Message from the President
Dear Friends:
Football is almost here! The campus is buzzing with excitement as we draw closer to the date of our first game on Aug. 29.
We’ll begin a new chapter not only for UIW athletics, but also in the history of the university on that evening when our team hosts Monterrey Tech at the new Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium. In case you’re wondering, Tech isn’t a cupcake opponent; they’ve been the champions of collegiate football in Mexico for many years.
We’re planning a number of activities in celebration of this historic day, including a tailgate party, so be sure to keep checking the university’s Web site for more information. And if you’re unable to join us for the 7 p.m. kick-off at Benson Stadium, I have good news: Our friends at Univision are televising the game.
Along with football, we’ll mark two other important institutional milestones
this fall. For the first time in our history, we’re projecting our enrollment to surpass 7,000. Let me put this number in perspective: It’s nearly double our enrollment from just nine years ago.
Additionally, our new School of Optometry will open its doors near the medical center in August with an inaugural class of about 55 students. Though the students represent all walks of life, they’re united in their pursuit of excellence and service to the optometric profession. By the way, our optometry school is only the second in Texas and just one of 22 in the United States and Canada.
We’re pleased to have signed a collaborative agreement during the summer with the Mexican American Catholic College. Under the agreement, students from MACC, which was formerly known as the Mexican American Cultural Center, will be able to attend classes at UIW to fulfill requirements in disciplines in which the college doesn’t currently offer credit. MACC President Dr. Arturo Chavez is probably familiar to many of you, as he graduated from Incarnate Word in 1989 and is a past recipient of the Alumni of Distinction Award.
Finally, let me take this opportunity to bid farewell to Sr. Audrey O’Mahony, who is retiring. She has done an excellent job of serving the Incarnate Word community in various capacities since 1975, most recently as Assistant to the President/Mission Effectiveness. Please join me in thanking Sr. Audrey for her steadfast devotion to making Incarnate Word a better place for all of us. Let’s wish her a happy and fulfilling retirement.
As I’ve said in the past, I’m a firm believer that even during the most difficult of economic times, an investment in higher education is something that will always yield a return. So please accept my thanks for your commitment to our community. It’s this support that allows us to continue fulfilling Incarnate Word's goal of offering students the best possible educational opportunities within a context of faith.
Special blessings on you and your loved ones throughout 2009.