As the nation responds to this global pandemic, we at the University of the Incarnate Word know that our choices — and those of our partners — will shape our collective well-being for generations. As the world searches for a coordinated, systematic and dignified response to a vast human need, UIW can say that we are made for this time.

UIW traces its start to an 1866 cholera epidemic that prompted C.M. Dubuis, bishop of Galveston, to issue a call for help. The world responded — and three courageous young women traveled from France to form the congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word and meet the health, societal and educational needs.

Compassionate street medicine and pastoral care evolved into the creation of Santa Rosa Infirmary, the first Catholic hospital in the area, and the Incarnate Word School, now the University of the Incarnate Word.

Before World War II, most Americans didn’t have a high school diploma, much less a college degree. During the war, 1 in 8 Americans served. Many feared another Great Depression if millions could not find work in a peacetime economy.

UIW’s strategic priorities take on added urgency and significance going forward. UIW will expand and consolidate our presence at the former Brooks AFB, where we will gather students, researchers and clinical faculty across pharmacy, physical therapy, optometry, nursing and osteopathic medicine…

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