Recently, five University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) students majoring in English and Teacher Education were led by Ann David, PhD, professor of Teacher Education, to volunteer at the Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts (TCTELA) 2026 Annual Conference in Round Rock, Texas.
In April 2025, the Teacher Education program was approved to offer a full-year Teacher Residency as part of an enhanced certification residency pathway. The residency allows UIW Teacher Education students to be paired with experienced teachers from Northwood Elementary to be mentored for a complete academic year. The residency’s first cohort of participating students began in August of 2025 for the 2025-2026 school year. In May 2026, cohort members Kaitlyn Weightman and Hope Fuschetto will be the first UIW students to complete the program and graduate.
Michelle Casares, a doctoral candidate in the Dreeben School of Education at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), traveled to Brazil to present her research at the combined inaugural International Conference on Social Technologies of Memory and the 12th International Digital Storytelling Conference.
Last year, UIW announced the Dreeben School of Education’s recognition as a Charles Butt Foundation partner program. This year, the second cohort of Charles Butt Scholars is comprised of eight students, including three returning students and five new scholars.
Dr. Ann David, associate professor of Teacher Education for the UIW Dreeben School of Education, and her colleagues with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) have recently published a research collection titled The Impacts of Censorship, Volume 1: Research on the Intersection of Censorship and Teaching English.
The UIW Dreeben School of Education prepares future educators to make a positive impact on the students they will serve. To be a teacher is more than enriching young minds with knowledge, though. It also means rising as a trusted leader who will advocate for students and their needs in order for them to be successful.
Faculty and students of the UIW Dreeben School of Education (DSE) represented the University at the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) 2025 Annual Conference in Reno, Nevada. The AAACE’s mission is to provide leadership for the field of adult and continued education by expanding opportunities in alignment with the belief that lifelong learning contributes to human fulfillment and positive social change (AAACE.org).
Dr. Ashley Love, director of Graduate Studies at the Dreeben School of Education, was recognized as one of 12 award winners at The Social Learning Innovator Awards 2024 hosted by Hypothesis.
Two students in the UIW Dreeben School of Education’s Adult Education, Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship PhD program, Michelle Casares Vasquez and Ciji Couvertier, traveled to Zakynthos, Greece this semester to present their research at the inaugural International Digital Storytelling Festival.
UIW’s core value of education is one passed down to students on their journeys of becoming “concerned and enlightened citizens within the global community.” UIW Ph.D. graduate, Alyssa Cortes-Kennedy, and current doctoral candidate, Melinda Jimenez-Perez, recently demonstrated this Mission in action through their work to make a positive impact in the field of education.
UIW’s Dreeben School of Education (DSE) has announced Dr. Ashley S. Love as its next Director of Graduate Studies. Dr. Love is a multi-disciplinary professional with a deep commitment to interdisciplinary learning and a passion for empowering diverse communities. With a teaching journey that spans over two decades in higher education, she is an award-winning professor who holds multiple degrees from Columbia University and a Doctor of Health Sciences degree from Nova Southeastern University, where she pursued a dual concentration in telehealth and education for healthcare professionals. Dr. Love's educational background reflects her unwavering pursuit of excellence, her belief in the transformative power of education and her strong spirit of service.
Dr. Lisa R. Brown, assistant professor in the Dreeben School of Education (DSE), was named a Freedom Scholar Award recipient by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). The association, which was established in 1915 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, known as the Father of Black History, is the founding organization of Black History Month and strives to continue the work and legacy of Dr. Woodson.
Members of the UIW Dreeben School of Education attended the 22nd Annual Region 5 Texas National Association of Multicultural Education (TXNAME) Conference in Waco, Texas on Saturday, May 20. Dr. Sandra Guzman Foster, UIW’s director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, also attended the conference. NAME is a non-profit organization that advances and advocates for equity and social justice through multicultural education.
UIW is proud to announce that Dr. Alfredo Ortiz Aragón has been named the 2023-24 Moody Professor. The award was announced during the annual Faculty Appreciation Luncheon held on April 3, 2023. In addition, Dr. Elda Martinez was also presented as this year’s Minnie Stevens Piper Award Nominee among many other honors that were announced that day.
