President's Faculty Newsletter: November 2024

Welcome

As we near the end of our fall semester and we enter the season of thanks, I find myself reflecting on the successes and challenges of the year. I consider the many ways in which the faculty are breaking new grounds of scholarship and expanding perspectives and how our students are growing as a result. In these last few weeks alone, I learned of the origins of new work taking place on traumatic brain injuries, of an undergraduate student receiving a full scholarship to law school and of a health professions student finding her home in our community. Every account reminds me of all that is possible when we lean into who we are and examine possibilities through the lens of Mission. I am grateful to all who do this work every day and contribute to the success of our Cardinals.

Leadership Searches

We continue making progress toward our national searches underway for three vice president positions: Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, CIO and Vice President of Innovation and Technology, and CFO and Vice President of Finance and Administrative Affairs.

Progress

• September: I shared with you the formation of dedicated search committees chaired by Michael Larkin, Chief of Staff. Listings of committee members are below. September also saw the first gathering of the CIO search committee on September 24th and their collaboration with Next Generation Partners, a firm dedicated to placing leaders in technology and that specializes in CIO searches in higher education.
• October: The Provost committee gathered on October 23rd and began their work with WittKeiffer, an executive search firm specializing in healthcare, life sciences and education. Listening sessions were held with several constituencies. The Provost position profile was posted and applications will be accepted through early January.
• November: Listening sessions held for students, faculty, staff and leadership regarding the CIO position and the CFO position. CIO applications are being accepted and reviewed by the Search Committee on November 19th. Provost leadership profile was finalized, position was posted and applications will be accepted through early January. The CFO committee convenes this month on November 22nd. Please check The Word Today for listening session information.
• December: Application vetting continues. The CIO search committee will interview first round of candidates on multiple dates during December.
• January: The Provost search committee will reconvene again mid-month and prepare for candidate selection in February. 
• Spring 2025: Final candidates identified for all positions and invited for campus visits.
• Fall 2025: All positions filled

Leadership Profiles

The Provost and CIO positions have been posted and are now accepting applications. In keeping with the timeline of the CFO search committee work, the CFO position will be finalized near the end of the calendar year. It will be shared with the community in The Word Today.

Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs

CIO and Vice President for Innovation and Technology

Search Committees

As we shared in September’s edition of the Faculty Newsletter, search committees are made up of deans, faculty, UIW Trustees, and representatives from the offices of Mission & Ministry, International Affairs and Human Resources. See below for a full list of committee members.

Online Programs Update

As you were made aware earlier this semester, Jonathan Lovejoy, senior director of Military and Veterans Affairs, has stepped in to serve as interim dean of our School of Professional Studies (SPS). This change comes at a critical time for SPS, which serves as a vital part of our global system and is the academic home for hundreds of our military-connected students. It also opens our doors to students who would be served well by the Mission and our approach to Catholic education in modalities outside of the traditional university experience.

While its role remains deeply significant for UIW, SPS has experienced a decline in enrollment over several years. This, in addition to the changing landscape of adult completion education, professional education and online higher education offerings, has required a comprehensive review of our online portfolio of programs.

This fall, I asked Travis Allen, a skilled leader in online learning, to conduct a comprehensive review of the current practices, processes and overall performance of SPS and Global Online. Over two days in October, Travis met with leaders across the organization to assess marketing efforts, admissions, student support and program competitiveness.

The goal is to identify critical opportunities for improvement and this evaluation is the first step toward its achievement. Travis will be preparing an update for the Board of Trustees at its December 13^th meeting.  His final report is expected to be delivered to me in late December.

Strategic Priorities Update

New Champions

This semester, we welcomed new leaders to serve as champions for our Strategic Priority teams. Margaret Garcia, associate vice president for Communications and Brand Marketing is now the champion for our priority focusing on “creating opportunities with other CCVI sponsored ministries that will strengthen personal and professional bonds among our fellow ministries.” This position was previously held by Cindy Escamilla, our former general counsel and vice president for Legal Affairs, who retired earlier this year.

