WORD the
Spring 2015
The UIW Effect
Dear Friends:
“This important distinction allows us to link our historical Mission – to provide access to communities underserved by higher education – with the present by producing a well-educated, diverse workforce capable of meeting the needs of tomorrow’s workplaces.”
UIW will mark a couple of important milestones later this spring that illustrate how much we have grown in the past few years. They also indicate that our impact has reached beyond South Texas to the rest of the country. The School of Physical Therapy will graduate its first class in May. It seems like only yesterday when the school opened its doors at the beautiful Saidoff Center in northwest San Antonio in a poignant ceremony that incorporated traditions from the Catholic and Jewish faiths. The donation of the building by Debbie and Naty Saidoff was significant because it was our first major gift by benefactors from the West Coast (the Saidoffs are from Los Angeles, Calif.). The school’s graduation will actually be one of four that will be held over a 24-hour period, the first time in our long history that we’ve held that many graduations in such a compressed period of time. The Feik School of Pharmacy and the Rosenberg School of Optometry will also each have their own commencements. Graduation weekend will conclude with a combined ceremony for our undergraduate and graduate students. In case you’re wondering, I’ll be helping to hand out diplomas at all of the graduations. The common thread binding the ceremonies is that we will be graduating students who are representative of the changing demographics of our state and country. We’re proud that in just a few short years, graduates of our pharmacy and optometry programs have already changed the national racial and ethnic composition of practitioners of both of those fields, and we expect graduates of the physical therapy program to someday have a similar impact. UIW may not be the biggest private university in Texas or the United States, but there’s something special that separates us from the others: we’re ranked No.1 nationally among notfor-profit universities in the conferring of bachelor’s degrees to Hispanics. Despite being the largest racial or ethnic minority group in Texas and the U.S., Hispanics continue to be underrepresented on college campuses (FYI: we’re an exception, as more than half of our students are Hispanic). This important distinction allows us to link our historical Mission – to provide access to communities underserved by higher education – with the present by producing a welleducated, diverse workforce capable of meeting the needs of tomorrow’s workplaces. Our facilities and academic programs also continue to expand. The new Fine Arts complex should be complete this spring. Work has commenced on the facilities that will house our new School of Osteopathic Medicine at Brooks City Base, which will open in 2017. Additionally, work has commenced at Republic Golf Course – located down the street from Brooks - on the facility that will house our men’s and women’s golf teams as well as our new academic program in Professional Golf Management. After the spring semester, work will begin on a state-of-the-art Student Engagement Center on the main campus that will serve as the focal point of the UIW community when it’s finished. I encourage you to read the rest of this issue to catch-up on what else has been happening at Incarnate Word. This includes a farewell tribute to Bill Moll, a long-time member of the board of trustees who retired from active status at the end of 2014 and is now an emeriti trustee. The men and women who comprise our board are a wide-ranging group of individuals with one overarching goal – the continued well-being of UIW. Bill personifies this goal. And while his good humor and wise counsel will be missed, Bill has assured me that he plans to remain closely connected to his UIW family. Remember, it’s because of your commitment to our community that we can continue fulfilling Incarnate Word’s goal of offering students the best possible educational opportunities within a context of faith. Please remember an investment in higher education is something that will yield returns for a lifetime for you, your family and our community. Special blessings on you and your loved ones throughout 2015. Best Wishes,
Louis J. Agnese, Jr., Ph.D. President
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Campus News
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The UIW Effect
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Building Beasts, Beauties and Zombies
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Echoes of a Health Care Legacy
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The Art of Resilience
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Achieving the Impossible
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The TED experience, connecting lines of human experience
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A Tradition of Service
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Touching History
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Class Notes
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UIW bids farewell to Moll and welcomes Hinojosa to board of trustees
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Moment for Reflection
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University Collective
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Upcoming Events
18 Managing Editor Debra Del Toro
credits
Coordinator Brance Arnold ’10 MA Art Director Michael Hood Graphic Designer Marisol Martinez
Contributing Writers Rudy Arispe ’97 BA Brance Arnold ’10 MA Rebecca Esparza ’99 BBA ’03 MBA Ashley Festa Margaret Garcia Steve Hemphill ’13 MAA Brian Hudgins Crystale Lopez Photography Steve Holloway Charles Mims Antonio Morano Mark Walton
Dr. Louis J. Agnese Jr. President Sr. Kathleen Coughlin ’67 BSN Vice President for Institutional Advancement Vincent Rodriguez Chief of Staff to the President
Dr. Lisa McNary ’91 BA ’95 MA Director of Alumni & Parent Relations Debra Del Toro Director of Public Relations The Word is published by the Public Relations Office of the University of the Incarnate Word for the alumni, parents, benefactors and friends of the Incarnate Word community.
Board of Trustees Dr. Louis J. Agnese Jr. Charlie Amato Ernesto Ancira Tracy Avery Scott Beckendorf Michael Belz Gayle Benson Mike Beucler Sr. Brigid Marie Clarke Sr. Martha Estela Perez Curiel Catherine Dulle Veronica Edwards John Feik Gary Henry Sr. Mary C. Henry Winell Herron Ricardo Hinojosa
Gary Joeris Nancy Kudla Jack Lewis Charles Lutz Sr. Maricela Aguliar Martinez Sr. Teresa Yolanda Maya Sr. Rose Ann McDonald John Miller Carmen Nava Dr. Ramona Parker John Peveto Bobby Rosenthal Richard Schlosberg Sr. Teresa Stanley Sr. Yolanda Tarango Michelle Wilk
campus news
UIW celebrates 21st annual Heritage Day and McCracken’s 50 years of service
(Pictured L-R) Director of Marketing and Development for Student Life and Athletics Mark Papich, San Antonio City Councilwoman – Dist. 3 Rebecca Viagran, UIW President Dr. Louis Agnese, UIW Development Board Member and President of Foresight Golf Dan Pedrotti, PGM Director Brian Graybeal and H-E-B School of Business and Administration Dean Dr. Forrest Aven ceremoniously break ground at the site of UIW’s new Professional Golf Management facility.
UIW breaks ground for new Professional Golf Management facility The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) H-E-B School of Business and Administration (HEBSBA) held a groundbreaking Dec. 3 for its new Professional Golf Management facility located at The Republic Golf Course. The 13,000 square foot $3.5 million facility will be home to UIW’s Professional Golf Management Program (PGM) and the men’s and women’s NCAA Division I golf teams. The facility will feature four contemporary classrooms, offices, state-of-the-art training facilities for UIW’s golf teams, and a specially designed putting green. The PGM is designed to prepare graduates to successfully integrate their education and training into the golf management industry. Students will earn a Bachelor of Business Administration in Professional Golf Management. The Republic Golf Course is currently the headquarters of Foresight Golf Management, who have partnered with the HEBSBA to develop the curriculum for the PGM Program. PGM Director Brian Graybeal has been involved with the golf industry for 18 years working in and managing golf events including the PGA Tour. “This groundbreaking marked yet another moment in UIW’s history of being a catalyst for innovative education programs. This state-of-the-art facility will enable our students to develop their passion for building and improving the business of golf. We will combine key business fundamentals with the technical and hands-on expertise with our partners at Foresight Golf. We look forward to our graduates making immediate and positive impacts on the golf industry,” said Graybeal.
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On Oct. 8, UIW celebrated Heritage Day in the Chapel of the Incarnate Word where employees were recognized for their years of loyal support, dedication and contribution to the university and Mission. The annual celebration honors the history and heritage of the university and its founders, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. Employees were recognized with five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 35, 40, and 50 years of service. Dr. Dick McCracken, dean of alumni emeritus, celebrated his 50th year with UIW. McCracken has served Incarnate Word since 1964 in many capacities including English professor, director of public relations, and dean of alumni and planned giving. He has served six presidents during his tenure at the university. In 2005, he was awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters. Dr. Kathleen Light, UIW provost, posthumously recognized Sr. Dorothy (Dot) Ettling, CCVI, Center for Civic Leadership director, and Dr. Timothy Henrich, professor of sports management, for their many years of service to the university.
UIW Provost Dr. Kathleen Light (left) and the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word Congregational Leader Sr. Teresa Maya, CCVI (right), pose with Dean of Alumni Emeritus Dr. Dick McCracken, recognized for his 50 years with the university.
campus news
UIW celebrates the Fall 2014 Commencement at a ceremony held on Dec. 7 in Freeman Coliseum.
UIW celebrates Fall 2014 Commencement Dr. Louis J. Agnese, University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) president, conferred degrees to over 800 professional, doctoral, graduate and undergraduate students at the fall commencement ceremony held Dec. 7 at the Joe and Harry Freeman Coliseum. The commencement address was delivered by the Moody Professor, UIW Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies Dr. Lopita Nath. The professorship, established in 1971, by the Moody Foundation reflects the recipient’s level of scholarship, teaching excellence and community service. The Moody Professor is the faculty member chosen to lead the faculty and carry the university mace. Nath has taught for over 25 years in the fields of South Asian History and Politics, Asian and World History, Migration Studies, Refugee Issues and Human Rights. She earned her Ph.D. from Gauhati University, Guwahati, India and her M.A. and B.A. in history from Cotton College State University, Guwahati, India. A native of India, she first came to UIW as a visiting professor in 2003. Nath returned as a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence in 2004 and to UIW as full-time faculty in the history department in 2007. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the ASIA Fellows Award, Fulbright grant and the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies and the Government of India, Ministry of Culture Award for promotion of studies on Northeast India. The 2014 Alumna of Distinction for Professional Achievement was awarded to Dr. Patricia Torres Lucero, more commonly known as Patsy Torres. Torres earned her Bachelor of Arts, Master of Education and Doctor of Philosophy all from UIW. Torres, an international recording artist and philanthropist, donates her time to countless non-profit organizations, schools and community groups. She is the first female Tejano artist to have her music scored for an orchestra and perform with symphonies.
Torres has won numerous awards for her music and community work including the LULAC National Presidential Citation Award, Texas War on Drugs Leadership Award and was inducted into the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame and the Tejano Roots Hall of Fame. She is an active alumna serving as the headliner for UIW’s annual Light the Way celebration and has represented the university internationally.
Alumna of Distinction for Professional Achievement Dr. Patsy Torres (right) poses with Director of Alumni and Parent Relations Dr. Lisa McNary following the fall commencement ceremony.