Dr. Lucretia Fraga, associate professor of Teacher Education in the Dreeben School of Education (DSE), has been selected as a 2023 AI Explorations for Education Preparation Programs (EPPs) Faculty Fellow. Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is the simulation of human intelligence by machines, most often computer systems.
After presenting at the Learning Ideas Conference, an annual event dedicated to exploring the uses of technology to improve education and workplace learning, select conference participants were invited to submit an article to the International Journal of Advanced Corporate Learning (iJAC). One such participant was Dr. Lisa Brown, assistant professor in the UIW Dreeben School of Education (DSE).
Dr. Sandra Guzman Foster (associate professor in the Dreeben School of Education (DSE) Graduate Studies Department), and three DSE students examined how their experiences outside of school were impacting their learning inside of the classroom.
Dr. Denise Staudt, dean of the Dreeben School of Education (DSE), was named the Ben E. Coody Distinguished Service Award recipient at the 2022 Consortium of State Organizations for Texas Teacher Education (CSOTTE) Teacher Education Conference. This award honors individuals who have given the same level of professional contributions to teacher education in Texas as did Coody. Coody served as the last president of the Texas Association for Student Teaching before the association became the Texas Association of Teacher Educators in 1971.
Micah Hunter admits it has taken a little while to get used to her new job as a first-year teacher of fourth graders at Woodlawn Academy in the San Antonio Independent School District, but it hasn’t take her long to reach new heights. Earlier this year, the Texas Directors of Field Experience recognized Hunter as the 2021-2022 Texas Clinical Teacher of the Year.
The University of the Incarnate Word Teacher Education program, housed in the Dreeben School of Education (DSE), has been awarded full seven-year accreditation status by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP).
Dr. Grace Gutierrez, visiting professor of Graduate Studies in the Dreeben School of Education, has been named a fellow in the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo for the 2022-2023 academic year.
In the Spring 2022 semester, Dr. Deepti Kharod, assistant professor of Education in the Dreeben School of Education (DSE), along with students from UIW's chapter of Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), an international education honor society, participated in a unique book drive focused on cultural representation for students at Northside ISD's Dr. Martha Mead Elementary School. Because of this initiative, the UIW Alpha Kappa Omega (AKO) chapter, was recently awarded Kappa Delta Pi's 2022 Chapter Programming Award for Community Service.
Dr. Lisa Brown, assistant professor in Adult Education in the UIW Dreeben School of Education, along with Organizational Leadership and Evaluation Ph.D. candidates Pam McCray and Jeff Neal, recently presented at the Learning Ideas Conference held at Columbia University Teacher’s College. Their article, “Creating Affective Collaborative Adult Teams and Groups Guided by Spiral Dynamic Theory,” will be published as a book/eBook in the Springer Publishing series "Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems."
The teaching partnership between the University of the Incarnate Word and Medio Creek Elementary School has never been stronger. The students from UIW’s teacher education program spend time shadowing established teachers at Medio Creek and learning from them just as their students do. Many of these teachers and administrators are UIW alumni.
Academic highlights from the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, as well as the Dreeben School of Education.
Dr. Stephanie Grote-Garcia, professor of Teacher Education in the Dreeben School of Education, will present at the 22nd European Conference on Literacy in Dublin, Ireland this summer. The conference, planned for July 4-6, brings together scholars and educators to discuss literacy teaching and research.
Lisa Brown, PhD, assistant professor of Graduate Studies Education in the Dreeben School of Education, along with Jeff Neal and Pamela McCray, doctoral students in the program, will co-present at The Learning Ideas Conference 2022 this June in New York.
When Cameron Preston, a Kinesiology and Education major with an anticipated graduation date of May ’23, decided to attend UIW, it was to play football. He did not know much about the University, but after visiting campus, he knew this is where he wanted to be.
