UIW’s Global Leadership in the Spotlight at HACU’s International Conference

Strategic partnerships, innovative ideas and emerging trends were the focus of the recent 15th Biennial International Conference from the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, or HACU. This year's theme was "Bridging Nations to Advance Higher Education" and brought together students and leaders in higher education from across the country to share their perspectives on teaching and learning around the world.

UIW's global campuses and international efforts were well represented by university leadership including Marcos Fragoso, vice president of International Affairs,

Dr. Eva Ferández, provost, Dr. Erlinda Lopez-Rodriguez, director of Health Professions Initiatives, among others who took part in the conference on May 4 through 6 in San Antonio.

Alongside Gilberto Marxuach-Torrós, president of Universidad del Sagrado Corazon, UIW President Thomas M. Evans presented "A Cross-Institutional Alliance to Scale International Experiential Learning" as the opening plenary panel discussion. Together the presidents discussed the expanding outcomes of the innovative alliance formed between the schools and Dominican University in Chicago and the University of Mount Saint Vincent in New York, called the Catholic Higher Education Alliance of Rising Institutions in Service and Mission, or CHARISM.

Through the collaboration, students of CHARISM institutions would have the opportunity to take part in learning experience at partner sites. A joint international immersion experience for students of multiple partner schools and program-specific pathways are currently in development.

Moderator Veronica Garcia, president of Northeast Lakeview College, acknowledged that coordinating efforts across institutions is a complex undertaking. Considering this, why would other institutions follow suit with similar alliances? Evans pointed to the transformative outcomes that study abroad or study away experience can have for students, such as broadening student's understanding of the world and expanding their professional preparation in real-world settings.

"When I see our students that participate in these experiences and consider what it means for them personally, what it means for their families and what it means for their careers, I think 'what if we could offer this on a larger scale?" said Evans. "What if we could extend these opportunities to even more students?"

"We understand what this means for our institutions and the opportunity it represents," said Marxuach-Torrós. Later, he went on to share that the U.S. is the second-largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, but precious few institutions are pursuing bilingual education "We are working on it because that's what our students need and that's what our world needs."

On Sunday, May 3, Dr. Javier Lozano, director of International Affairs, presented to the fellows of HACU's Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo, a development program preparing higher education leaders for executive and senior positions. The presentation titled "University of the Incarnate Word International Programs" provided an overview of UIW's international initiatives, highlighting key successes in global engagement. The presentation highlighted UIW's best practices, including training programs for faculty and pre-departure orientations, to ensure student safety and cultural immersion.

"We explored UIW's innovative strategies to enhance campus internationalization, such as integrating global perspectives into domestic curricula and fostering diverse international partnerships," said Lozano.

The presentation concluded how HACU's university representatives can collaborate with UIW's International Affairs office to enhance their internationalization endeavors by inviting fellows to future collaborative projects at Campus Bajío and Centro Universitario Incarnate Word as well as the Strasbourg Center.

UIW's international efforts are broad-spanning the globe and spanning academic programs-but each contributes to our work of educating students to be concerned and enlightened citizens of the world. By championing these alliances and models on a global stage, UIW is helping shape what it means to lead in an increasingly interconnected, purposeful and international education landscape.