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campus news
Azerbaijan Ambassador and Congressman Henry Cuellar visit UIW community A crowd of over 125 students and members of the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) community welcomed U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) and Azerbaijan Ambassador to the U.S. Elin Suleymanov to the university campus on Oct. 10. The congressman and the ambassador spent the morning answering questions and providing information about the partnership between the U.S. and Azerbaijan. “Our mission at UIW is to prepare graduates who understand the complexities of our global world and our responsibilities as citizens. The ambassador gave us a fascinating picture of what we have in common with the citizens of Azerbaijan,” said UIW Provost Dr. Kathi Light. Azerbaijan is a contiguous transcontinental presidential republic in the Caucasus region, situated at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. The country is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Georgia to the northwest, Russia to the north, Armenia to the west and Iran to the south. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic proclaimed its independence in 1918 and holds the distinction as the first Muslim-majority democratic and secular republic; it was also the first Muslim-majority country to have operas, theaters and modern universities. The country was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1920 but proclaimed its independence in 1991, before the official dissolution of the USSR. Azerbaijan has become a leading ally and strategic partner to the United States over the years and is one of the fastest growing economies in its region. They were one of the countries to provide aid to the U.S. directly following the devastating events of 9/11, assisting with matters of international security. The two countries have developed a steadfast relationship through the opening of Caspian energy sources for development. Making significant contributions to the energy security of Europe, Turkey and Israel,
UIW Provost Dr. Kathleen Light (right) introduces U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) (left) and Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the U.S. Elin Suleymanov (center) during their visit to UIW on Oct. 10. Azerbaijan has materialized as a fundamental player in global energy security. “Given San Antonio’s role as a rapidly growing city with an unlimited export potential, there is vast opportunity to strengthen South Texas’ relationship with Azerbaijan,” said Congressman Cuellar. “This visit was a great opportunity for students at UIW to learn more about a vital and growing part of the world.” In October 2011, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev appointed Suleymanov as Azerbaijan’s ambassador to the U.S. Prior to that, Suleymanov served as the nation’s first consul general to Los Angeles and the Western States leading the team that established Azerbaijani’s diplomatic presence on the West Coast. He has served as senior counselor at the Foreign Relations Department, Office of the President in Baku, Azerbaijan, and as press officer of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Washington D.C.
UIW hosts National Night Out event The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) Campus Life Department, in collaboration with departments across campus, hosted UIW’s version of this year’s National Night Out on Oct. 7 on Dubuis Lawn. UIW took first place in the 2014 National Night Out Competition’s college/university category and placed second in the city behind Fort Sam Houston for the Top Overall Award. The competition was organized by the City of San Antonio Police Department. This was the first year UIW participated 4
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in the event. UIW students, faculty and staff enjoyed an evening of games, activities, music and free food as well as received valuable information on campus safety, healthy living, sexual assault prevention and drug and alcohol awareness. National Night Out is celebrated in neighborhoods nationwide with the goal of creating a safer community by promoting police and community relations, crime prevention, and neighborhood camaraderie.
Red poses at the 2014 National Night Out event.
campus news
UIW’s Graduate Support Center honored by Excelencia in Education Elected officials and higher education leaders from across America came together at the St. Regis Washington D.C. hotel on Sept. 30 to honor the University of the Incarnate Word’s (UIW) Graduate Support Center (GSC) as the nation’s top program for increasing achievement for Latino students in graduate school. The Graduate Support Center was selected from among 217 programs from 26 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia and nominated in four categories: associates degree, bachelor’s degree, graduate degree, and community-based organization. Conceived and run by Excelencia in Education, this is the only national initiative to systematically identify, recognize and catalogue evidence-based programs that improve Latino college success. “This honor is confirmation of our efforts to improve the graduation rate of Hispanic students in higher education, especially those pursuing master’s degrees,” said Dr. Louis Agnese, UIW president. “In the United States, very few Hispanics have master’s degrees. It’s imperative, then, that every effort is made to improve the graduation rate of Hispanic students who are pursuing master’s-level studies.” The event, Celebraciòn de Excelencia, coincided with the release of the 2014 edition of “What Works for Latino Student Success in Higher Education,” a compendium of all 29 recognized programs along with the evidence of their success. Through this annual process, Excelencia in Education continues to grow America’s largest inventory of programs and strategies that education leaders, policymakers and others tap into to accelerate degree completion among Latinos. This is the ninth annual release of Examples of Excelencia. Excelencia in Education has systematically reviewed more than 700 programs to identify and recognize 125 programs and departments – including, for the first time this year, community-based organizations – that demonstrate with evidence that they effectively boost Latino enrollment, performance and graduation. “The University of the Incarnate Word is at the forefront of meeting the challenge of improving higher educational achievement for Latino students,” said Sarita Brown, president of Excelencia in Education. UIW is ranked No. 1 nationally among private universities in awarding bachelor’s degrees to Hispanics. “By sharing what works we hope to support educators, community leaders, funders, and policymakers to take an asset-based
2014
(Pictured L-R) GSC Director Dr. David Ortiz, Texas State Rep. and UIW alumnus Justin Rodriguez, and UIW President Dr. Louis Agnese share a photo during Celebraciòn de Excelencia.
approach to serving Latino students,” said Deborah Santiago, COO and vice president of Excelencia in Education and author of the publication. “Ultimately, we strive to inspire and support replicating and bringing to scale evidence-based practices that serve Latino students and thus serve the country.” To download “What Works for Latino Student Success in Higher Education,” which includes detailed information about all of the programs recognized, visit www.EdExcelencia.org. Examples of Excelencia is presented in collaboration with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). The 2014 sponsors are ACT, Univision, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, DeVry University, and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.
For the third consecutive year, UIW has been chosen as one of the Top 10 workplaces in San Antonio by the San Antonio Express-News.
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campus news
UIW M.B.A. student awarded H-E-B Scholarship
(Pictured L-R) Gary Henry, UIW board of trustees member; Manuel Villa, Brooks City Base board vice chair; Dr. Robyn Madson, UIW School of Osteopathic Medicine founding dean; Rebecca Viagran, San Antonio councilwoman - District 3; Ivy Taylor; San Antonio mayor; Sr. Teresa Stanley, CCVI; Dr. Louis Agnese, UIW president; Lloyd Doggett, congressman (TX–35); Tommy Adkisson, Bexar County commissioner, Precinct 4; and Leo Gomez, Brooks City Base president and CEO.
UIW Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) student Jenese Shaw was awarded the H-E-B Scholarship at the Texas Business Hall of Fame 32nd Annual Induction Dinner held at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas on Nov. 5. A San Antonio native, Shaw earned her B.B.A. in marketing from Texas State University. She serves as a board member for United Christian Ministers Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving communities through education, service and mentorship. “Being a recipient of the Texas Business Hall of Fame H-E-B Scholarship is a prestigious honor,” said Shaw. “This scholarship continues to motivate me to achieve my academic and professional business goals to one day own my very own marketing company.” Shaw said the scholarship has been a tremendous help towards the completion of her degree and that receiving her M.B.A. from UIW is an elevation to the next level of academic excellence. “UIW has taught me the fundamental principles of leadership and has provided me with the educational curriculum I need to succeed in today’s competitive business world,” she shared.
UIW kicks off renovations for medical school facility at Brooks City Base The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) officially kicked off building renovations for UIW’s new School of Osteopathic Medicine at Brooks City Base on Nov. 7. Many dignitaries joined UIW President Dr. Louis Agnese, Brooks City Base President and CEO Leo Gomez and Board Vice Chairman Manuel Villa including San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor, City Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran, Congressman Lloyd Doggett and other local leaders for a ceremonial flag raising on Brooks City Base. “Last year, we set a goal to open a new medical school in San Antonio and today we are well on our way to achieving that goal,” said Agnese. “We raise the flag of the University of the Incarnate Word to show that we will continue the legacy that was created here decades ago by building another state-of-the-art facility that will train primary care doctors to serve San Antonio and underserved areas throughout South Texas.” “Our mission is to bring new life and new opportunities to this beautiful campus, but we also have a responsibility to honor the history of this place,” said Villa. “Nothing could honor the Aerospace Medical Center more than this medical school; it is the perfect fit. We welcome UIW to our campus and we look forward to making new history together as we continue to transform this community.”
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(Pictured L-R) Winell Herron, H-E-B group vice president of public affairs, diversity and environmental affairs; Jenese Shaw, Texas Business Hall of Fame scholarship recipient; Craig Boyan, H-E-B president and COO; and Sr. Kathleen Coughlin, CCVI, UIW vice president for institutional advancement; share a photo at the Texas Business Hall of Fame induction dinner.
Dr. Jeff Crane (standing, left); Alejandra Barraza (kneeling); and Dr. Mary Ruth Moore (standing, right); share a moment with students in Carroll’s vegetable garden.
The UIW Effect By Crystale Lopez
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lejandra “Ale” Barraza ’05 MAT, principal of SAISD’s Carroll Early Childhood Education Center, has set a precedence for herself to carry on the movement of great teaching and support to the community that all began for her at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW). “My undergraduate degree is in business, it was through my master’s at UIW that I became an educator,” Barraza said. “I went into the field of early childhood education because of my professor and mentor Dr. [Mary Ruth] Moore.” Moore, professor of teacher education at UIW, also encour-
aged Barraza to pursue her doctorate degree through the University of Texas at Austin since UIW does not currently have a Ph.D. program related to early childhood education. “I knew the moment I met Ale that she was going to do great things,” Moore shared. “What is so special about her completing her Ph.D. at UT Austin is she has won the Joe and Betty Frost Endowed Presidential Scholarship for two years in a row, and Dr. Frost was actually my mentor professor when I attended UT.” As a graduate student at UIW, Barraza also worked alongside Moore to set up play and literacy conferences the Frosts helped
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Alumna Alejandra “Ale” Barraza, principal of SAISD’s Carroll Early Childhood Education Center.
Children from Carroll observe a worm found in the vegetable garden. 8
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sponsor, and assisted with the setup for the opening of the Joe L. Frost Play Research Collection at the Mabee Library in 2004. “We have had a longstanding relationship with Dr. Frost – he is known all over the world for his 50 year career in children’s play, play environments, and education,” Moore explained. “For us to be able to receive his entire research collection of textbooks, articles, and other materials, was a huge vote of confidence in UIW.” Barraza said it has been significant in her education and career to see how much teachers and professors really influence others and now hopes to encourage more people by speaking up about play in all aspects of children’s development. “I loved teaching for SAISD, so when I became principal at Carroll, it was extra special for me,” Barraza said. “Not only am I in the central place where it all begins for the children, but I have had the opportunity to build on the work of a fellow UIW graduate.” Sandy Chavarria ’85 MEd, now director of the North Education Center of Pre-K 4 SA, held the position as principal of Carroll when the center opened in 2009. “Sandy did a wonderful job, and now Ale has gone on to take it to the next step,” Moore said. “When you walk into Carroll, everything you see is age and developmentally appropriate and promotes all her children having opportunities.” So, in the spring of 2014 when Dr. Jeff Crane, associate dean of the UIW College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, was looking for the opportunity to take a community vegetable garden out into the city of San Antonio, Moore knew exactly who to call. “Dr. Moore shared the great idea of creating a reading garden for the kids, giving them a dynamic and versatile way to learn outside of the classroom,” Barraza said. “She and Dr. Crane both recruited their students to come out and help plant the vegetable garden with the children.” Crane, an environmentalist and environmental historian, stressed the importance of “re-greening” the city and helping others learn how to produce food for themselves in a way that builds pride, is better for their health, and improves their quality of life.
