Welcome
Dear Faculty,
We are now well into the new year academic year. I thank you for getting our Cardinals off to a strong start and for all that you do to not only instruct, inform and impart knowledge but also to form our students in Mission and our core values. I often share with you that I recognize that the formation and transformation that we promise is fulfilled largely by your efforts, and this contributes greatly to our sense of culture and community.
During our initial weeks, I met many incoming students of many different programs and schools who were only too happy to share with me why they chose UIW. No matter their aspirations for their future paths – be they health professions, business, education, humanities, the sciences, design or any other vocation – they felt that UIW was the best place to embark. Here, they are seen, valued and belong. Thank you for your support in making our university the right university for thousands of Cardinals. I am proud to share with you that this year, we welcomed 1,080 new, first-time-in-college Cardinals, setting an enrollment record for this student group. They (and I) look forward to all that lies ahead for them.
Strategic Planning
As I shared in my communication to the community in May, important progress is being made toward our Strategic Planning. In the spring, I directed John Bury, Vice President of Strategy and Enrollment, and Michael Larkin, Chief of Staff, to lead a Strategic Planning Task Force, which will identify critical opportunities that will make UIW even more distinctive and a greater draw for students seeking transformative, Catholic education. Members represent a broad representation of our faculty and leadership.
John Bury (Co-chair), Vice President for Strategy and Enrollment
Michael Larkin (Co-chair), Chief of Staff
Dr. Michael Moon, Professor, Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions, President, Faculty Senate (2025-2027)
Dr. Adeola Coker, Assistant Dean, Professor and Chair, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Feik School of Pharmacy
Dr. Chunling Niu, Assistant Professor, Dreeben School of Education
Dr. Chris Edelman, Professor and Chair, Philosophy, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Dr. Lori Kels, Chair, Clinical Sciences, Professor, Psychiatry, UIW School of Osteopathic Medicine
Dr. Jeannie Scott, Dean, H-E-B School of Business and Administration
Sr. Walter Maher, CCVI, Vice President for Mission and Ministry
Marcos Fragoso, Vice President for International Affairs
Dr. Eva Fernández, Provost
Lenora Chapman, CFO and Vice President for Finance and Administration
When I addressed you at the Fall Faculty Forum, I asked task force members to stand and noted that their work would be inclusive. This fall, the Task Force formed three subcommittees devoted to articulating critical initiatives and metrics toward embodying three key areas outlined in my 2024 Presidential Position Paper. Their efforts will inform the coming Strategic Plan: 2031 that will lead us to our sesquicentennial.
Strategic Planning Task Force Subcommittees (as of Sept. 17, 2025)
Increasing Enrollment & Student Success
Dr. Jeannie Scott (Co-chair), Dean, H-E-B School of Business and Administration
Dr. Chris Edelman (Co-chair), Professor and Chair, Philosophy, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Dr. Leah Alviar, Associate Dean of Administration, School of Professional Studies
Santiago Arteaga, Intern, Student Government Association
Dr. Monica Ayala Jimenez, Associate Provost for Student Success
Eric Booth, Dean of Campus Life
Dr. Laura Cannon, Associate Professor, History, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences and Faculty Athletics Representative
Amy DeStefano, Director, International Admissions and Recruitment
Dr. Brandy Finck, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management & Student Experience
Tila Jernigan, Senior Director, Military and Veterans Affairs
Dr. Erlinda Lopez-Rodriguez, Associate Professor, Chair, Human Performance, Director, Community Health Education and Nuclear Medicine Programs, Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions
Dr. Elda Martinez, Director, Teacher Education Department and Professor, Dreeben School of Education
Dr. Tanja Stampfl, Professor, English, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Mission-Integrated Research & Scholarship
Sr. Walter Maher, CCVI (Co-chair), Vice President for Mission and Ministry
Dr. Chunling Niu (Co-chair), Assistant Professor, Dreeben School of Education
Dr. Heather Barton-Weston, Associate Professor, Community Health Education, Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions
Kathleen Bottaro, Assistant Provost for Teaching, Learning, and Technology
Dr. Arturo Chavez, Associate Vice President, Mission & Ministry
Dr. Taylor Collins, Associate Professor and Chair, Economics, Management, MIS and General Business, H-E-B School of Business and Administration
Dr. Michael Frye, Professor, Engineering, School of Mathematics, Science and Engineering
Yesenia Mazuka Mendez, Treasurer, Student Government Association
Laura Moran, Director, Digital Transformation and Innovation
Dr. Mark Nijland, Dean, Research and Graduate Studies
Teofilo Reyes, Jr., Assistant Director, Leadership & Global Engagement, Ettling Center for Civic Leadership & Sustainability
