[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 34 (Thursday, March 16, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E400]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO DR. LOUIS J. AGNESE JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CHARLES A. GONZALEZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 16, 2006

  Mr. GONZALEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a person who has 
made an indelible impact on San Antonio and higher education, Dr. Louis 
Agnese Jr, the President of the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW.) 
On March 25, 2006, Dr. Agnese will celebrate his 20th anniversary as 
President of the university and during his tenure the school has been 
transformed from a small private school into a world class academic 
institution. Yet despite the changes at UIW, it remains a school 
committed to expanding both the minds and consciences of its students. 
I am proud that San Antonio can call UIW one of its schools, but we are 
especially thankful that Dr. Agnese has applied his talents and energy 
to making UIW into the institution that it is.
  In 1986, Dr. Agnese was inaugurated as the 8th president of Incarnate 
Word College. He was the driving force that transformed the school from 
a college into the University of the Incarnate Word. In addition to the 
San Antonio campus, UIW now has sites in Corpus Christi, Texas, 
Guangzhou, China, and Mexico City, Mexico and 80 sister schools in 30 
countries. During his presidency, UIW has doubled the size of its 
faculty, tripled the number of buildings on its main campus, and has 
greatly increased the school's endowment. Dr. Agnese has done nothing 
less than remake the school while remaining true to its founders' 
mission.
  In the aftermath of the Civil War, Texas Bishop Claude M. Dubuis 
decided to establish a new religious congregation, the Sisters of 
Charity of the Incarnate Word, dedicated to helping the poor and ill. 
He persuaded three sisters from a cloistered community of nuns in 
Lyons, France to emigrate to Texas and establish the Santa Rosa 
Infirmary, the first civilian hospital in San Antonio. The Sisters 
increased the scope of their mission as new circumstances arose. When 
they found that the hospital was caring for a significant number of 
orphans, they began orphanages, which led to starting schools to 
educate these children.
  In 1881, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word applied for and 
were granted a state charter to operate hospitals and schools. At first 
UIW opened and ran elementary and secondary schools but began offering 
college courses for young women around the turn of the 20th Century. 
Soon thereafter, the Sisters christened their school the College and 
Academy of the Incarnate Word.
  Much has changed in the last 125 years. Today UIW is the largest 
Catholic University in Texas and the fourth largest private school. At 
the same time the school has grown, it remains committed to the core 
principles of its founders. UIW recognizes that service to others is 
the highest calling one can pursue. Moreover, Dr. Agnese has lived this 
credo as he has helped increase opportunities for young people to earn 
an education and look at the world in a broader way.
  UIW truly is an international school with students from all over the 
world attending its main campus in San Antonio. This kind of diversity 
teaches young people to embrace and respect the cultural differences 
that make life enriching but also to recognize the similarities that 
bind us together.
  In addition to increasing the diversity of the student body, Dr. 
Agnese also pushed to expand the academic programs at UIW and 
established the university's first Ph.D. program. Moreover, Dr. Agnese 
and the university have been sensitive to the challenges facing young 
Latinos seeking higher education and he has helped facilitate this 
process. Indeed, Dr. Agnese has said that ``one of the proudest moments 
of my life occurred when I was selected as the national Hispanic 
Educator of the Year in 1996, even though I'm Italian-American.''
  In 1986, Dr. Louis Agnese had a vision of UIW could become. Yet, he 
did not just envision UIW as one of Texas' finest academic 
institutions; he also saw a school that would continue to educate young 
men and women who would work to improve our community. Knowledge may 
fire the mind but unless guided by a moral compass, it is little more 
than pedantry. UIW helps its students gain the moral guidance necessary 
to implement their education.
  Of course, Dr. Agnese is also deeply dedicated to his family and has 
proven his commitment to San Antonio. He has helped make San Antonio 
the thriving city it is today and we are the better for his coming 
here. I wish Dr. Agnese many more years of success at UIW.

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