“Gardening never fails – the children, the student volunteers – we all loved it,” he said. “There is that positive experience of being outside, planting and growing food. We talked about the plants, where they come from and what it grows into.” Moore later took her Instruction and Assessment class back to Carroll to dedicate a Peter Rabbit statue to the garden, complete with a small jacket made by UIW student Megan Wellington. “We did a lesson on Peter Rabbit with the children that included reading them a story, singing a song, performing a finger puppet play, and we taught them the parts of the plant,” Moore shared. “Throughout the year different students go back to Carroll and volunteer in the garden, and with the children.” Kaime Roe, a UIW student in the Interdisciplinary Studies degree program for elementary (early childhood-grade six), had the privilege of helping with the vegetable garden at Carroll from the beginning and taking part in the Peter Rabbit lesson. “We transformed a barren courtyard into a place where true, hands-on discovery learning could occur for pre-kinder children,” Roe said. “It was a rewarding experience to then go back and be able to teach children in such an authentic setting.” Roe, who was also honored as a Joe L. Frost Play Advocate at the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the research collection in March 2014, said she feels her involvement at Carroll is vital in living the Mission at UIW. “One of the pillars of the Mission is education,” she explained. “I seek to educate the masses by taking the things I have learned at the university, in their amazing education program, to help kids move on to become successful citizens which makes us all have a better world tomorrow.” Barraza said it is truly an ongoing partnership with Carroll and UIW. “Dr. Moore, Dr. Crane, and their students have been wonderful and so helpful,” she said. “You always have that feeling that everyone at UIW is there to help each other.” “This all goes back to the Sisters of Charity when they came to San Antonio to help set up schools and hospitals – it was all about providing opportunities to others,” Moore said. “That is what we, the faculty, students, and our alumni are trying to do, continue helping San Antonio be a place where everyone deserves the best education.” Barraza said UIW has given her so much and she would, one day, like to go back and share what she has learned with others. “I hope to finish my Ph.D. program this year, and one of my future goals is to teach at UIW,” Barraza shared. “Dr. Frost influenced Dr. Moore, and Dr. Moore influenced me. I want to impact others and continue what has become a domino effect of great teaching.”
(Pictured L-R) UIW students Kaime Roe, Kerri Rodriguez, and Megan Wellington, share a photo with Dr. Mary Ruth Moore (standing) with the Peter Rabbit statue in the garden. The small jacket was handmade by Wellington.
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Building Beasts, Beauties and Zombies By Brian Hudgins
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att Tovar’s ’08 BA journey from virtual street fighter to senior cinematic animator carried him from San Antonio to sunny California. His introduction to video games came through playing various titles on Nintendo and PlayStation systems. “The Street Fighter series – I would play that with friends,” Tovar said. “I never actually knew you could do that for a living.” Near the end of his senior year of high school, Tovar found out about commercial production and the use of 3-D graphics through one of his brother’s friends. “I looked at it deeper,” Tovar said. “How do you even get into a job like that? What does it take to make it in the industry?” Tovar, who is now serving as a visiting instructor in the Animation and Game Design Department (ANGD), started his collegiate studies at another university as a computer science major. A transfer to UIW during his sophomore year and subsequent enrollment in the animation program enabled him to earn a bachelor’s degree a few years later. The realization that California serves as a hub of the game industry convinced Tovar that was a place he could move up in his career. What he didn’t have was an immediate route for advancement. “I talked with Sony Games…
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they needed short-term help. So two weeks later, I was moving. I was only supposed to go for four or five months.” That was in 2008. Tovar’s opportunity to work as an animator on “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves” served as a turning point. “That was my first title game and it won Game of the Year (from multiple sources). It was fortunate to have it work like that.” Tovar started with Sony Computer Entertainment of America as a cinematic animator. He was able to move up to senior cinematic animator as he had a hand in titles such as “Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception” and “The Last of Us.” Tovar’s efforts at Sony Pictures Imageworks as an intermediate animator included him working on the films “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “Green Lantern.” The workload Tovar encountered at UIW as a student steeled him for facing short deadlines as a professional. “On some projects, you work on a team of seven or eight people,” Tovar said. “On some, you will be on a team of 40 people. You don’t work directly with everybody, but you have to run things by each other.” When Tovar arrived in California, he went strictly by the book on work assignments and kept in mind that he didn’t want to run the risk of pushing anybody’s buttons. More experience
allowed Tovar to receive more leeway when it came to being creative. “If you get notes from a supervisor, you don’t want to go too far astray from that unless you have a great working relationship,” Tovar said. “You just have to get used to the particular work environment at a studio.” Becoming familiar with how that atmosphere compared to the particulars of a typical college assignment was one of the learning processes Tovar experienced in California. “At school, students do a lot of their own projects, but then you are on a big team,” he said. “You get those notes and you also have daily review times.” Having access to Sony’s extensive resources also had an effect on what Tovar and his peers were capable of doing compared to college students. “Those really high-end tools and equipment… students don’t have those luxuries,” Tovar said. In addition to his work on “Uncharted 2,” Tovar is fond of the opportunity he had to work on the game “The Last of Us” for PlayStation 3 – which details the adventures of Joel and Ellie – who must battle humans and zombies in a post-apocalypse United States. “It was great seeing it go from point A to point B and it was good to see the public’s reactions,” he said. Tovar has followed his recent industry success with an effort to get students in UIW’s animation program from point A to point B in their preparation for their respective careers. Part of that involves illustrating the degree of difficulty that comes with working in the industry; Tovar stressed it requires a balance of fun and work. “Some people think it’s more fun than work,” Tovar said. “It’s a lot of work. These are million-dollar projects. So, it’s serious fun.”
Tovar and Adam Watkins, professor of Computer Graphic Arts and coordinator for the ANGD program, at the 2015 Faculty Award Reception in the McCombs Center Rosenberg Sky Room.
Tovar instructs a student during a 3-D animation class.
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Echoes of a Health Care Legacy By Brance Arnold ’10 MA
Nursing and pharmacy students and faculty members pose at the Great Wall of China in Summer 2012.
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ne morning in Oaxaca, Mexico, Raelyn Ottenbreit felt overwhelmed while standing outside gazing upon the lineup of patients waiting to be evaluated. “A lady standing in line came over to me, said many things in Spanish that I did not understand followed by a very heartfelt ‘muchas gracias’ and gave me a long hug and a kiss,” said the fourth year Rosenberg School of Optometry (RSO) student. “We hadn’t even done anything yet.” Ottenbreit’s experience that day stands as one of many opportunities UIW’s health professional programs provide students for international immersion and engagement; these experiences have a profound and lasting impact, echoing the values of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word for social justice and human compassion on a global scale. Many of these opportunities are interprofessional in nature; they involve students and faculty across several of the university’s health care disciplines. In fact, Ottenbreit’s experience was as part of Los Quijotes Ambassadors of Health’s 2014 annual medical mission trip. Los Quijotes is a team of CHRISTUS Santa Rosa personnel who travel to Oaxaca yearly to provide care. This year, five RSO students, two Feik School of Pharmacy (FSOP) faculty members, and a student from the Honors Program participated. Dr. Tina Lopez, director of FSOP’s Drug Fourth year RSO stuInformation Center, who helped organize dent Raelyn Ottenbreit the trips, said this year over 35 physicians, evaluates patients in nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists, Oaxaca, Mexico. psychologists, computer technicians, and 12
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friends traveled from the U.S. to Oaxaca to help the underserved community. Though not all of the medications made it through customs, the pharmacy dispensed between 400-600 prescriptions and the optometry team evaluated 150-250 people per day. “We (UIWRSO) have participated in the medical mission trip to Oaxaca for the last three years,” said Dr. Russell Coates, clinical assistant professor of optometry. “The interns reported that the trip was extremely beneficial to their education, all returning with increased confidence in their optometric skills.” “This opportunity allows the UIW students to learn and practice in ways that could not be taught in a classroom,” said Lopez. Tin Nguyen, an Honors Program junior studying biochemistry and religious studies, recalled one of his first encounters with an Oaxaca native was a blind elderly, who fervidly shared with him that he had been waiting every year for this moment of care and referred to the group as “angels.” Nguyen said that in addition to providing health services, the participants had a chance to travel to many beautiful sites in the area such as Mitla, the local market, and others, as well as taste exotic, authentic cuisine. Another opportunity, where students learn firsthand about the health care and culture of other countries while fostering interdepartmental collaboration, grew out of Dr. Irene Gilliland’s Fulbright Scholar experience in China. Gilliland, assistant professor of nursing, said initially the trips included just Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions students, but she reached out to pharmacy three years ago for their interest. The faculty-led summer trips have included China, India, Africa, and recently Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. “I have been doing these trips since 2004,” shared Gilliland. “About 150 students have participated over the years; our last trip to China had 35 travelers.” Dr. Russell Attridge, an assistant professor of pharmacy who has also been involved in the trips, said students take an elective course in the spring to prepare for the trip with a focus on cultural traditions, educational systems, political/social happenings, and health care practices.
“These are health care related students who need to be open to the cultural preferences of patients,” said Gilliland. “We visit schools of nursing and pharmacy to see how professionals are trained in that country. We visit hospitals and, depending on the country, the traditional healing places.” But the students also learn about the industry of the country, for example, by visiting a silk factory in China or observing how gems are cut in India. Each trip involves moving from place to place to get a flavor of the country. In Africa and India at least two safari days are included and in the Galapagos they live on a boat for five days. Students get to ride local transportation such as a high-speed train, camel, elephant, and even a canoe in the Rain Forest. And of course they visit museums and famous landmarks such as the Great Wall and Taj Mahal. “In the Amazon, we traveled by boat, visited the indigenous people who actually had huts on the edge of the forest, and even witnessed a shaman performing a cleansing ritual,” said fourth year pharmacy student Rebeca Jimenez. Nursing senior Emily Wortham said traveling to Ecuador and Galapagos provided an interesting perspective in seeing how the health care system works. “Being a nurse you see a lot of different cultures and you have to tailor their care depending on where the patient is coming from,” said Wortham. Attridge stressed the collaboration between nursing and pharmacy will help enhance communication for these future pharmacists and nurses when communicating with other professions, which translates to improved patient care. An externship program centering on Pharmaceutical industry, is FSOP’s partnership with Brazilian pharmaceutical company Prati-Donaduzzi and Brazilian university Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Parana (PUC-PR). Since August 2013, the program has provided for four fourth year (P4) FSOP students to travel each fall and spring semester to Brazil for an experiential pharmacy education on regulatory affairs involving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Brazilian regulatory agency, Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA). Dr. Marcos Oliveira, coordinator for Pharmacy Latin American Activities and associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences who has been instrumental in establishing and developing the program, said the students engage in a joint course on FDA and ANVISA affairs, followed by a specific project. Upon completion, the students provide a written and oral presentation both at PratiDonaduzzi and UIW. For example, P4 student Brian Coffee developed an application to monitor manufacturing processes for a new regulatory facility in Brazil and P4 student John Chen created a brief but accurate and practical regulatory checklist for Prati-Donaduzzi to be used by Prati’s auditors, ensuring manufacturing compliance. “Pharmacists absolutely have an integral role in the industrial side of pharmacy in the U.S. and it is beneficial to have experience in this area,” said Chen. In January 2014, four PUC-PR students visited FSOP with a focus on clinical pharmacy where H-E-B helped provide training. Oliveira said FSOP hopes to attract more Brazilian students to participate in the externship program in the future. And now, the program will include UIW students from other
disciplines. Prati-Donaduzzi seeks to involve two pharmacy students, a business student, and a School of Mathematics, Science and Engineering or media and design student, such as computer information systems, said Oliveira. Overall, Oliveira said the program seeks to achieve “incremental innovation,” small changes that make a real difference in improving patients’ quality of life. Nursing, pharmacy and optometry are not the only programs providing international opportunities. UIW’s School of Physical Therapy has a fourth year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) student, Katlyn Hannan, on a six week mission trip in Guatemala working with Adonai International Ministries, a medical-aviation ministry whose focus is to serve the Quiché Indians of Guatemala, and DOCS For Hope, a group of seven family medicine doctors, trained in obstetrics, who provide care in the U.S. and abroad. Dr. Susan Smith, assistant professor of physical therapy, and another fourth year DPT student will be joining Hannan for two weeks. “Providing physical therapy care to the children in the villages in Guatemala has been a known need for a long time,” said Hannan. “I chose this experience because I hoped to help in the creation of a new program to meet the needs of the people and return them to their optimal function in order to be functioning members in their society.” The PT school also has a student fulfilling a fulltime clinical experience for nine weeks in Italy with Eduglobal Associates at Istituto Prosperius Tiberino, a 111-bed rehab hospital with both ortho and neuro inpatients as well as an outpatient service; and two fourth year DPT students serving as teacher assistants in SRH University Heidelberg in Germany’s baccalaureate physical therapy program for 10 weeks. Dr. Chad Jackson, assistant professor of physical therapy and director of Professional Practice Education, said the students will go into full-time clinical opportunities at the completion of their time abroad in order to complete their 14 week professional practice experience. Jackson explained PT will continue to work with UIW’s Ettling Center for Civic Leadership for the development of international opportunities. “I believe international experiences provide a deeper understanding of global health care along with the needs and disparities,” said Jackson. “Students are demonstrating the Mission or living the Mission in action but from an educational standpoint.”
