The University of the Incarnate Word is one of the many manifestations of the original mission that brought the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word to San Antonio in 1869. The Sisters’ work began with the care of victims of a cholera epidemic and the establishment of the first hospital in the city, an institution recognized today as CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health Care. Their ministry soon spread to the care of homeless children and to teaching. In 1881 they secured a charter from the State of Texas, which empowered them to establish schools on all levels.
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 recently constructed Motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word in Alamo Heights. College classes were added to the curriculum in 1909, and the name of the institution was changed to the College and Academy of the Incarnate Word. Both the college and the high school were affiliated with the Texas State Department of Education in 1918. The college was fully accredited by the Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools in 1925. The graduate division was added in 1950, and the school became co-educational in 1970. In 1996, it was recognized as a university. In 1998, the university was accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Doctoral degrees, in addition to Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
The University of the Incarnate Word’s founding campus is located on the grounds of the former estate of noted San Antonio philanthropist, businessman, and civil servant, Col. George W. Brackenridge, whose stately home still stands on the campus overlooking the headwaters of the San Antonio River. At one time, the natural beauty as well as the clear spring water made the headwaters area a favored campsite for Native American tribes. Archeological studies have recovered Paleo-Indian projectile points that date back 11,000 years.
The 110-acre campus combines the natural beauty of the historic grounds with fully-networked wireless facilities. All buildings feature presentation and wireless technology in the classroom, including the venerable Administration Building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of Interior. Residence halls and gathering places are also wireless. The Burton E. Grossman International Conference Center provides expansive state-of-the art facilities for meetings and conferences, as well as housing for visiting foreign dignitaries and students. Additionally, the Stanley and Sandra Rosenberg Sky Room, on the top floor of the McCombs Center, features a stunning view of the city skyline. The Sky Room, which can accommodate up to 850 people, is the second largest facility of its kind in the city and can be subdivided into several configurations to meet the needs of specific events.
The University of the Incarnate Word’s athletic facilities, practice fields, tree-lined walking paths, and well-tended grounds provide a comfortable environment for study and reflection. The park-like atmosphere encourages private reflection as well as intellectual stimulation.
San Antonio
The city offers a rich mixture of cultural heritages derived from its historical settlement by people from Germany, France, Ireland, Mexico, and the Canary Islands. With Dallas and Houston, San Antonio is one of the three largest metropolitan areas in Texas and ranks as the seventh largest city in the nation. The River Walk, or Paseo Del Rio, with its waterside restaurants, hotels, shopping areas, and cultural attractions, has helped to develop the city into a prime location for conventions and tourism.
The city has a flourishing arts community with active theatre groups, dance companies, and music and art associations. Museums include the San Antonio Museum of Art, the McNay Art Museum, the Witte Museum, the Institute of Texan Cultures, the San Antonio Botanical Garden, and the San Antonio Missions, a National Historical Site and UNESCO designated World Heritage Site.
San Antonio is rich in educational offerings with six private universities, a Catholic theological graduate school, three state universities, a state-sponsored medical school, and a public community college system. It is also a center for scientific and medical research based at the University of Texas Health Science Center, the Southwest Research Institute, the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, and the Cancer Therapy Research Center.
The campus of the University of the Incarnate Word is located in the north central area of the city adjacent to Brackenridge Park and the suburb of Alamo Heights, which offers a quiet, well established residential area as well as shopping, restaurant, cultural and recreational facilities.
Campuses in Mexico
University of the Incarnate Word has a global reach providing students from all over the world access to a quality education. UIW is the only American university with two campuses in Mexico; Centro Universitario Incarnate Word (CIW), located in Mexico City; and UIW Bajio located in Irapuato, Guanajuato.
CIW Mexico City
Founded in 2003, CIW is a joint effort between UIW’s founding congregation, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word and UIW. Though CIW is a branch campus of UIW, it possesses its own faculty, administration, board, budget and hiring authority. The university provides students the opportunity to earn dual college degrees from an American university fully recognized by each country’s respective institutions.
UIW Bajio
UIW’s Irapuato Campus is located in the Guanajuato State, heartland of the well-known Bajío region. Guanajuato is an important hub of the automobile industry, and includes companies such as General Motors, Mazda, Honda, Toyota, Pirelli, Volkswagen and Ford. Other important industrial sectors are food, textile and footwear manufacturing, featuring companies such as Conagra, Proctor & Gamble, Nestlé, Nike and Florsheim. The region includes the States of Guanajuato, Querétaro, Michoacán, Aguascalientes and San Luis Potosí.
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