President's Message
Dear Friends:
This is a special edition of The Word, commemorating the 125th anniversary of Incarnate Word in 2006.
The team that put together this keepsake issue – Mike Hood, Patty Leos, Debra Del Toro and Vincent Rodriguez, with special contributions from Sister Margaret Patrice Slattery, CCVI, and Sister Audrey O’Mahony, CCVI – chose to tell our story through a moving photo journey that’s anchored by an essay on Incarnate Word’s history co-written by Dick McCracken.
Dick, our former Dean of Alumni, retired from his full-time duties in 2005 after 41 years of service to Incarnate Word. If you do the math, you’ll see that Dick has been at Incarnate Word for one third of its history.
During this journey, you’ll see Incarnate Word’s development from a local college solely for women into a co-educational, international center of higher learning that caters to students from nearly four dozen countries. Along the way, Incarnate Word has gone from being one of the smallest private Universities in Texas to one of the largest and most vibrant that now offers doctoral degrees in pharmacy and education.
This year promises to be one of the most exciting in our community’s long history. Besides celebrating our 125th anniversary, we will also be observing the 100th anniversary of the Chapel of the Incarnate Word (Motherhouse Chapel); the 75th anniversary of the nursing program; the 10th anniversary of the College becoming the University; and on a personal note, the 20th anniversary of my inauguration as the eighth president of Incarnate Word.
During each month for the remainder of 2006, a different area of the University will host events celebrating that particular school or program. March, for instance, will feature events highlighting the University’s business and international programs, including an international symposium during the week of March 20th. The events of that month will be capped-off by a black-tie gala marking Incarnate Word Day on March 25.
Let me thank you for your steadfast support. The commitment from alumni and friends during our first 125 years has been the foundation upon which this venerable institution has been able to fulfill its goal of offering students the best possible educational opportunity within a context of faith. And it’s that commitment that will allow UIW to continue fulfilling the academic dreams of future generations.
Please remember that no matter where you are in the world, you will always be a part of an exceptional community whose history stretches across three centuries. Special blessings on you and your loved ones during 2006.
Best Wishes,
Louis J. Agnese, Jr., Ph.D.
President