FSOP P4 student John Chen (center) shares a photo with Prati-Donaduzzi’s quality assurance team in Brazil.
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The Art of Resilience
Winslow Swart at his kenseido dojo in San Antonio.
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lumnus Winslow Swart ’03 BBA ’05 MAA thinks beyond boundaries. His organizational development firm, Winslow Consulting, has trained leaders and teams on three continents. He has been both a student and a master in the classroom and at the dojo. Winslow is the first non-Japanese man in the world to reach the seventh-degree, master-level rank in the martial art of kenseido, an enviable accomplishment he attained this past summer in Japan. Kenseido is a Japanese martial arts form that combines karate, kung fu, aikido and ju-jitsu techniques.
Swart with the Doshu - Grandmaster of Kenseido Aikzuki Takayoshi and his son Akizuki Shogo at the Kenshukai in Japan where Swart achieved seventh-degree, master-level rank in kenseido. 14
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And lucky for martial arts enthusiasts, Swart along with several of his Japanese kenseido colleagues were responsible for bringing that self-defense discipline to the United States for the first time ever, and more specifically, to San Antonio in 1986. So you can credit Swart for the Alamo City’s recognition as the U.S. headquarters for kenseido. In fact, you can find him during the afternoon and on weekends at his dojo – the Kenseido U.S. Headquarters – at 13133 Northwest Military Highway in Castle Hills, where he and other instructors teach about 100 students of all ages. “It’s great to see how an art form like kenseido can help students, who walk in the door with health or self-confidence challenges or self-imposed limitations, and how it can free them from those obstacles.” Winslow works to help individuals soar past their limitations. As a current member of UIW’s Master of Arts in Administration Advisory Board he explained that the board is interested in engaging its colleagues, connecting and building the community of UIW leadership, and mentoring the university’s current cohort. “We also seek new ways to enhance and enrich the professional development of the regional workforce and our member organizations,” he said. He believes the education he received at the university has greatly enhanced his professional goals. “As a capacity professional, it is a real asset to have a purely organizational development focused program in our city,” Swart said. “The toolkit I emerged with has helped both my global and regional
clients to build culture and to define and achieve their organizational strategic goals. On the educational quality front, I found the academic rigor in my graduate field of concentration at UIW exceeded that of the doctoral colloquia I experienced at another institution.” He added that it is important to him to remain involved with his alma mater. “UIW is a values-based organization with a values-driven educational philosophy,” he said. “My work at the dojo, and in consulting, always involves a degree of soul-searching and internal compass calibration. As a community of learners, educators and leaders, we (UIW alumni) keep one another mindful of these core attributes as we infuse our organizations and the school with this collective energy.” Having lived in San Antonio for the past 30 years, Swart has met a number of the city’s influential movers and shakers. He believes it was through the referral of one of those circles that he received an email in July 2012 from an advance team of the White House, requesting his credentials for a background check in relation to President Obama’s planned trip to the Alamo City. He submitted them and thought nothing would come of it. Then he got a second email, congratulating him on being hand-selected to drive one of the support vehicles in the presidential motorcade. “I didn’t know I was going to be the lead support driver until that morning,” Swart recalled. “Other support drivers were behind us. That was fun. I had some one-on-one meetings with their counter-terrorism team.” Opportunities like that come once in a lifetime, so Swart relished every moment of that grand experience albeit a tad nervewracking with a few “selfies” here and there to commemorate the occasion. It was on the tarmac of the San Antonio International Airport that he was feeling cool and collected until “all of a sudden two limousines with the presidential seal pull up next to me, and I’m thinking, ‘OK. This is real.’ Then Air Force One lands; the stairway comes up, and out comes the president.” In addition to his involvement with the university, his consulting business and his work at his dojo, Swart is also president of OrgDevSA, a non-profit, professional association, and serves on the board of directors of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Swart also shares his time with Geekdom as director of strategic partnerships. And if that is not enough, he also found time to write a book entitled “The Resilient Leader,” published by Kenseido Press in 2010.
Swart with Air Force One during President Obama’s visit to San Antonio in 2012.
To learn more about Swart, visit www.winslowswart.com. And to view additional story content, visit www.thewordonline.org Swart demonstrates tekubi gaeshi nage, a kenseido technique, with a pupil. TTH HEE W WO ORRD D || SSPPRRIIN NG G 22001155
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UIW’s 2014-15 men’s basketball team. Photos courtesy of Mark Walton and UIW Cardinals Athletics.
achieving the impossible By John Goodspeed
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he University of the Incarnate Word’s (UIW) men’s basketball team achieved what many called impossible in their second season in a four-year transition to NCAA Division I. They defeated the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers, a team that played in last year’s NCAA Division I tournament. “People were saying we had zero chance to win,” said head coach Ken Burmeister, at the helm of the Cardinals for a ninth season. “It was a great experience for our players. It shows that a lot of hard work paid off. Plus, it was on ESPN.” Seven other games also were televised by midseason – including a victory over another high profile team, the Princeton University Tigers – giving the Cardinals the kind of national exposure they could only dream about before moving to Division I and the Southland Conference.
Head coach Ken Burmeister addresses the team during the Cardinals’ game against Huston –Tillotson University this season. 16 14
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Feature articles followed in such publications as the Washington Post and USA Today. The win over Nebraska was the Cardinals’ biggest victory since beginning the move from Division II to Division I. Six-foot-5 guard Kyle Hittle’s baseline jumper with 3.2 seconds on the clock provided the stunning 74-73 win in the Cardinals’ first game against a Power 5 team. It was the first time since the 2010-11 season that a transitioning Division I team defeated a team from one of the five most powerful conferences. “One of my dreams was to play in Division I against a team like that. But I never thought about beating them or making a win like that,” said Hittle, a junior who is one of the top scorers in the Southland Conference. “It was awesome for me, and awesome for the school. A lot of people know who Incarnate Word is now.” The shot earned the No. 2 play on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays that broadcasted to some 20 million viewers. Last year, the Cardinals made NCAA history with a 21-6 record, the best for any transitional team. Leading the Cardinals is 6-foot-4 guard Denzel Livingston, who by midseason was Division I’s top scorer averaging 23.3 points per game and No. 9 in steals with 2.58. He is in the top five in UIW’s history in points, three-pointers, free throws, blocks and steals. He scored a career high of 37 points in January against Northwestern State, although the Cardinals lost 103-101. Many recruiters shied away from the graduate of Houston’s Waltrip High School because he weighed a mere 137 pounds. Now at 185, he savors the national attention he and the Cardinals are garnering. “It makes me feel good because I always was overlooked in my high school days. It’s proving the other coaches were wrong,” said Livingston, adding that he spent a lot of time in the cafeteria and working out.
In his four seasons at the university, the senior said the team’s chemistry developed while he honed his skills in defense and ball handling. In December, Livingston was the Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week and College Sports Madness Southland and Mid-Major Player of the Week after scoring 30 or more points in consecutive wins against Grand Canyon University and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He was also featured in the November 2014 issue of SLAM Magazine, a worldwide basketball publication. In January, College Hoops Daily named Livingston the Southland Player of 2014. “It makes me think all the hard work is really paying off,” he said. While professional teams are inquiring about Livingston, the Cardinals’ prospects are bright with talented freshmen, including forward Traylin Farris, guard Shawn Johnson and guard Jontrell Walker, one of the top shooters in the conference. He was named the Southland Conference Player of the Week and College Sports Madness Southland Player of the Week after scoring 30 points in the loss to the University of Texas at El Paso and a game high 19 points against Nebraska. “The future is good,” Burmeister said. “This is what happens when you recruit quality people, and quality people attract quality people. They want to get better.” Playing in Division I also offers alumni a chance to see the team in action as they play in cities across the nation. “There’s nothing better than seeing alumni wearing UIW t-shirts at a game,” the coach said.
To view video of the game winning shot against Nebraska and to read more about the team’s success, visit www.thewordonline.org
(Pictured L-R) Guards Denzel Livingston and Kyle Hittle.
UIW announces new director of athletics and director of marketing and development for student life and athletics University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Services Dr. David Jurenovich (left) and President Dr. Louis Agnese (second from left) announced the promotion of Mark Papich (right) from director of athletics to director of marketing and development for student life and athletics and John Williams (third from left) to director of athletics at a press conference held Jan. 20 in Benson Fieldhouse. Papich started at UIW in 1995 as an assistant volleyball coach before becoming the head coach in 1996. He served as the head coach for seven seasons accumulating a 124-124 record that included a conference and NAIA regional title in 1997 when the team finished 11th in the nation. He took over as the director of athletics in the summer of 2001 when the program was only two years into NCAA Division II and was a member of the Heartland Conference. Under his direction, UIW added men’s and women’s swimming, synchronized swimming, men’s and women’s fencing and football. In 2004, he was behind the school mascot change from Crusaders to Cardinals. He played a major role in the completion of the Ann Barshop Natatorium as well as the Gayle & Tom Benson Stadium and Fieldhouse. Under his leadership, the UIW athletic teams won a total of 46 conference regular season and tournament titles. In recent years, Papich has led UIW in the move from the Heartland Conference to the Lone Star Conference after football was added. The LSC is one of the premier NCAA Division II conferences in the nation. Following that transition, he has led the athletic department’s move from NCAA Division II to Division I over the past two and a half years. Previously, Williams served as UIW director of recruiting and has been developing a strategic plan for the athletic department since joining the staff in 2014. Prior to UIW, Williams was a director of championships and alliances for the NCAA for 10 years. He was a member of the executive team and he established a strategic plan and created better business practices for the group. He served as the Director of Division III Championships. He managed 35 championships for Division I, II and III from start to finish. Williams also brings coaching and athletic director experience to UIW. He started as an assistant men’s basketball coach at his alma mater Ball State University where he is a member of the BSU Hall of Fame before taking over the head coaching job at Earlham College. He served as an assistant head men’s coach at the University of Wisconsin. From 1992-96, he was the head men’s basketball coach and director of athletics at the University of Saint Francis. His final coaching position was as head coach at Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne (IPFW). THE WORD | SPRING 2015
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Alumni Lorenzo “Chacho” Saldaña (left) and Brance Arnold (right) perform at the 2014 TEDxSanAntonio event held at Rackspace headquarters in October. Photos courtesy of TEDxSanAntonio and Charles Mims.
