University of the Incarnate Word history

In 1893, the Sisters established Incarnate Word School on Government Hill in San Antonio.

In 1900, the Academy of the Incarnate Word, which had been established first in an area of San Antonio called Government Hill, was moved to the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word in Alamo Heights.

In 1910, IWC released an official advertisement of its programs consisting of three, four-year degree programs, including a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Literature and Bachelor of Arts, which offered the college’s first business-focused courses.

As early as 1929, Incarnate Word College began accepting graduates of hospital training programs who wanted to become teachers.

In 1941, students began receiving training to teach Christian doctrine to children who could not afford a formal Catholic school education.

During Mother Columkille’s long tenure, she worked to expand the college’s Fine Arts area—constructing the Genevieve Tarlton Dougherty Fine Arts Center in 1963.

In 1971, UIW became fully coeducational and began offering on campus housing for men.

Doctor Peter D. O’Connor, who served as the academic dean in 1976, introduced 12 new undergraduate programs.

In 1978, a new cooperative program with the Mexican American Catholic College was established, emphasizing bilingual and bicultural studies and preparation for ministry with Hispanic people of the southwest.

In 1989 the Brainpower Connection program was established.

In 1995 the university also began managing St Anthony's Catholic High School.

In 2000, the China Incarnate Word Education Center was opened in Guangzhou, China.

In 2002, for the first time in its 121-year history, the University of the Incarnate Word would name one of its five schools in honor of a person.

In 2003, what was then known as the School of Business and Applied Arts and Sciences became the H-E-B School of Business and Administration, named for the largest retailer in Texas, H-E-B. As the school grew, so did its scope and new programs were soon added.

UIW's football team, the Incarnate Word Cardinals, was formed and began competing in 2008.

The Center for Medical Tourism Research was founded in 2009, the world’s first center devoted to the growing medical tourism industry.

In 2010, it launched San Antonio’s first iPad pilot program for students in the international business graduate program.

In 2012, the UIW Teacher Network was established to provide graduates with high-quality support as they transition into the teaching profession.

In December 2013, a university policeman shot and killed Cameron Redus, a student at UIW, nearby Alamo Heights during a traffic stop.

Redus’ parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against UIW in 2014, but university lawyers have continued to fight the family of the deceased insisting that the institution should be granted immunity.

The University of the Incarnate Word received a commendation from the Texas Education Agency in 2015 for this innovative teacher induction program, which supports candidates after initial certification during their first three years of teaching, to improve teacher retention in the profession.

In August 2016 UIW President Louis Agnese Jr was removed from his position after making racist and offensive remarks about African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and Mormons at a university luncheon.

In June 2017 UIW welcomed Doctor Thomas Evans as the 10th president of the University of Incarnate Word.

Each fall, beginning in 2018, the entrepreneurial spirit at UIW is cultivated through the Startup Challenge, which offers $10,000 in funding through a partnership with HOLT Ventures.

In May 2020, the Texas Supreme Court ruled the lawsuit against UIW could move forward.