Message from the President
Dear Friends:
"It's your commitment to Incarnate Word that's allowed us to carry forth the Sisters' pioneering spirit into the 21st century... "
This issue of The Word is a tribute to the pioneering spirit embodied by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word who founded UIW in 1881. And who better than our own alumni and faculty to illustrate that this spirit is alive and well in the 21st century.
The cover story is a feature on an Incarnate Word graduate who founded Möbius Partners, a rapidly-growing computer solutions enterprise based in San Antonio. Launched in 2000 with little capital but big dreams, the company has been on the fast track ever since. In just the last two years, Mobius has been recognized as one of the top 500 Hispanic-owned companies in the United States and also as one of the 100 fastest-growing businesses in the country.
Dr. Jessica Kimmel, a professor in the Dreeben School of Education, is someone else who embodies the Sisters' pioneering spirit. Dr. Kimmel has been conducting cutting-edge research exploring the roles of women in the Middle East as possible agents for peaceful change, a timely topic given current world events.
Lupita Ovalle's story is an inspirational tale of persistence. Her dream of a college education was quashed early on when she was forced to drop out of school in Mexico at age 11. But she never lost sight of her dream despite facing numerous obstacles during her life. So decades later at an age when some folks start thinking about early retirement, she not only earned her bachelor's degree with us, she's also planning to pursue her master's as she develops a mentoring program that will help women in difficult situations like hers attain an education.
John Newman, who coaches our tennis team, has been a fixture on the Incarnate Word campus for many years. Through a mixture of hard work, dedication and seemingly boundless energy and enthusiasm, he's grown our tennis program from a small, intercollegiate squad with limited success into one of the elite teams in the NCAA Division II.
I encourage you to read the rest of this issue of The Word for more news on the latest happenings at UIW. It's your commitment to Incarnate Word that's allowed us to carry forth the Sisters' pioneering spirit into the 21st century as we continue fulfilling our goal of offering students the best possible educational opportunities within a context of faith. On behalf of the faculty, staff, administration and students of UIW, special blessings on you and your loved ones for 2007.
Best Wishes,
Louis J. Agnese, Jr., Ph.D.
President