The TED experience, connecting lines of human experience By Brance Arnold ’10 MA
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hen I got the call in August from an organizer for TEDxSanAntonio, I thought he was saying “FedEx” and almost hung up on him. He said, “No wait! This is a big deal! This is Chris with TEDxSanAntonio.” Then it hit me. A few months prior a friend of mine, who was volunteering for TEDx, suggested I submit an application to perform at the event. TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, is an innovative, worldwide trend in conferences; it is a nonprofit devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading,” typically in the form of brief but powerful talks and performances lasting no longer than 18 minutes. Chris Sandoval, chair for the TEDxSanAntonio Programming Committee, spent the next few minutes of the phone conversation convincing me this opportunity was one I would not want to miss. Sandoval’s team, who was responsible for reviewing speaker applications, rec-
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ommending the slate of speakers to the San Antonio event organizers and then working directly with every approved speaker to help them prepare for their time on stage, had chosen me and my songwriting partner and fellow alumnus Lorenzo “Chacho” Saldaña ’05 MA to perform at the 2014 TEDxSanAntonio event, held at the Rackspace Headquarters in San Antonio on Oct. 18. We perform under the name of Chacho & Brance. Upon ending my phone call with Sandoval, I began researching and, indeed, discovered what he was talking about was a big deal – a global phenomenon in fact. TED was founded in 1984 as a one-off event, but evolved into an annual conference beginning in 1990, in Monterey, Calif. TED’s early emphasis was technology and design, consistent with its origins in the Silicon Valley, but evolved to include topics spanning every spectrum of life imaginable, from business to science to global issues, and in more than 100 languages. Nearly 2000 TED talks are available on the main TED site and have collectively had viewings of over one billion worldwide, Alumna Dr. Rhonda Martin speaks during with many TED events ofthe 2014 TEDxSanAntonio event. fering live streaming.
Like San Antonio’s, TEDx events are independently organized but are part of the overall TED movement and are held throughout the world. “You must first obtain a license from the larger TED organization,” said Sandoval. “When applying for a license, you commit to a set of responsibilities but you’re basically on your own from there. The ‘x’ in TEDx stands for ‘Independently Organized TED Event.’” There were over 200 applicants with 22 selected. To prepare for the ten minutes we were allotted for our talk, TEDxSanAntonio assigned us a curator who graciously walked us through the process and helped to focus and develop our presentation. Preparation was intensive with an orientation; several meetings with the emcees and curators; three group rehearsals; and a dress rehearsal the night before. Our topic centered on a genre of music that is unique to us, “Borderland Blues,” which accentuates the idea that life, art, and human inspiration transcends “borders.” We performed three songs and talked a bit about our sound. Presenting to an audience of approximately 600 at Rackspace and even more via global streaming, there was a beautiful, nervous energy to the experience. We were among a fascinating and equally unique group of speakers ranging from an urban farmer to an abstract painter to a representative from the San Antonio River Authority. I was pleased, following the event, to learn that a number of our UIW community members have given TED talks as well. In fact, Dr. Rhonda Martin, who graduated with a doctorate from UIW last December, was a fellow presenter at TEDxSanAntonio. She talked about “Destructive Leadership and the Millennial Workforce,” the topic of her dissertation defense. Following TEDx, she was asked to speak at USAA, where she works as a senior business operations analyst, and most recently at the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. “TED is a global phenomenon because it has provided an opportunity to share ideas, knowledge, and perspectives that everyday people would not have the chance to,” said Martin. “TED is a platform for ordinary people with extraordinary lives to share with the world.” Michael Segovia ’84 BA served as a speaker in March 2014 at the TEDx Boyle Heights conference in California. Segovia, who is a certification program facilitator for CCP, Inc., a company that publishes and sells personality, career, and organizational
Organizer Chris Sandoval (center) speaks to presenters and curators at the TEDxSanAntonio Speaker Reception the night before the big event. development assessments and tools, spoke on the pains and joys of being different. “It was a great learning experience. I met many wonderful people before, during, and after the event,” shared Segovia. “TED talks cover such a rich diversity of topics by a diverse group of speakers.” UIW’s own Professor of Business Administration Dr. Annette Craven recently gave a talk, “Changing Perspectives: A Journey Through Life,” at the College of the Canyons in Santa Barbara, Calif. Craven said the premise of her talk was that we should spend less time worrying about communication differences across generations and more on the differences in decades. Craven said she even implements TED as a learning tool by regularly showing TED talks in her classes at the master’s and doctoral levels. “TED and TEDx events create a safe environment for individuals to fully express their ideas and perspectives without pushback or recrimination,” said Craven. “It is one of the few environments I have experienced in which each individual could share their thoughts and be applauded for it.” As we journey further into the technological age, bridging the gaps of cultural and geographic diversity, it seems TED serves as one more innovate way of connecting those lines of the human experience.
Visit The Word Online at www.thewordonline.org to view the TEDx talks of the speakers featured in this article. For more info on TED, visit http://www.ted.com/ and TEDxSanAntonio, visit http://tedxsanantonio.com/ THE WORD | SPRING 2015
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A Tradition of Service By Rebecca Esparza ’99 BBA ’03 MBA
UIW students participate in the Golden Harvest event.
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hen over 20,000 people descended upon San Antonio to escape the wrath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, La., one of the deadliest hurricanes in history, University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) students were there to assist. Students and faculty from the Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing spent countless hours meeting the needs of evacuees sheltered at Kelly USA in San Antonio. “Service is an essential element within our curriculum, offering students studies that include a global perspective, with an emphasis on social justice and community service,” said Dr. Bob Connelly, assistant to associate provost for UIW. “This reflects the lasting influence of the first Sisters UIW students volunteer at the Animal Defense League of Charity of as part of Meet the Mission. 20
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the Incarnate Word who left France and came to San Antonio in 1869 to minister to the community of sick and poor of South Texas. They created health care and educational institutions, including UIW. This dedication to serving others in need continues through UIW’s public service activities.” Recently, UIW’s dedication to community service has been recognized with a special distinction. The university has been named to the 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, distinguishing UIW as a leader in community service. “This award is the highest federal recognition an institution can receive for its community service. The last time we received it was in 2006, in part for our response to Hurricane Katrina,” said Connelly. “UIW applied in two categories, General Community Service and Interfaith Community Service. In the Interfaith category, only 90 schools were honored, with three in Texas. UIW was the only institution in San Antonio.” The distinction in 2014 was received based on UIW’s general community service efforts, such as Volunteers in Income Tax Program (VITA), Meet the Mission, and Golden Harvest; and interfaith community service initiatives, such as the Refugee Resettlement Program and interfaith engagement in the classroom and co-curricular activities.
For the past 25 years, UIW has required all students to complete 45 hours of community service before graduation. “Graduates from 2012-13 accumulated over 100,000 hours of service in our local community and more than 20,000 hours on UIW campuses. Also, graduates typically average at least 10 hours more than the minimum requirement,” Connelly added. Several faculty-sponsored organizations and projects are considered exemplary examples of ways students give back to the community through service. “Eight years ago, faculty took the lead in creating a beginningof-the-year experience called Meet the Mission,” Connelly said. “This is a day set aside for faculty, students and staff to provide needed services in a variety of settings in the community.” Dr. Christopher Edelman, assistant professor of philosophy, is a former faculty co-organizer for Meet the Mission, held in the fall, and its spring counterpart, Alternative Spring Break. “Meet the Mission is a yearly service event that was founded by Dr. Harold Rodinsky [assistant professor of psychology] in 2006. Each September, faculty and staff are invited to recruit teams of students to serve with them at sites around the city, including non-profit organizations, community centers, and churches, such as St. PJ’s Children’s Home, the Center for Refugee Services, the Ella Austin Community Center, and St. Timothy’s Catholic Church,” Edelman explained. The hope is that students will return to the organizations they encounter during Meet the Mission and continue volunteerism on their own. “We aimed to serve as a hands-on introduction to the university’s Mission of service and hoped it contributed to the building of a sense of community among our students, faculty, and staff,” Edelman said. “Friendships are often formed among students during service projects. Students report they also become more comfortable approaching professors for help outside of class, after having spent time doing community service with them.” UIW’s Ettling Center for Civic Leadership, named for founder Sr. Dorothy (Dot) Ettling, CCVI, is a partnership between UIW and CHRISTUS Health. The center is instrumental in working with students, faculty and departments campus-wide with civic engagement and service opportunities by collaborating in part-
Monica Cruz (left), director of the Ettling Center for Civic Leadership, with student Cardinal Community Leaders. The center provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to deepen and broaden their leadership capacity through service.
Cardinals for Kids students Karissa Vigil (left), Will Bailey (second from left), and Rita Sturgeon (right) present a $35,000 check to Elias Neujahr (second from right), Children’s Hospital of San Antonio president. nership with local and global community stakeholders. “One of our goals is to be a resource for students to find out about service opportunities,” said Monica Cruz, director for the Ettling Center for Civic Leadership, “a clearinghouse of information of service opportunities.” There are other programs that have had a high impact on not only the community as a whole, but on the students who donated their time and energy to the worthwhile causes. Cardinals for Kids, a UIW Mission and Ministry student organization, is dedicated to raising awareness and funds for the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio Foundation. Their efforts at several events throughout the year raised $35,000 for the foundation. In 1984, an accounting professor initiated the Volunteers in Income Tax Program (VITA) at UIW. The program is now the longest continuously operating VITA site in the City of San Antonio. Tax returns are prepared for the low income and elderly of the community at no charge. Just recently, UIW expanded its community service with the Refugee Resettlement in San Antonio, in collaboration with Catholic Charities. Students from the Global Refugees course assist with resettlement basics: how to answer mail, how to apply for food stamps and Medicaid, go shopping, and how to deal with emergencies. Paul Ayala, director of university events and student programs, said he believes students who participate in community service programs appreciate the experience on many levels. “I think students who complete community service are caring, compassionate, grateful, and happy people. The first two characteristics are drivers that make these individuals want to do community service. The latter two characteristics are a result of how community service transforms students,” he said. Ayala, who has been with UIW for four years, has helped the Student Government Association host Golden Harvest, an opportunity for students to collect canned food for the San Antonio Food Bank before Thanksgiving. “UIW students care about their community. Our students have a passion to serve and it is evident in their commitment to making this program a success,” Ayala said. “Our students come back from the event appreciating the meaning of community service and grateful for the many blessings in their lives.” THE WORD | SPRING 2015
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(Pictured L-R) Jan Hevenor Boyle and Carrie Harrell.
Touching History By Ashley Festa
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ntricate. Delicate. Precise. That’s the status quo for every University of the Incarnate Word fashion design student. But two of them discovered just how painstakingly complicated some needlework projects could be. Alumna Carrie Harrell ’89 BA and former student Jan Hevenor Boyle spent nearly 900 hours measuring, planning, cutting and sewing—not to mention searching for fabric, ostrich plumes, rhinestones and other details—to reproduce exact replicas of four gowns worn by Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone with the Wind.” The dresses were recently on display together for the first time in more than 20 years at the “The Making of ‘Gone With The Wind’” exhibit at the University of Texas at Austin’s Harry Ransom Center. Ever since the 1939 classic was produced, museums around the country frequently borrowed the original dresses from the Ransom Center’s David O. Selznick archive for exhibits. Over time, the fragile gowns deteriorated. To preserve the originals while still sharing the masterpieces with the public, the then Incarnate Word College students were commissioned to recreate history.