Prior to serving as a champion for this priority, Margaret led the Strategic Priority devoted to “branding and promoting programs in ways that strengthen us as One Word, improving reputational standing.” This priority is now championed by Ashley Davis, assistant director of the Office of Communications and Brand Marketing. 

Phil Lopes, associate vice president for Planning and Campus Management Facilities, and Vahid Shariat, interim CIO, have replaced Neil Schroeder and Dr. Darrell Haydon as co-champions for the priority devoted to "improving UIW's infrastructure of facilities, staffing levels, and business processes." They will be reporting to the PEC, or President’s Executive Council (formerly named the President’s Advisory Council, which was re-named with no change in membership or scope, but to be consistent with the Faculty Handbook) in December.

Finally, Interim Provost Dr. Dimitri Tamalis now champions the priority focused on "uniting UIW programs with pathways that begin in our Brainpower Connection schools and continue through graduate and professional degrees," formerly overseen by Dr. Caroline Goulet. Dr. Tamalis will also present to PEC in December.

Spotlight: Premiere Provider of Education to the Military

Championed by Jonathan Lovejoy, senior director for Military and Veterans Affairs and interim dean of the School of Professional Studies, the Strategic Priority devoted to ensuring we serve military, veteran and military-connected students, continues to make strides.

Approximately 21 percent of students enrolled in U.S.-based programs are military-connected (more than 1,500 students). The work of the committee is to ensure they are not only well-supported academically and comprehensively, as our Mission directs. UIW’s Military and Veterans Center offers a military student lounge, many events to foster engagement, and school certifying officials to help them navigate their journeys at UIW.

Work also continues toward building partnerships between UIW that benefit military-connected students and open doors for more. With the Army Medical Center of Excellence, we are establishing a new Rad Tech program partnership. With U.S. Army Chaplain Corps at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, a residency for chaplains pursuing a Clinical Pastoral Education certification was launched. And, UIW is establishing offices on three military bases.

As a result of their work and our overall commitment to our military-connected students, UIW was again named the No. 1 university by the Military Times in their Best for Vets annual rankings. Congratulations to all!

Serving Military and Veteran Students

I am deeply proud of our commitment to serving military, veteran and military-connected students, and to doing so well. That commitment is demonstrated across our campuses, classrooms and online learning spaces in a multitude of ways. I share my gratitude to you, our faculty, for supporting our military-connected students and helping them successfully navigate their academic journeys. This week in the San Antonio Express-News, I published my thoughts on the honor and responsibility we have as institutions of higher education to military students. I am delighted to share it with you here and hope you enjoy.

Read More

Strategic Planning Update

Last year, we began the initial phases of work toward our next Strategic Plan that will guide our institutional direction toward our 150th anniversary in 2031. I want to thank everyone who participated in our listening sessions over the spring and summer of 2024, as well as everyone who read and commented on my position paper, currently available on the Strategic Plan: 2031 website.

We are pausing the assessment phase until fall when the new Provost, CFO, and CIO have begun their tenures so that they may have input on the developing direction of the plan and on the Strategic Priorities. I will share next steps and updates in fall 2025.

Faculty Lounge Update

I hope you have had the opportunity to visit and enjoy the new Faculty Lounge in the Mabee Library’s first floor on the Broadway Campus. It is now open, fully furnished and ready for use. The lounge is open to all UIW faculty regardless of your principal campus and is designed to be a dedicated space where resident and visiting faculty may gather, discuss and engage with one another.

We will gather to bless the space and dedicate it to our faculty, through whom the promise of our Mission is fulfilled at a date yet to be determined.

Save the Date

Employee Christmas Reception

December 6, 2024 3 -3 p.m., McCombs Center Rosenberg Sky Room

All UIW employees are invited to the annual Christmas Reception hosted by the Office of Human Resources. Enjoy an afternoon filled with music, photo opportunities, cash prizes, delicious hors d'oeuvres, desserts and time to connect and spread holiday cheer with colleagues. Check your email for event details and RSVP information. 

Invite the President

Help me mark my calendar with your special events. 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