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President Dr. Louis Agnese and benefactors Naty and Debbie Saidoff share a photo following the dedication ceremony on Aug. 30, 2012.
Debbie and Naty Saidoff Center celebrates grand opening By Brance Arnold ’10 MA
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he University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) officially opened the Debbie and Naty Saidoff Center with a celebration held on Aug. 30, 2012. The $7.5-million state-of-the-art facility serves as home to the university’s new School of Physical Therapy and its newest Adult Degree Completion Program (ADCaP) location. The 75,000 square foot Center is named after benefactors Debbie and Naty Saidoff, a Los Angeles couple who donated the building, a former Albertsons grocery store, to UIW. “We are grateful to the Saidoff family for this wonderful gift,” said UIW President Dr. Louis Agnese. “The new School of Physical Therapy compliments our health-care mission and allows us to offer an academic program needed in our city.” “As an Israeli immigrant to the United States, my family is proud to support UIW’s faith-based Mission that aims to educate populations historically underserved by higher education,”
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said Naty Saidoff. “UIW has an excellent academic reputation, and we’re excited to be affiliated with a university that is a leader in the health-care field.” The Saidoff ’s, who were previously unfamiliar with the university, were inspired to give to UIW after hearing of the gift made to the university’s optometry school by Sandra and Stanley Rosenberg. Located on San Antonio’s northwest side, at the corner of Tezel and Guilbeau Roads, the Saidoff Center includes a 7,000 square foot therapy clinic to serve the community as well as a research lab, classrooms and office space for the School of Physical Therapy and ADCaP program. In addition, UIW has partnered with CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System Rehabilitation Services to offer outpatient rehabilitation services to the public. The clinic is one-of-a-kind, designed to incorporate the high quality patient care delivered