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Sr. Joyce reviews photos of the actual gowns worn in “Gone with the Wind.” She had the photos enlarged for reference.
Harrell and Boyle were already experienced seamstresses. So when the Center sought someone in 1986 to reconstruct the gowns, the late Sr. Mary Elizabeth Joyce, CCVI, thendirector of the Fashion Design program, recommended the two women for the job. The project was stressful, and expectations were high. Both women were full-time students; Harrell was a single mother. And the dresses themselves—Scarlett’s green velvet curtain dress, wedding dress, blue velvet wrapper and burgundy silk velvet gown—they were a test of endurance. To get their first glimpse of the gowns, Harrell and Boyle headed to Austin in January 1986 to take a look at what they’d be working with. Harrell snipped tiny swatches of fabric from underneath the dresses to take to New York City fabric stores in hopes of getting a match. Once in New York, they visited store after store after store, searching for the right materials. “We looked for fabric with the right color, weight and fiber content,” Harrell said. “We had to make exact duplicates of these outfits all the way down to the underpinnings.” That included recreating each dress’s buttons, which were no longer in production—not in New York or anywhere. So they had to improvise a way to make the buttons by hand, hundreds of them. Plus 500 rhinestones, which needed precise placement on the red velvet dress. And 120 leaves on Scarlett’s wedding dress, which required five-points of meticulous measurement to ensure they were in exactly the correct position. “To get one little measurement, I had to measure from the bottom and top and side seam and from point to point for
(Pictured L-R) Boyle, Harrell and Sr. Joyce pose with one of the gowns in 1986. Photo courtesy of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word Archives.
Boyle and Harrell display a photo taken at the “Gone with the Wind” exhibit in Austin in 1994. THE WORD | SPRING 2015
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every single leaf,” Harrell said. “I had it over my knee, and I was crying. It was a great test in patience. Nothing has compared as a lesson in patience since then.” Well, except maybe when they had to take the green velvet curtain dress apart because one side was a half-inch off from the original. Normally, a seamstress would measure only one side of a garment to make a pattern, naturally assuming it to be symmetrical. The designers of the original costumes, however, had made adjustments on the fly so the dress would fit better on actress Vivien Leigh, who played Scarlett. That resulted in an asymmetrical dress and two exasperated Incarnate Word students. Despite the frustration, that dress was Boyle’s favorite to work on. “It’s the symbol of the movie, of Scarlett’s will to survive,” she said. “Working on it was like touching history.” A year and a half and almost $30,000 later, the four dresses were complete—except one final, nearly imperceptible detail. “We put our names on tiny ribbons and sewed them way up into the dresses,” Harrell said. “Maybe someone will find them one day.” In January, almost 30 years later, both Harrell and Boyle visited the exhibition in Austin where two of their dresses, the wedding dress and the blue velvet wrapper, were displayed. The other dresses in the exhibit were the restored originals. “It was a step back in time,” Boyle said. “This project was one of the highlights of my life.” Harrell echoed that sentiment. “As a young girl, my dad took me to that movie, the first movie I’d ever seen in a theater” she said. “Now, every time I see it, I think, ‘Oh, I held that dress!’ It was just amazing.”
Harrell stands next to the original green velvet curtain dress at the exhibit recently held in Austin for the 75th anniversary of “Gone with the Wind.”
Harrell and Boyle visit with current UIW fashion student Jazmin Cerritos in the Joyce Building on campus.
For more information on the “The Making of ‘Gone with Wind’” exhibit, visit www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/web/gonewiththewind/ To view more photos and additional content for this story online, visit www.thewordonline.org
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notes
The window of UIW’s success stories. Submissions: alumni@uiwtx.edu
Photos submitted for Class Notes may be included on the online alumni community site.
1960s Rita Shaw Reindl ’60 BSN was nominated and accepted into the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The induction ceremony took place in October at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, in Houston, Texas. The principal celebrant was His Eminence Daniel Cardinal Dinardo, KGCHS. Mary Evelyn Wright King ’66 BS, MS, RHIA recently retired as division chair for Allied Health and department chair for Health Information Technology at Wharton County Junior College. She continues to serve as an adjunct professor for the college. Teddy Jones’ ’66 BSN novel “Jackson’s Pond, Texas,” was named a finalist in contemporary fiction in the Women Writing the West’s Willa Award competition. Her novel, “Well Tended,” was released in December by MidTown Publishing.
1970s Joanne Denham ’71 BSN retired from a career as a geriatric and catastrophic injury or illness nurse case manager and is also a five-plus-year survivor of mesothelioma cancer of the lungs. She says a supportive family, including UIW, and the prayers of many have emphasized the value and gift that is each day.
1980s Scott Hill ’87 BM is headmaster at Jefferson Academy in Kearneysville, W.Va. The academy’s student body numbers 56 students and he teaches music to kindergarten through fourth grade. Janie Barrera ’87 MBA, LiftFund CEO and president, has been selected by Junior Achievement of South Texas as an inductee to the 2015 San Antonio Business Hall of Fame. Dr. Debra J. Justice ’89 BA has been named general manager of the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, home to the Houston Symphony and Society for the Performing Arts.
Anne E. Ohlrich ’92 BA celebrated the one year anniversary of the new location of her law firm on Oct. 21, 2014. The Ohlrich Law Firm specializes in family and business immigration issues. Mary Nell Ohlrich Costello ’74 BA was on-hand to celebrate. Chris Sauter ’93 BA is one of three San Antonio artists to have his art featured in the exhibit “State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now” at the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art in Bentonville, Ark. Lisa Marie Gonzales ’94 BA was appointed by former Mayor Julian Castro and the San Antonio City Council to the position of Municipal Court Judge for the City of San Antonio. Julie Anne Badilla ’94 BSN ’05 MSN is the acute clinical manager at Southland Management Group, Inc. Sylvia Rincon ’97 BA is working as the director of communications at Southside Independent School District.
Dr. Frank Lucido ’89 MA is currently serving as associate dean and professor for the College of Education at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi.
Jenifer Richardson ’98 BBA is currently serving as the director of community engagement with the Eastside Promise Neighborhood through United Way.
1990s
Cynthia Yost ’99 BAAS recently transferred to San Antonio to work as a transportation security inspector-aviation with the Transportation Security Administration.
Desiree Wiseman ’90 BBA is currently a marketing segment manager at a local financial institution after years of working in Hispanic advertising.
Richard Jones ’86 MA and Karen Jones ’79 BA ’86 MA play characters in the recently, critically acclaimed release “Boyhood.” “Boyhood” is a 2014 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Richard Linklater. The film was shot intermittently over the course of a 12-year period, 2002-2013, and depicts the adolescence of a young boy in Texas growing up with divorced parents. The film was nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, winning for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actress. It also received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and acting nominations for Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke. The couple play Annie’s father and mother in the film.
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2000s JJ Persis ’00 BA recently published her first book, “Zodiac Lovers,” through Archway Publishing.
Jorge Gabriel Reyes ’00 BA is now serving as principal of Del Norte Heights Elementary in El Paso, Texas.
Pablo Pena ’06 BBA ’08 MAA is working on his Ph.D. He recently retired from H-E-B after 20 years and now lives in Houston, Texas, working for Cardtronics as financial services account manager and is responsible for over 5000 ATMs.
Tava Herring ’03 MEd ’13 PhD is currently serving as the executive director of the Antioch Community Transformation Network.
Paola Pino Queipo ’06 BA ’10 MA has moved to Miami, Fla., with her family to continue working with Creative Eyedeas, a graphic, Web and creative marketing design business. She had worked with NEISD for the last seven years teaching graphic design and illustration and audio and video production at the Design and Technology Academy High School, while working on side projects for her business.
Eve Rodriguez ’03 BSN just successfully defended her dissertation at The University of Texas at Tyler.
Lauren Sides ’09 BA recently started a new position as communications director for San Antonio City Councilman Mike Gallagher.
Ya’Ke Smith’s BA ’03, 2011 Alumnus of Distinction for Professional Achievement, short film, “Dawn,” screened Feb. 1 on HBO Go, the cable network’s online video service, and premiered on HBO Zone Feb. 5. The film will air throughout 2015.
Danielle Gunter ’07 MSN just successfully defended her dissertation at The University of Texas at Tyler.
Jennifer Theiss Lagundido ’02 BA started working at the Signature Theatre in New York, N.Y., as their development and special events associate.
Dr. Clarence M. Lee, Jr. ’05 BS was recently named a 40 under 40 winner by the Sacramento Business Journal.
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Ida Gonzales ’07 BA is currently teaching fifth grade students at Guerrero-Thompson Elementary School to be college-ready.
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Kevin Rubel ’08 BBA ’10 MS and his wife were featured in November’s edition of San Antonio Magazine about the adoption of their three kids. The article can be found at http://www.sanantoniomag.com/November-2014/Providing-Forever/
2010s Chris Fletcher ’10 MAA is now the command information officer for Fort Jackson, S.C. He recently served as the public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Marksmanship
Unit at Fort Benning, Ga. Fletcher is an Army veteran with 23 years of service. Taina BustosRivera ’10 BA has been working as the morning anchor for KWTX News 10 in the Waco, Texas, area for four years. In April, she won a Texas Lone Star Emmy in the Newscast-Morning/Daytime smaller markets (61+) category. Chrystal Alexander ’11 BBA completed one year at Economic Development Consulting Firm Fourth Economy Consulting in Pittsburgh, Pa. after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs in 2013. Alonzo Woods ’12 BAAS ’13 MAA is now a material requirements planner for the Corpus Christi Army Depot. Mary Ann Salazar ’12 BSN RN received her certification in nephrology nursing as she joined Pediatric Dialysis at University Health System eight months ago. She was awarded the 2015 Annual Dialysis Conference Nursing Scholarship by University of Missouri, Division of Nephrology. She was also recently elected to serve as the 2015 president of American Nephrology Nurses’ Association, Alamo City Chapter. Paola Cardenas ’13 BA started working at Creative Link as an assistant producer.
Tim Bell ’13 BS ’14 MAA is a contract specialist with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.
Irma Bustos ’14 BA currently works as the Bright Beginnings director for the Brighton Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with disabilities accomplished through Brighton’s four major programs including Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) services, Bright Beginnings Child Development Center, the Parent Alliance for Learning and Support (PALS) program and the Precious Minds, New Connections (PMNC) parenting program.
Cynthia B. Ewing ’06 BA ’07 MAA Adela Martinez-Salinas ’08 BS Robert Borjes ’12 PhD Susan Gail Sullivan Weir ’14 MSN L.W. (Les) Tschoepe, Sr., benefactor and former UIW Development Board member John Louis Santikos, benefactor
Cindy Mavel Gonzalez ’08 BA and Peter Tovar Flores ’10 BS married on Oct. 11, 2014 at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church.
Weddings and Engagements
Michelle Zehr ’09 MAA and David Mora were married on Oct. 3, 2014.
Louise Rogillio ’04 BA married Thomas White in Colorado on Aug. 9, 2014 and moved to Indiana.
Kelly Alexander ’07 BA ’11 MA became engaged to Danny Gallegos on July 4, 2014. They are set to wed on Oct. 10, 2015.
Jonathan George ’14 BA has entered the seminary for the Archdiocese of San Antonio and plans to be ordained in six years.
