President shares vision for UIW's future
By Myra Bell
LOGOS STAFF WRITER
Dr. Thomas M. Evans, president of the University of the Incarnate Word, envisions a future at the university that serves students better and includes new centers of research.
“A strategic plan helps ensure that we focus on creating the kind of change that will help us serve our students better, will support and elevate the university and will help us better serve our Mission,” Evans told the Logos in an exclusive interview.
Evans shared his vision in a presidential position paper released earlier this spring: “Embodying the Mission in a New Era: Inviting Collaboration, Serving Students Better and Working Together to Ignite the Potential of our Global System.” The paper offers his insights into his vision for the future of UIW as work begins on developing the next strategic plan.
“Typically, strategic plans span five to seven years,” Evans said. “With the 150th anniversary of our founding a short seven years away, it was ideal for us to launch this process now. With the Mission as our guiding purpose, we begin the process of crafting a strategic plan that can further distinguish our university as a leading provider of transformational, Catholic education that readies students to be the ‘Word’ in the world. At the same time, it should address the very real challenges facing higher education today and make the most of the incredible opportunities that lie in working synergistically across our global system of schools and colleges.”
A key element in the plan, Evans said, is finding more ways for the university’s various operations to collaborate to create more possibilities for students to work alongside faculty on unique opportunities for firsthand experiences
“The process of developing our next strategic plan is taking place right now and is getting input and feedback from people all across our system,” Evans said. “We need to hear from many voices and learn from multiple perspectives to create a strong plan that brings us together in purpose.”
The foundation UIW has set in the Catholic faith along with Catholic social learning and social justice puts the university in a good place to pursue research that contributes to the greater good, Evans said.
“It is deeply important to me and to the strength of our institution that we are always growing, innovating and evolving in ways that engage them in ways that they find most meaningful, meet students where they are, and support our students along their UIW journeys so that (students) can succeed through to graduation and beyond. I believe that is only accomplished when we look beyond the brick-and-mortar of what UIW is and concentrate on the Mission of what we strive to be. I am looking forward to the feedback we receive from our community and what we will accomplish together.”
FYI
See Dr. Thomas M. Evans’ position paper at https://www.uiw.edu/president/_docs/uiw-presidential-position-paper-2-19-2024.pdf