The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) faced an uncertainfuture 22 years ago. But that grim forecast was aboutto change due to the positive outlook and boundless energy of ayoung New Yorker.
In 1986, at the age of 34, Dr. Lou Agnese was inaugurated as theeighth president of San Antonio–based Incarnate Word College,as it was then known. As the youngestpresident to ever preside over thecollege, and one of the youngest collegepresidents in the United States,Agnese faced tremendous obstacles.This wasn’t due to his age or lack ofexperience. Rather, it was becausethe college’s fortunes were declining.Incarnate Word lacked sufficientfunding, enrollment was shrinking,there was limited space, facilitieswere inadequate – an indoor basketballgame was once rained out – andthe combined annual giving fromthe Board of Trustees was less than$5,000.
Despite these hurdles, Agneseknew what he was getting into whenhe welcomed the challenge to turnthis small Catholic institution, one ofthe smallest private colleges in Texasat the time, into a university that nowrepresents the “Texas of today and tomorrow.”With an enrollment nearing 7,000, the University of theIncarnate Word is currently the fourth largest private institutionin the state – only Baylor, SMU and TCU are bigger. It’s also thelargest Catholic university in the southwest.
Over the past 22 years, enrollment has increased by morethan 400 percent, and minority enrollment has quadrupled; UIWhas the largest Hispanic student population among all of the privateuniversities in Texas. International students from 63 countriesnow make up 11.5 percent of the student body. UIW hassister school agreements with more than 90 institutions in over30 countries, with campuses in Mexico and China. UIW’s onlineprogram is continuously expanding to students worldwide.Capital improvements have grown by more than $50 million.Academic programs, facilities, and faculty have all dramaticallyincreased. Scholarship assistance hasincreased by over 1000 percent. Thissuccess has come about all while UIWhas maintained its Mission – the encouragementfor spiritual growththrough faith–based values, no matterwhat your faith.
So how did Agnese produce such asignificant turnaround?
Agnese carefully studied the unstablesituation and set forth andimplemented a plan to engage the entirecommunity to transform the collegeand its reputation. He sought outcommunity leaders, small businessowners, civic and political leaders,the Sisters of Charity of the IncarnateWord, students and faculty. He alsoformed a significant partnership withmarketing guru Lionel Sosa. His abilityto network with all types of peoplein the San Antonio community wassomething that came naturally to him, being from the diverseNew York City. Agnese believes it’s essential that a president hasboth the ability and inclination to work with a wide variety ofpeople in the community.
“Basically, he not only has a great sense of understanding ofhigher education, as well as a great understanding in finance andmarketing, he does a tremendous job of networking communityleaders. What he did to turn the University around you could notdo without networking,” says Chairman of the Board of Trustees,Charlie Amato. Additionally, a greater number of businesseswere targeted in fundraising efforts.
One of the priceless connections Agnese made was the partnershipwith Sosa, who was a member of the Board and ownedone of the largest Hispanic advertising agencies in the country.Together, the two formed a marketing strategy to revitalize thecollege’s reputation in the community, encourage student enrollment,and increase minority enrollment – an innovative milliondollarad campaign in which scholarships to the College weretraded for advertising. The college wouldgive scholarships in the media’s name tothe people who they were trying to target,those whose couldn’t afford to cometo college. They ran ads in both Englishand Spanish, at practically no cost. Theypartnered with all different media outlets,print, television and radio. After securingover a million dollars in advertising theylaunched their plan and within two yearsenrollment had increased by 42 percent.
San Antonio also contains a large CatholicHispanic population, many lacking theeducational and financial means to attendcollege. Agnese focused on working withother schools and community members to develop opportunitiesfor these and other minorities.
Dr. Terry Dicianna, the founding president of Palo Alto Collegeand recently retired UIW Chancellor, remembers workingtogether with Agnese when he first arrived at Palo Alto. “Wewere a brand new school and Lou was looking to grow his enrollment.We were able to work out a 2+2 plan, where students couldattend Palo Alto for two years and then could go on to IncarnateWord for the following two years,” says Dicianna.
“One of the proudest moments of my life,” says Agnese, “occurredwhen I was selected as the national Hispanic Educatorof the Year in 1996, even though I’m Italian–American.” This isbut one of the many notable honors Agnese has earned, includingbeing the recipient of the Ford Salute To Education LifetimeAchievement Award in 2006.
Dicianna recounts how Agnese is able to see future trendsand take advantage of the opportunities they bring, doing so withimpeccable business sense. Agnese says, “Presidential leadershipis about looking for new opportunities and not standing still.”
A great example of how he is able to see the future trends,Dicianna recalls, is when Agnese suggested to him that they starta campus in China. “I was like, ‘why would we go to China?” ButAgnese was looking toward the future. “What he was looking atwas what is going to be happening in China in the next decade orso, and boy was he right. Now, there are real prominent schoolsgoing over there, but Lou was the first.”
Amato says that he sees Agnese as a CEO. “He really has anaptitude for business, which is really impressive. He has greatleadership skills and as a President of theUniversity he never forgets who he works forand he totally respects the Sisters of Charityof the Incarnate Word,” says Amato.
Another example of his aptitude forbusiness occurred in 2004, when, in order tohelp confront the shortage of pharmacists inTexas, Agnese commissioned Dicianna to attenda conference in Washington DC on theissue. “When I returned I told Lou it’s a greatprogram and we could do it academically butit will be very costly,” recounts Dicianna. “Hesaid ‘If all you are worried about is money,let’s develop the program and I will raisethe money.’” Agnese’s plan was to raise themoney for the school before it opened so that he would not haveto take money away from other programs or faculty. In 2006 theFeik School of Pharmacy opened to students, accomplishing hisgoal. Based on the same premise, UIW is set to open the Schoolof Optometry in Fall, 2009.
Agnese has been able to develop strong relationships withnot only the public and private sectors of San Antonio, but alsoin national and international communities. He has stayed true tothe ambition he had leaving Brooklyn: to “have a positive impacton people.” And across two decades of vast growth, Agnese hasalways been clear that he views academic excellence as a comprehensivecommunity endeavor. “The bottom line is this – I feel thatthere are no weak academic programs,” says Agnese. “A so–called‘weak program’ is simply an unidentified strength.”
It is no doubt that the University of the Incarnate Word willcontinue to thrive in the hands of Agnese.
