(Pictured L-R) Sr. Sally Mitchell, UIW Online instructor; Dr. Louis Agnese, UIW president; and Patricia Davis, superintendent, Department of Catholic Schools on May 3 at the Outstanding Leaders in Catholic Education dinner held at the Omni Hotel.
Dr. Louis J. Agnese, Jr., UIW president, was named a 2013 Legacy Leader by the San Antonio Business Journal. He is one of 10 men and women selected who have made significant contributions to local businesses and the community in the last 25 years. On May 3, Agnese was also honored by the Archdiocese of San Antonio with the Outstanding Leaders in Catholic Education award and inducted into the Catholic Schools Hall of Fame.
Dr. Veronica Acosta, assistant professor of biology, was awarded a grant from the Department of Defense in May to investigate the molecular aspects of wound healing. The grant is a three-year award totaling over $617,000. The title of the grant is “Wound Healing & Regeneration in the California Blackworm Lumbriculus Variegatus.” Acosta’s program aims to enhance research programs and capabilities in scientific and engineering disciplines critical to the national security functions of the Department of Defense; encourage greater participation by Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSI) in Department of Defense research and education programs and activities; increase the number of graduates, including under-represented minorities, in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics; and encourage research and educational collaboration with other institutions of higher education.
Dr. Pat LeMay Burr, professor and distinguished chair in the H-E-B School of Business, has been selected as an Apple Distinguished Educator for 2013. Each year, Apple selects 75 to 100 awardees from around the world; this is the first award to a UIW faculty member. Honored for her work in mobile learning, Burr has led mobile initiatives at UIW, first integrating the iPad into a digital media class in Summer 2010, and was instrumental in the formation of the iPad User’s Group on campus. Burr will join other selectees this summer in Austin for an Apple Distinguished Educator Institute, during which educators will focus on professional development, collaboration and content creation. In the coming year, she will test new Apple hardware and software, and blog about her experiences with the products in the classroom.
Dr. Marshall Eidson, vice president for information resources, is one of 21 senior-level administrators in higher education nationwide selected by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and the American Academic Leadership Institute (AALI) to participate in a year-long Executive Leadership Academy. Individuals chosen for the program are vice presidents or cabinet officers in higher education who aspire to the presidency of an independent college or university. Eidson will participate in two seminars, ongoing webinars and a mentoring program. In addition, he will develop an experiential learning plan focused on specific areas of presidential responsibility and complete a series of readings and case studies.
UIW’s Faculty Appreciation Luncheon was held in the Rosenberg Sky Room at the McCombs Center on April 4. Recipients of the 2013 Provost’s Legacy Teaching Award, included: Dr. Joleen Beltrami, instructor of mathematics; Dr. Noah Kasraie, assistant professor of teacher education; Dr. Russell Raymond, assistant professor of biology; and Dr. Teresa Taylor-Partridge, assistant professor of psychology. The Provost Legacy Teaching Award recognizes a commitment within the first five years at UIW to keeping alive the rich tradition of teaching excellence that characterizes the university. Dr. Douglas Gilmour, associate professor of philosophy, was selected as the Presidential Teaching Award recipient of 2013. Gilmour was selected from a noteworthy group of full-time faculty from every college and school. These educators were nominated in early spring by colleagues, current students and alumni.
UIW and the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) proudly announced that Dr. Annette Craven, professor of business administration and DBA program director, has received ACBSP’s 2013 Region 6 Teaching Excellence Award for the Southwestern Council for Business Schools and Pro- grams. Each year, the council recognizes individuals from each of its 10 regions who exemplify teaching excellence in the classroom. Craven was honored, along with other regional recipients, at the 2013 ACBSP Annual Conference in June in Salt Lake City, Utah and received a medallion and a $100 check.
Dr. Suk Bin Kong, professor of chemistry, has been working with biologically active chemicals from ginger that have been used for reducing air sickness and nausea. The effective main ingredients are alcohol derivatives such as gingerol and gingerdiol. Kong collaborated with the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and a U.S. Air Force laboratory to co-author four papers in 2013: “Ir(I) Catalyzed Enantioselective Decarboxylative Allylic Etherification: A General Method for the Asymmetric Synthesis of Aryl Allyl Ethers,” published in “Organic Letters”; “Concise Asymmetric Synthesis of Orthogonally Protected syn- and anti-1,3-Aminoalcohols,” published in “Organic Letters”; “Cross-Metathesis/Iridium(I)- catalyzed Allylic Etherification Strategy: (Iterative) Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of syn- and anti-1,2-Diols,” published in “Angewandte Chemie International Edition”; and “Air- stable Bifunctional Allylation Reagents for the Asymmetric Synthesis of Differentiated syn- and anti-1,3-Diols,” published in “Chemistry–A European Journal.”
Dr. Georgen Guerrero, assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice, has been nominated to serve on the Academy of Criminal Justice Science’s Minority Mentorship Award committee for 2013-14.
Following a thorough vetting process, Dr. Sandra Fortenberry, assistant professor of optometry instruction, has been announced as a member of the board of trustees of the Texas Optometric Association. She moves forward in the great tradition of service of UIW by being in a position to affect the health care of millions of residents of Texas. Additionally, Fortenberry was named the 2013 Young Optometrist of the Year at the Texas Optometric Association’s 113th Annual Convention Awards Ceremony.
Dr. Patricia Lieveld, professor of pharmacy practice, was awarded a sabbatical for the Spring 2014 semester. She is the first faculty member of the Feik School of Pharmacy (FSOP) to be awarded a sabbatical leave. Lieveld will continue her research on methods to improve access to safe water in Bukoba, Tanzania. She will return to the work she began in the remote village of Kishanje, and extend the project to other isolated villages, Kabale and Ithawa. Lieveld will conduct workshops on water, sanitation and hygiene, in addition to proper care and maintenance of rainwater harvesting tanks.
Along with local artist Ruth Buentello, Dr. Joey Lopez, assistant professor of communications, displayed a video projected installation at Luminaria 2013 in March.
Cynthia Richardson, senior instructor of nursing and Student Nursing Association (SNA) faculty advisor, attended the Texas Nursing Students’ Association (TNSA) State Convention in March. The UIW Student Nurses Association (SNA) won the Texas SNA Chapter of the Year and the Breakthrough to Nursing awards for the second year in a row.
Mark Stringham, assistant professor, of theatre arts, had a proposal accepted for the 11th International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities this June in Budapest, Hungary.
At the 8th Annual Blessing of the Peacemakers on Jan. 27, the Peace Center of San Antonio named Sr. Martha Ann Kirk, CCVI, UIW professor of religious studies, the San Antonio Peace Laureate for her works of compassion at home and abroad. The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word were also included in the award for their long history of compassionate service in health care and education to the people of the U.S., Mexico, Peru and Africa. A decorative art piece carved from UIW campus oak and depicting “Compassion,” complete with twelve candles, was presented to Kirk and the Sisters as a token of gratitude.
As part of Earth Day events on April 22, Dr. Bonnie McCormick, professor of biology, was awarded the Bill Mulcahy Award for Ecological Stewardship at an award presentation held in front of Marian Hall. The accolade recognizes McCormick’s contributions to the preservation of the environment. The Bill Mulcahy Award for Ecological Stewardship was first awarded to its namesake in 2007 for his leadership in ecological conservation and care of the land that is home to UIW.