In Memoriam Elizabeth Browne O’Connor ’37 BA Constance Pollock Murnane ’41 IWHS ’45 BA Kate Elizabeth Kinard Jernigan ’46 BSN Gloria Garland Pianta Homburg ’48 BS Sr. Margaret Gerken, CCVI ’55 BS Virginia G. Brosset Wolf ’58 BSN Helen Marie Keller Bily ’59 BSN Georgia Ann Masters Glasgow ’60 BSN Hedy Munger Woodul ’63 BS Mercedes Deshon Frizell Kerr ’63 BSN Sr. William Francis Garcia, IWBS ’65 BM Sr. Mona Smiley, CCVI, PhD, ’67 BA ’75 MA Patricia Rose Padulo Villarreal ’69 BSN Bessie Jean Comstock King ’70 BA Benita Ann Soble ’71 BA Lynette M. Warburton ’72 MA Jane McNeel Keller ’72 BA Frances R. Grams ’74 BA Debra Delaine Reutter Fels ’79 BSN David William Shanks ’88 BBA Christine Marie Deep Carnahan ’93 BSN Lyssa Marie Stallings ’96 BSN Terese Ann “Terry” Scharpenberg ’96 BA James Alan Hutton ’03 MA
Devin Chantelle Bedford ’08 BA married Brandon Graham in September 2014.
Corey Beechner ’10 BS, ATC, LAT and Kimberly Krieg ’10 BBA were engaged on Sept. 17, 2014. They will earn their graduate degrees from UIW in May 2015. Beechner is the head trainer at Our Lady of the Lake University and Krieg is the owner of Embark Marketing. Rebecca S. Ohnemus ’10 BA ’12 MAA and C. Anthony Penaloza were engaged on Aug. 15, 2014.
Anniversary Frederick P. Atchley ’62 MEd and his wife Lillis recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Atchley earned his master’s at what was then Incarnate Word College during his tenure as a science teacher in San Antonio high schools. His favorite instructor at Incarnate Word was Sr. Joseph Marie, CCVI. Fred and Lillis met in September 1945 at Livingston State Teachers College, now University of West Alabama, at their combination mailboxes that were side by side. Fred helped Lillis open her box. They became college sweethearts, graduating together May 22, 1949. They married May 23, 1949 and started by bus on May 24, 1949 to San Antonio, Texas, where Fred was stationed at Fort Sam Houston. The Atchleys had twin sons, Fred V. (deceased 2001) and Rick in 1954. Both Fred and Lillis were high school teachers in the South San Antonio and North East Independent School Districts. After retirement, the Atchleys did volunteer work for many years in various organizations including San Antonio Genealogical and Historical Society, the Institute of Texan Cultures, the Greater San Antonio Quilt Guild, and North San Antonio Retired Teachers and for Love of a Child. The Atchleys have three granddaughters and four great-grandsons.
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Future Cardinals
Marisol Balli Bustamante ’97 BA and her husband welcomed identical twin daughters, Rebekah and Raquel, on Dec. 30. Jackie Jimenez ’07 BBA MS and Robert Jimenez ’12 BAA are excited to announce the birth of their future Cardinal, Alena, born in December 2014.
Anthony Abayomi Alabi ’80 BS came to America 45 years ago from Nigeria in search of the American dream with $400 to his name. Alabi, 59, worked as a cashier at 7-Eleven while pursuing a triple major at UIW. Alabi earned his degree in medical technology. In the 1970s, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He eventually went on to manage several stores and to become a district manager before 7-Eleven sold its San Antonio stores in 1989. Alabi managed a Tetco, Inc. flagship convenience store for eight years until the acquisition of Tetco, Inc. outlets by 7-Eleven. In August, he became the owner of the very store he managed and the first 7-Eleven owner in San Antonio since it re-entered the market in 2012. With the average franchise price tag of $191,000, he invested his life savings in securing his own store. In Nigeria, Alabi’s family owned a store and he worked there when he was young. Recently, Alabi’s son, Terry, returned to San Antonio after attending college in Iowa to learn the family business. “Coming to America is a chance to have a better life and education. However, attending UIW was an experience of a lifetime,” said Alabi. “I owe a debt of gratitude to UIW for teaching me to believe in myself and aim high.”
Bridget Lynn Murphy Cross ’10 BA and her husband Kendrick Dejun Cross welcomed the arrival of their son, Kendrick, in December. Rosemary Deleon ’05 BAAS announced the birth of Nayeli B. Kimbrough on Sept. 10, weighing 4 lbs., 9 oz. and 17.5 inches long. She is named Bertha after her great grandmother and Nayeli which means “love.”
Cardinal Throwback! Do you have fun and interesting photos of your days on campus at UIW? We want to see them! Please share photos and a brief caption by emailing bdarnold@uiwtx.edu
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UIW bids farewell to Moll and welcomes Hinojosa to board of trustees The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) would like to extend a very heartfelt thank you to William G. Moll, who retired from the UIW Board of Trustees in December and is now an emeriti board member. He served on the board from 2002 to 2014. Moll is CEO of MollComm, a broadcast consultancy serving the Independent Television Group. He retired in 2012 as president and CEO of KLRN Public Television in San Former UIW Board of Antonio, Texas. Moll’s extensive Trustees member career includes positions as presiWilliam “Bill” Moll dent of WNBC-TV in New York; president/CEO of the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) in New York; president/CEO of Clear Channel Television in San Antonio; president/CEO of WKRC-TV in Cincinnati, Ohio; and president/CEO of Harte-Hanks Broadcasting in San Antonio. He has served as trustee of the Masters Leadership Program in San Antonio; a member of the Civilian/Military Council of San Antonio; trustee of the San Antonio Area Foundation; former chairman of the San Antonio Art Institute; and on the national boards of Boy Scouts of America-Greater New York Council and CBS Television Network Affiliates Board; among many others. The university is grateful to Moll for his continued dedication and support of UIW and wishes him continued success.
Moment for Reflection By Dr. Bernadette E. O’Connor ’61 IWHS ’66 BA, professor emerita of philosophy
The university welcomes Ricardo H. Hinojosa, chief judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, to the UIW Board of Trustees. After earning a J.D. from Harvard Law School, he served as a briefing attorney to the Texas Supreme Court from 1975 to 1976 and then went into private practice in McAllen, Texas. In 1983, HinoRicardo Hinojosa, chief judge josa was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the of the United States District United States District Court for Court for the Southern the Southern District of Texas. At District of Texas and new 33, he became the youngest federal member of the board of judge in the nation. He was aptrustees pointed as a commissioner on the United States Sentencing Commission in 2003 and served as chairman, appointed by President George W. Bush, from 2004 to 2009. Hinojosa has served as chief judge of the Southern District of Texas since 2009. He is a member of the Fifth Circuit Judicial Council, the Budget Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States, and served on the Committee on Defender Services for the Judicial Conference of the United States. Hinojosa is vice president and a member of the board of directors of the John G. and Marie Stella Kenedy Memorial Foundation. He teaches as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law. In 2011, he received the Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award by the American Judicature Society.
As the good Valjean of “Les Misérables” lies dying, he sings the hauntingly sublime truth: “to love another person is to see the face of God.” As he expires, those present, joined by the whole company, reprise the anthem “Do You Hear the People Sing?” The words the lyricist Herbert Kretzmer gives Valjean and those who struggled against social injustice call us to reflect, around March 25, Incarnate Word Day, on two profound implications of the truth we access by the gift of faith, the truth that the eternal Word of God took on our human flesh and lived among us as one of us. The first implication is that, in the Incarnation, God validates the goodness of our humanity and elevates it to share in the divine nature. Thus nothing is a better icon of the God whom we cannot see than human persons. When we love another we are given a privileged access to his or her
luminous personal depths and thereby, in virtue of God’s identifying God’s self with human nature, to the very face of God. Incarnational theology assures us that God is truly in our loves, our families, our friends and colleagues. The second implication concerns those countless human beings across town and around the globe whom we cannot know intimately. They share in the same dignity of human nature that we do and, because of their personhood, have a claim on our respect and solidarity. The song the revolutionaries hear is “the music of the people who will not be slaves again.” We are challenged by the Incarnation to stand - in our economic, civic, and political lives - with those who are in anyway outcast, repressed, or enslaved and to strive to build an earthly city - even as we anticipate the heavenly one - truly worthy of human dignity.
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university collective Under the direction of Heather Barton-Weston, instructor of human performance, UIW’s Sustainability Committee successfully secured a $65,000 equipment grant in 2014 from San Antonio B-Cycle for one solar-powered, shared bike rack with seven data collecting cycles. The cycle station is set to be installed in late May. Dr. Holly Cassells, professor of nursing, and Dr. Laura Munoz, associate professor of nursing and director of the DNP program, recently received the Nightingale Nursing Excellence Award from the Medical Center Rotary Club as representatives from Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions at the Annual Nightingale Luncheon, Celebration of Nursing, on Sept. 27. On Nov. 19, the Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions celebrated Associate Professor Dr. Jennifer Cook’s legacy at UIW with a special reception in the nursing building. Cook retired from UIW after teaching and serving the university’s community for 25 years, but she will continue teaching as part-time faculty. Dr. William Thomann, professor of environmental science, who worked for the university since 1992, and Dr. Sara Kerr, professor of biology, who taught at UIW since 1993, retired in 30
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December. Through the fall and continuing into the spring, Dr. Ann David, assistant professor of teacher education, has been working with 60 math, science, and social studies teachers in Harlandale, South San Antonio, and Zapata Independent School Districts. The goal of the professional development initiative is to incorporate writing into classrooms as a way of increasing student engagement and learning, particularly for students learning English; this work is sponsored by the San Antonio and Central Texas Writing Projects and paid for by Write for Texas Grants from the Texas Education Agency. David also presented “Situating the Essay: Harnessing Students’ Histories to Teach into the Future” with co-presenter Katrina Jansky, doctoral candidate, University of Texas at Austin, at the Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts Annual Conference in Houston, Texas. The conference included 800 English language arts teachers from around the state and speakers from across the country. Dr. Jean Dols, associate professor in the Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions, presented “Using Data to Facilitate Multi-Hospital Reduction of Preventable Hospitalizations” at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing 2015 Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) Summit in Orlando, Fla., in January. Her poster “Data Analytics: Impact of Population Differences in the Area of
Preventable Hospitalizations” was accepted at the American Nursing Informatics Association in Philadelphia, Pa., in April. Cynthia Escamilla, general counsel, was awarded the 2014 Magna Stella Award for Solo General Counsel from the Texas General Counsel Forum at the Forum’s 16th Annual Conference of General Counsel. The Magna Stella Awards program recognizes in-house excellence in Texas corporations, organizations and government agencies. The finalists were nominated by peers and selected by a panel of independent judges. The forum is a community of 650 general counsel and selected senior managing counsel providing its members with networking and information exchange on best practices, leadership and management. She spoke and presented on Oct. 7 at the American Conference Institute’s Higher Education Law Summit
held in Chicago, Oct. 6-7. Her presentation topic was “Riding the Wave of the Future: Crafting Policies that Alleviate the Arduous Regulatory Burdens for Study Abroad Programs.” Escamilla has been appointed as a hearings officer for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) for a three year term. The role of a hearings officer is to preside over appeals hearings when an institution has appealed an adverse decision regarding the institution’s status of recognition, ruling on all procedural questions prior to, during, or following the hearing. Dr. Tina Lopez, associate professor of pharmacy, received a grant for $36,000 from the Walmart Foundation for UIW Interprofessional Health Fairs for the 2014-2015 academic year. She earned certification for Medication Therapy Management, San Antonio, Texas, in the summer of 2014.