Each spring, the University of the Incarnate Word community comes together as “One Word” to work towards “One Goal” – raising funds to support current and future UIW students. UIW’s fourth annual Day of Giving, known as “One Word. One Goal.,” will be celebrated for 1881 minutes, in honor of the University’s founding year, during Incarnate Word Week beginning March 23.
Sandra Guzman Foster, PhD, associate professor in the Graduate Studies Program at the University of the Incarnate Word Dreeben School of Education, has been selected for the Outstanding Teaching Award, Postsecondary by the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME). She will be recognized at the organization’s virtual conference on April 29-20. Guzman Foster was nominated by two separate parties, a cohort of her students and a group of her peers across the state.
Wynette Keller, director of TRiO Student Support Services at the University of the Incarnate Word, was recognized by the Texas TRiO Association with a 20 Year Service Award at the organization’s conference. We caught up with Keller to discuss how rewarding her work is and how it aligns with the Mission of UIW.
Dr. Ann D. David, associate professor of Teacher Education at the Dreeben School of Education, was named the 2022 University Teacher of the Year by the Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts (TCTELA). She will receive the award at the 57th TCTELA Annual Conference in Galveston, Texas, on Feb. 18-20.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the University of the Incarnate Word Faculty Senate and University Mission and Ministry, faculty across UIW were honored with the 2022 Faculty Awards in January.
Dr. Ashley S. Love, associate professor of Education in the Graduate Studies Program at the Dreeben School of Education, has been elected to the 2022-2023 Board of Trustees at the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). She will be inducted at the 73rd Annual SOPHE Digital Conference taking place March 22-25.
Ashley De La O fondly remembers her time at Medio Creek Elementary during her final semester at UIW. De La O had the opportunity to do her clinical teaching with third graders cooperatively with UIW alumna Joanna Fuchs Carreon, BS ’11.
Brother Patrick Tumwine, CSC, is a Ph.D. student in Education at UIW. He brings a rich background to the program, having been a teacher and principal at Holy Cross schools in his native Uganda. But focusing on classes does not keep him too busy to serve. Just the opposite, it has given him a heart to serve both in Uganda and in San Antonio through the Young Women’s Global Leadership program.
Dr. Norman St. Clair, professor and director of Graduate Studies, and Dr. Deborah Poole, alumna, co-published “Exploring and Developing a Comprehensive Teaching Model for Graduate Ethics,” in Teaching Ethics at The Society for Ethics Across the Curriculum. The journal is dedicated to ethical issues across the curriculum with particular attention to pedagogical methodology and practice in both academic inquiry and professional practice.
Sandra Guzman-Foster, PhD, associate professor of Education, and Sr. Martha Ann Kirk, ThD, professor emeritus of Religious Studies, co-presented “What Makes for a Compassionate City” at the 8th Parliament of the World’s Religions Conference with Mayor Ron Nirenberg, Rev. Ann Helmke of the City Faith-Based Office, and Andrew Hill, JD, associate professor of Philosophy at St. Philip's College. This year’s theme was “Opening our Hearts to the World: Compassion in Action.”
Dr. Denise Staudt, dean of the Dreeben School of Education, was named the Joyce Hardin Service Award recipient by the Texas Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (TACTE) at the Consortium of State Organizations for Teacher Education’s annual Fall Teacher Education Conference. The Joyce Hardin Service Award is presented annually for outstanding service to TACTE and the education profession.
UIW is proud to host the Dreeben School of Education’s UIW Teacher Network: Professional Development Workshop Series.
It was smiles and tears that came much more easily than words to Yesenia Covarrubias. The first-year teacher at Walzem Elementary in the Northeast Independent School District was greeted with a surprise celebration on the morning of Wednesday, September 22, 2021 after being named the 2020-21 Texas Clinical Teacher of the Year. Covarrubias, who graduated from the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) in May of 2021, was celebrated in her classroom for the achievement.
The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) is proud to announce that Dr. Denise Staudt, dean of the Dreeben School of Education, has been named an Impact Academy fellow for the Deans for Impact organization.
The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) is proud to announce it has received a major grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
