none of whom are the same and yet all of whom are complex. The men in the story all seem interested in wanting to be a part of the women’s activities, not the other way around, which is so often the case. Moreover, girls’ lives and experiences—and that girls can have rich cultural, creative, and philosophical lives that matter—are taken into deep account. Finally, Louisa May Alcott herself is a philosopher worthy in her own right. She created a genre—the adolescent reform novel based in the transcendentalist movement—and this novel transformed American literature. Importantly, again, this happened because Alcott decided to take seriously the lives of young women and write about them for the first time with seriousness, attentiveness, and realism.

What literature would you recommend to students who want to learn more about women’s contributions to society and/or the female perspective?

I love this question because it gives me the opportunity to list the books I couldn’t decide from in the question above: Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) by Zora Neale Hurston is the best novel from the Harlem Renaissance in my opinion and might be the most beautifully written novel I’ve ever read. My first time reading it can only be described as experiencing sunshine.

The Grass Dancer by Susan Power (1995) tells the story of women of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, both historical and contemporary, and is another beautifully rendered novel of women’s voices that need to be heard. You will not be able to put this one down.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez (2017) is a bestselling book whose main character, Julia, is a 17-year-old Chicago girl who grapples with the expectations of her first-generation immigrant parents. “Part mystery, part love story, and part inner quest,” is how it is described by National Book Foundation.

Tell us about some of UIW’s upcoming Women’s History Month programming and the work of the Women’s History Month committee.

The Women’s History Month committee has truly been a collaborative process, and one that has almost been a heroic effort this year. Our work got waylaid because of the Texas snowstorm, which occurred the week before all of our activities were supposed to be finalized for the University calendar. Our “final meeting planning” got moved twice, and our website got put together in a matter of days, with some on the committee emailing me in adverse circumstances making sure that their activities would make it on the calendar. To speak of the resilience of this committee during a pandemic year cannot be overstated. The committee truly is “valiant,” as our 2021 theme suggests.

Throughout this 2020-2021 academic year, I’ve worked with Nataly Lopez from Campus Engagement coordinating Women’s History Month. She created an organization portal in UIW Engage for Women’s History to share events, resources, and messaging to the student body, and I worked primarily on the Women’s History Month website for marketing. However, the bulk of the work has been the programming that our faculty, staff, and student committee members from all across the university have put together and/or supported throughout the month of March. From blood drives to commemorate Clara Barton, a conversation with the Sisters of Charity, a film screening about Florence Price (the first African-American woman composer to have a symphony performed by a major U.S. orchestra), a lecture by Graciela Sanchez from the Esperanza Center about Westside San Antonio Cultural Activists, and UIW’s virtual participation in the UN’s Women’s Conference taking place this Friday and Saturday (the 19th and 20th)—the events already in March have been many and varied—and that’s only naming some of them.

There are still many more activities to come this last week of March. On Monday at 4:15 p.m., Theatre Arts students from Margaret Mitchell’s class will be performing a scene titled The Night I Found You, Confronting Dating and Sexual Assault and offering commentary after it. On Tuesday at 3 p.m., there will be a lecture by UIW graduate student Erika Haskins about Mary Saunders, a nineteenth-century Texas poet who wrote about Texas patriotism, battles, and scenery, and was once dubbed, “Texas’s poet laureate.” On Wednesday, March 24 at 6 p.m., Teresa Harrison and Renee Bellanger will be hosting Women’s History Month trivia via Zoom, with prizes. And, on Thursday, we will round out Women’s History with a read in from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Stop by DuBuis Lawn. Grab some books by women writers and a pre-packaged snack, and learn about topics that matter in women’s lives and history.

The UIW Nursing Cardinal Wellness Center (NCWC), whose mission is to provide preventative healthcare to low-income families of the Eastside of San Antonio and the surrounding area, recently obtained a limited number of the Janssen/J&J single-dose COVID-19 vaccine doses. During two events held last week, the NCWC vaccinated 224 UIW and San Antonio community members.