Susan (Margaret) Rios, Manager, Grants Accounting
Becoming a More Seamless System
Marcos Fragoso (Co-chair), Vice President for International Affairs
Dr. Adeola Coker (Co-chair), Assistant Dean, Professor and Chair, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Feik School of Pharmacy
Cristen Alicea, Director, Financial Assistance
Yanina Cruz Salas, Director, Communication and Marketing Latin America Region
Robert Leonard, Associate Vice President of Business and Finance and Comptroller
Dr. Jose Moreno, Chair and Professor, Finance, Marketing and International Business, H-E-B School of Business and Administration
Patricia Ramirez, Principal, St. Anthony Catholic High School and Director, Brainpower Connection
Marissa Rodriguez, Director, Presidential Communications and "One Word" Strategic Priority Champion
Ben Rueger, Chief Information Officer and Vice President, Innovation and Technology
Dr. Kyle A. Sandberg, Assistant Dean for Professional Advancement and Associate Professor, Rosenberg School of Optometry
Tyler Simmons, President, Student Government Association
Dr. Suleyman Tek, Chair and Professor, Mathematics, School of Mathematics, Science and Engineering
Leanna Walker, Director, Academic Affairs, School of Professional Studies
Dr. Adam Watkins, Dean, School of Media and Design
Meet the Board
The UIW Board of Trustees welcomed new members at its June meeting. The full list of UIW Trustees can be found on the board website.
New Members:
Anthony Bradley
Group Vice President, Gartner
Committee: Academic Affairs
Dr. John C. Browning
President, Texas Dermatology
Committee: Academic Affairs
Jenny Carnes
President and CEO, San Antonio Sports
Committee: Academic Affairs
Dr. Michael Moon
Professor, Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions and President, Faculty Senate
Committee: Academic Affairs
Tyler J. Simmons
President, Student Government Association
Committee: Mission
Major General (Ret.) Robert Whittle, Jr.
Senior Vice President, Military Affairs, USAA
Committee: Academic Affairs
Strategic Priority Update
We have come to the final year of our 2017 Strategic Plan. Throughout the academic year, champions tasked with overseeing progress toward their priority will be providing final updates to me and the President’s Executive Committee.
Priority Spotlight: Brand and promote programs in ways that strengthen us as One Word, improving our reputational standing
In June, “One Word” Strategic Priority Champion, Marissa Rodriguez, who serves as Director of Presidential Communications, presented a progress update to the President’s Executive Committee. The re-invigorated Strategic Priority Committee met in the spring to evaluate our community’s understanding of the spirit of the priority, examine previous successes and consider new opportunities to strengthen us further as One Word.
Since establishing this strategic priority, significant work has been done across the university to promote the adoption of the language and concept of One Word, strengthen our brand to present a uniform look and feel to the world, and reach across programs and campuses to tell one another’s stories. While these efforts will continue, the committee has identified several key areas guided by the principles of invitation, encounter and storytelling.
Raising Awareness and Growing Understanding of our Global System: Through a multi-channel approach, dedicated communications efforts will strive to be more inclusive of the diversity and dynamism of our complex system. As UIW continues to grow and change, it is increasingly critical to continue to re-introduce ourselves to one another, to welcome one another in and to ensure that all who make up our community are well aware of the programs and people who compose it.
Developing a U.S.-Mexico Communications Strategy: In keeping with the above goal, the committee is working to shape a shared messaging approach across communications efforts in UIW’s U.S. and Mexico locations to increase visibility mutually, and support branding, enrollment communications and institutional positioning. This is inclusive of increased and more frequent cross-campus storytelling, select leadership communications distributed in English and Spanish, and synergistic messaging.
Promoting the Word as much as the One: A renewed focus on Mission storytelling supports the goal to emphasize what fundamentally unites us. At UIW, this is our Mission rooted in the charism of our founders, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. By sharing expressions of Mission across campuses, programs and functions, we discover more about how our community encounters Mission.
Mark Your Calendars
Heritage Day
October 7, 2025, Chapel of the Incarnate Word
Join your fellow faculty and staff as we celebrate our shared heritage and honor the colleagues who are marking a milestone year in their service to our university. A reception will follow in the Student Engagement Center Joeris Ballroom.
Invite the President
Our campuses are always bustling with events and celebrations. If you wish to extend an invitation to attend your galas, symposia, lectures or more, please fill out the form linked below. I make every attempt to attend as many events as possible. While I regrettably cannot attend all, I would love to show my support to every endeavor that I can.
Event Request Form