After sixteen years, Dr. Barbara Aranda-Naranjo returns to UIW as the new associate provost for community engagement. She will carry on the work begun by Sr. Dorothy (Dot) Ettling, CCVI, and Monica Cruz in developing the Ettling Center for Civic Leadership (ECCL). Cruz, director of the ECCL, and Aranda-Naranjo will oversee the continued development of the center and other community engagement activities. Aranda-Naranjo earned an M.S.N. degree in 1988 from what was then Incarnate Word College and holds a doctorate in community health nursing from the University of Texas at Austin. Naranjo’s prior service at UIW includes two years as the director of Student Health Services and two years as the General Lillian Dunlap Endowed Chair in Nursing Research. For the past 16 years, she has held a variety of senior executive positions at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in Washington D.C. Most recently she served as the senior public health advisor at the Office of Global Health Affairs within HRSA. She brings extensive experience in community development and global initiatives. Her nephews Drs. Jeremy and Joshua Aranda are graduates of UIW’s Feik School of Pharmacy.
university collective Sponsored by the Office of the Provost, UIW Faculty Senate, and Mission and Ministry, the 2015 Faculty Award Reception was held on Jan. 7 in the McCombs Center Rosenberg Sky Room. Award recognitions were as follows: 2014-2015 Robert J. Connelly Faculty Leadership Award: • Dr. Bonnie McCormick, professor of biology 2014 UIW Nominee for the Piper Professor Award: • Dr. Sharon Herbers, associate professor of teacher education 2014 Mission Continues Awards Sr. Maria Goretti Zehr Award for Innovation: • Dr. Carolyn Majcher, senior clinical instructor of optometry Sr. Eleanor Ann Young Award for Truth: • Dr. Lourdes Fortepiani, assistant professor of optometry Sr. Margaret Rose Palmer Award for Education: • Amanda Rakowitz, instructor of mathematics Mother Columkille Colbert Award for Service: • Dr. Michael Forrest, associate professor of business administration Sr. St. Pierre Cinquin Award for Faith: • Dr. Donald Sikazwe, associate professor of pharmacy Dr. Gerald Mulvey, Atmospheric Science and Physics Department chair and assistant professor of meteorology, attended the 95th American Meteorological Society (AMS) Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Ariz., Jan. 4-8. This is the main annual meeting for U.S. meteorologists. Approximately 40 other
countries were also represented. The conference’s theme was “Fulfilling the Vision of Weather, Water, and Climate Information for Every Need, Time, and Place.” Prior to the conference, Mulvey completed the final meeting of the AMS/ NSF OEDG Climate Studies Diversity Project Workshop in Washington D.C. and was a participant in the workshop as part of a Texas delegation representing five educational institutions. At the conferences, he presented two posters: “Outcomes and Applications: Third AMS/NSF OEDG Climate Studies Diversity Project Workshop at University of the Incarnate Word,” Mulvey, G., (2015); and “Education of Broadcast Meteorologists,” Garcia, A., Mulvey, G, & MacDonald H., (2015). He also presented on “The Role of Weather Museums in Early Science Education,” Hasling, J. & Mulvey, G. Dr. Doshie Piper, assistant professor of criminal justice, had “The Life Course Perspective of Delinquency: An Empirical Analysis of Female Juvenile Offending from the National Youth Survey” published in the “Journal of Knowledge and Best Practices in Juvenile Justice and Psychology” (2014, Vol. 8, No. 1, 21-28). Dr. Raul RodriguezBarocio, Tom Benson chair in banking and finance, has been appointed chairman of the board of directors and chairman of the executive committee of the U.S.Mexico Foundation (USMF) in Washington D.C. Among
UIW President Dr. Louis Agnese was awarded an honorary degree for his leadership, entrepreneurship, and cooperation to benefit education in Korea by a Sister University in South Korea, Woosong University. He traveled to the city of Daejeon to receive the degree, a Doctorate in Business Admin- Agnese with Woosong’s Chairman istration, on Oct. 8. While he of the Board Dr. Kim Sung Kyung. was in Korea, he met with the president of the university and with the chairman of the board (owner). They brainstormed and found many similarities among UIW and Woosong that could lead to new initiatives in the near future. Some of these initiatives include the Culinary Arts program at UIW’s Mexico campus. the board members: former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo; former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Chairman of Kellogg Corp. Carlos Gutierrez; the Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Eduardo Tomás Medina-Mora Icaza; presidents of key Mexican corporations; leaders of corporations in the U.S. present in Mexico; and key Latino leaders such as Henry Cisneros and Jose Villarreal. USMF helped launch the Mexican-American Leadership Initiative (MALI), which consists of Mexican-American leaders from throughout the United States, committed to deepening the bi-national relationship. Rodriguez-Barocio’s chairmanship helps establish a link between USMF’s Mexican American Leadership Initiative and UIW’s Ettling Center for Civic Leadership. On Sept. 25, at the Texas Physical Therapy Association (TPTA) Central District Meeting, Dr. Robert Sandoval, assistant professor of physical therapy, was elected chair elect of the TPTA Central District, and Dr. Jaime Gonzalez, assistant professor of physical therapy, secretary elect. They will serve with the current
chair and secretary for the next six months before serving a two-year term as chair and secretary of the TPTA Central District. Dr. Amy Witte, associate professor of pharmacy, presented “Diabetes Update: What’s New in 2014” at the Central Texas Society of Health-System Pharmacists meeting in San Antonio, Texas, on Oct. 25. She served as an instructor for the APhA Immunization Certificate Training course for Lebanese American University students on Feik School of Pharmacy (FSOP) rotations, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, Sept. 29-30. Witte was recognized by the U.S. government as a certified expert witness on pharmacy practice-related matters, with a successful outcome in a DEA case based almost entirely on Witte’s testimony, in October.
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UPCOMING
EVENTS ALUMNI EVENTS Information & registration for all alumni events can be found at the Cardinal’s Nest at www.uiwalumni.org Important alumni dates for Spring 2015
UPCOMING EVENTS • UIW Tech Fair, Wednesday, April 1, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., Marian Hall Ballroom • Cutting EdgeTM Fiesta® Fashion Show, Tuesday, April 14 , 6 p.m., Tobin Center for the Performing Arts • 29th Annual Alamo Heights Night®, Friday, April 17, 5:30- 11:30 p.m., UIW campus • “Throwback to the 80s” Swing-In Auction Party, Thursday, April 30, 6:30 p.m., McCombs Center Rosenberg Sky Room • “Throwback to the 80s” Swing-In Golf Tournament, Friday, May 1, tee times at 7:30 a.m. & 1 p.m., Republic Golf Course • Spring Commencement Dates: Baccalaureate Mass, Saturday, May 2, 5 p.m., Alice P. McDermott Convocation Center, Tickets are not required for admission Pharmacy Candidates, Friday, May 8, 6:30 p.m., Alice P. McDermott Convocation Center, Admission by ticket only Optometry Candidates, Saturday, May 9, 10 a.m., Alice P. McDermott Convocation Center, Admission by ticket only Physical Therapy Candidates, Saturday, May 9, 2 p.m., Alice P. McDermott Convocation Center, Admission by ticket only Ph.D., Graduate and Undergraduate Candidates, Saturday, May 9, 6 p.m., Joe and Harry Freeman Coliseum, Admission by ticket only • San Antonio International Piano Series Concert, Naoko Takao in concert, Saturday, May 9, 8 p.m., Ingrid Seddon Recital Hall
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THE WORD | SPRING 2015
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March 20: Alumni Spurs game vs. Celtics, 5:30 p.m. March 28: 5th Annual Easter Egg Hunt April 17: Alumni & Parent mixer before Alamo Heights Night (AHN) April 15: “Annie” at the Majestic, 6 p.m. May 12: “Newsies” at the Majestic, 6 p.m. May 14: Mixer for Physical Therapy alumni May 21: Lion and Rose Double Decker Bus June 9: “Mama Mia” at the Majestic, 6 p.m.
Update your email with the alumni office! Have you missed a few alumni events recently and wish you had known about them? If so, please update your contact on the Cardinal’s Nest at www.uiwalumni.org You can login for the first time by clicking on ‘first time login,’ finding your last name and then entering your old student ID number. If you don’t remember it, call us at (210) 829-6014 and we can help get you signed in.
Board member euphoric about helping students achieve dreams By Summer Chandler
W
hile it may be said often, it is no less true: helping others rewards the giver as much as the recipient. That reward is what has kept UIW Board of Trustees member J. Scott Beckendorf involved with UIW’s Development Board for 19 years. “I think it just does good for the person who solicits funds for other people, soliciting for someone other than yourself,” Beckendorf said. “I think there is some sort of energy, a kind of emotional, physical and spiritual reward. You get this euphoria knowing that the work you’ve done has helped someone else.” Beckendorf has found several ways to chase that positive feeling through volunteer work. But with all the philanthropic efforts available, why has he chosen to raise money for UIW? “I enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that the work I do for the school is helping someone get a higher education,” Beckendorf said. One of his favorite events each year is Swing-In, the annual auction party and golf tournament. “The impetus behind Swing-In – and other events that the Development Board is involved in – is scholarships. Scholarships help students pay for their education. When a student receives help and graduates, they don’t have this huge debt hanging over their heads,” Beckendorf said. At a Development Board meeting in November, a scholarship was named in honor of Beckendorf and his wife, Karin, awarding five students $2000 each toward their education. But he admits his reason for enjoying Swing-In so much isn’t entirely altruistic. “The event itself is just a lot of fun. I’ve been involved in the Development Board and Swing-In for 19 years and it has evolved into a very fun event. Those who attend one year always want to come back the next year,” Beckendorf said.
Karin & J. Scott Beckendorf Scholarship recipient UIW freshman Lauren Pape.
Karin and Scott Beckendorf pose for a photo at the 2013 Swing-In Auction Party. Don’t ask him to pick a favorite between the auction party and the golf tournament, though. “I enjoy both equally. I think the auction party is a great time for me and my wife and my friends and colleagues to get together and support the university. Now, I have to say I do enjoy the golf tournament quite a lot too. The golf course is just one of the most beautiful places to be: everything is so beautiful, every blade of grass is in its place.” Those interested in attending the 38th Annual Swing-In Auction Party can call (210) 829-6013 for more information or visit www. uiw.edu/swingin/. More information is also available on the event’s Facebook page at: facebook.com/uiwswingin. This year’s totally awesome “Throwback to the 80s” Swing-In Auction Party is scheduled for Thursday, April 30, at 6:30 p.m., in the McCombs Center Rosenberg Sky Room, with the Golf Tournament kicking off Friday, May 1, with tee times at 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., at the Republic Golf Course. Be there or be square! All proceeds from this two-day event go towards student scholarships at UIW.
University of the Incarnate Word 4301 Broadway San Antonio, Texas 78209
The 2015
TUESDAY, APRIL 14 Doors open: 6 p.m. Show starts: 7 p.m.
Tobin Center for the Performing Arts 100 Auditorium Circle San Antonio, TX 78205 Tickets from $25 – $125 For tickets call (210) 223-8624 or visit www.tobincenter.org/box-office/2015-04/ cutting-edge-fiesta-fashion-show
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