The NCWC staff, in partnership with the Second Baptist Church and Theta Eta Chapter/Chi Eta Phi Nursing Organization, vaccinated 55 people at the Second Baptist Church on the Eastside of San Antonio on Thursday evening. This event was coordinated by Dr. Sarah Williams, UIW professor emerita of Nursing and assistant director of Emergency Services for the Second Baptist Church. The NCWC plans to continue this partnership to meet the needs of approximately 350 people that have signed up on the Church’s COVID-19 vaccine waitlist.

During the second event held on Friday, the NCWC staff, members of the vaccine subcommittee of the University’s IPE Group, and UIW community volunteers vaccinated 159 people at a small clinic at UIW's Founders Hall. Approximately 50 UIW faculty, students, and staff were vaccinated. The remainder of the doses were administered to the San Antonio community, including 38 teachers and staff from the City’s Early Head Start Program.

In addition to the two local events, the NCWC staff vaccinated five homebound individuals by visiting them in their homes. The NCWC hopes to continue to vaccinate homebound individuals during future vaccine events. Although the Nursing Cardinal Wellness Center was not allocated any vaccine for this week, they continue to request vaccine doses from the State on a weekly basis.

Next Monday and Tuesday, the vaccine subcommittee of the University’s IPE Group, Health Services, and more UIW community volunteers will be administering the second doses of the Pfizer vaccine to those who received it on March 1 and 2. The event will be held at Founders Hall, where over 1200 UIW community members will receive their second dose. 

The University of the Incarnate Word has been recognized as a Top Adult Degree Program by the online site Abound.college. The site recognized UIW’s achievement in helping non-traditional students in four areas: accessibility, affordability, acceleration, and advancement.

“UIW continues to be at the forefront of serving the educational and professional development needs of today’s working adult students,” says Dr. Chris Cassirer, associate vice president of Enrollment and Academic Innovation. “This recognition underscores our long-standing commitment to academic and professional excellence in online education and UIW’s leadership in designing and offering courses with their goals and needs in mind.”

Rather than focusing on rankings, Abound.college states they focused on the things that matter most to students: flexible classes and services, affordable courses, a range of quality programs and degrees that help students advance in their field.

The UIW School of Professional Studies (SPS) offers certificates, associates, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees tailored to busy adults. Benefits for students include free undergraduate textbooks, no academic fees, accelerated courses and reduced tuition rates. SPS courses are taught by scholar practitioner faculty with real-world experience.

In this episode of Commerce Street, a business podcast from KENS 5, Dr. Taylor Collins, assistant professor of Economics, was joined by Dr. Thomas Tunstall of UTSA, to discuss the overall economic impact of the winter storm power crisis. 

Listen to the podcast:

The UIW community can now visit and enjoy our new Spice Garden located adjacent to the Joeris Building. The Spice Garden has been a collaborative campus-wide effort. Supportive departments include Campus Operations/Grounds, Campus Life, Mission and Ministry, the Sustainability Advisory Board, the Ettling Center for Civic Leadership and Sustainability and various faculty members. 

The Spice Garden is dedicated to the work, commitment to our sustainability mission, and support of former UIW Provost, Dr. Kathleen Light. On behalf of Dr. Light, Sr. Walter Maher, CCVI, vice president for Mission and Ministry, extends sincerest thanks to all who contributed to bringing the garden into existence, staying the course over time, never losing hope and working together creatively.  

For more information or service learning opportunities for faculty or student organization collaboration, please contact the Ettling Center for Civic Leadership & Sustainability

The Cardinals who operate the UIW Student Managed Fund are hard at work this spring developing their investment strategy and establishing plans for other projects. The Student Managed Fund is an experience-based learning opportunity in which students manage an investment portfolio in a hands-on environment.

The three fund managers for the Spring 2021 term are finance seniors Michael McElmeel and Iraida Aimee Galindo, as well as Noah Fielding, a junior accounting and finance major. As they research companies and investment opportunities, the focus of this semester is in part a continuation of the strategy established last year.

“My first semester we looked at growth companies, and then last semester and this semester we started looking at value companies,” said McElmeel, who is now on his third semester as a fund manager. “Getting an overall mix of both of them is really interesting to see the different fundamentals that go into this. This semester we’re looking into the energy sector, consumer staples and REITs [real estate investment trusts]."

In addition to growing their portfolio value, Fielding said the team is looking at other ways the Student Managed Fund can make an impact on campus. 

“We are going to focus on a way to fund a scholarship for the SIE exam,” Fielding said. “It’s the first exam you need to take in the FINRA series of exams. If you want to be a financial analyst, those are the main exams you need to take after school.”

Associate Professor of Finance Dr. Jose Moreno teaches the Student Managed Fund course. He said students have continued to produce impressive returns since the fund was established in 2016.

“This semester we have a great group of student managers. We have Michael, who has been here enough time to learn how everything works; Noah, who has experience doing research and analysis on companies; and Aimee, who has a lot of experience with student organizations. She has been helping us create and give form to the idea of the Investment Club,” Dr. Moreno said.

Dr. Moreno said he hopes with the launch of the new Investment Club and other SMF initiatives, more students will take advantage of the hands-on experiences provided by the University. Learn more about the Student Managed Fund at uiw.edu/smf.

UIW School of Osteopathic Medicine learner, Hugo Rodriguez, OMS-IV, recently published an article entitled, "Umbilical Cord-derived Wharton’s Jelly for Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis" in the Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research. 

Per the article's abstract, "Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disorder in the USA, and knee OA has the highest prevalence. Inflammation and decrease in vascularization are key factors in the degeneration of articular cartilage and the associated pain and decrease in function. To combat this process, the use of biologics including umbilical cord-derived Wharton’s Jelly (UC-derived WJ) has grown. UC-derived WJ contains large quantities of regenerative factors, including growth factors (GFs), cytokines (CKs), hyaluronic acid (HA), and extracellular vesicles (EVs). The proposed study evaluates the safety and efficacy of intraarticular injection of UC-derived WJ for treatment of knee OA symptoms."

Find the article

Join us for our next REDTalk as we welcome Ya’Ke Smith, BA ’03 who is known for his unflinching and veracious style of storytelling and is a rising voice in independent cinema. His talk will focus on the spark of inspiration and how stories we tell resonate with us & the world around us.

This presentation will be livestreamed on the @UIWAlumni Facebook page and YouTube channel on Wednesday, March 24 at 5:30 p.m.

Learn more about the next REDTalk here

Join the Department of Alumni and Parent Relations along with Herff Jones for the 2021 "Red Put A Ring On It!" Celebration. This event will take place on the beautiful UIW Broadway Campus from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 18, 2021 in a drive through format. Students of junior status and up who purchased a class ring are eligible to participate. UIW alumni are also welcome to join us!

Learn more and register for the celebration

The University of the Incarnate Word volleyball team won its second game in a row in Louisiana against New Orleans in the fourth set on Thursday evening inside the Human Performance Center. 

"Tonight was a must-win for us to keep us in the running for the postseason," said head coach Samantha Dabbs Thomas. "I thought our offense started off slow but made some adjustments and got better towards the end."

"I'm very proud of the team for pulling out set two with a 6-0 run. Our focus now is on a very good team SLU that is on a roll and going to be very tough at their place."

It was a back-and-forth battle to start the match as the score was tied nine times through the first half of the first set. With the score, 14-14, the Cardinals began to pull away on a 3-0 run highlighted by a big block by Annamarie Alvarez and Chase Jackson to shut down the Privateers. UIW would go on to win the first set 25-19.

The Cardinals were off to a rough start in the second set getting behind early on. UNO was ahead 23-19, but UIW lit up the court with a 6-0 run to pull ahead. 

Alvarez had a kill down the middle that was immediately followed up by a kill from Jackson that landed behind the Privateer defense to tie up the score, 23-23. Audrey Patton had two big digs on the next rally that eventually Jackson closed out with a kill to take the lead for the first time. 

UNO tried to make a comeback tying the game 25-all, but UIW held on to win the second set, 27-25. 

The Privateers opened the third set on a 4-1 run to pull ahead early and take the third set 25-15. 

UNO opened the fourth set on an 8-3 run that put UIW on its heels early in the set. With the score 10-5, the Cardinals took off on a 6-2 run to close the gap. The score was tied three more times, but two kills by Allison Palmi and one by Jackson and the red and black had built some distance. UIW built on that lead iced by a kill from Bethany Clapp landing in the back left corner to get its largest lead, 25-19, in the final stretch. UIW held on to win the fourth set, 25-20, and taking the match. 

The Cardinals are now on a two-game winning streak in Louisiana and close out the road trip on Saturday against Southeastern Louisiana at 11 a.m.

The University of the Incarnate Word fencing team set a new program record when it sends six to the 2021 NCAA Championships set for March 25-28. Men's Foil and Men's Epee qualified two athletes each, the limit for an institution. The women qualified one foilist and one epeeist.

Jake Thayer and Blake Ruffner will represent UIW in Men's Foil.

Brandon Benavides and Thomas Petrosewicz will represent UIW in Men's Epee. Petrosewicz will be competing in his second NCAA Championship and try to build off his 10th place from the last time the Championships were held in 2019.

The men will be joined by Woman Foilist and two-time Championship qualifier Oleksandra Rebchunovska and first-time qualifier Juliana Peceli.

The Cardinals will compete against storied Fencing programs such as Notre Dame, Penn State, Northwestern, UNC Chapel Hill, Duke, Stanford and others.

"I want to recognize the achievements and cooperation from the West Fencing Region this year after the difficult year Covid-19 caused," said Head Coach John Moreau.

Penn State University will host the 2021 National Fencing Championships March 25-28. Strict Covid-19 policies will require teams to arrive on March 23 for screening. The event will be live streamed on Penn State's YouTube site as no spectators will be allowed at the event site due to safety precautions.

Recording seven 20-point games including a career-high 34 points against McMurry and the Southland Conference regular season scoring champion, University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball sophomore guard, Keaston Willis was selected to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District 22 first team. The organization announced Tuesday, as selected by NABC-member head coaches across NCAA Division I. 

A full list of All-District selections can be found here. 

Willis helped lead the Cardinals to their first Southland Conference tournament berth in program history and nearly recorded his first career double-double in the first-round game against Houston Baptist. He scored 19 points on 7-of-19 shooting and grabbed eight boards. 

The Sulphur Springs, Texas product led UIW in many categories including points (379), steals (24), field goals made, attempted and percentage (125-for-294, 42.5%), 3-point field goals made and attempted (41-for-112), free throws made and attempted (88-for-116), was second in total rebounds (90) and third in assists (42). Willis' 19.0 point per game average is the 46th-best mark in the nation and ranks second in the SLC behind Sam Houston's Zach Nutall who joins Willis on the NABC All-District team. 

Willis led the Cardinals to a program-record 37.4 3-point field goal percentage on a team that finished as the nation's 35th-best 3-point shooting team. He eclipsed his 100th-career 3-pointer against McNeese in a 28-point performance on 7-for-10 shooting from beyond-the-arc. 

In just two seasons, Willis has cemented himself in the UIW record books with seven top-10 marks in both career and single-season categories. His 15.5 points per game, 32.0 minutes per game and 122 3-point field goals made are all the eighth-best marks in a career. Willis' 19.0 points per game this season are the sixth-best mark in a single-season. Willis is also sixth in career 3-pointers attempted (344) and holds a single-season record with 232 3-point attempts in 2019-20. 

The award marks his second postseason award this season after earning a Southland All-Conference second team nomination.

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 helpful information regarding UIW's COVID-19 warning indicators, case tracking, safety guidelines and resources for the UIW community. These sites will be updated to reflect changes or new information.

Cardinal Daily Health Check

COVID-19 Information Site

COVID-19 Testing

COVID-19 Case Updates

Cardinal Flight Plan 

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)