SAN ANTONIO – For the first time in more than 30 years, Dr. Lou Agnese will not be welcoming incoming students to one of San Antonio’s most visible college campuses in town. That job now belongs to Dr. Thomas Evans, who just may be able to match Agnese’s passion for the University of the Incarnate Word.
“It feels like coming into a very big family,” Evans said.
The private Catholic university, with about 11,400 students, is a big family with a big new building that sits in the middle of the massive new student center.
While Evans hasn’t been on campus long, his passions and priorities are clear.
“I love students. And I love seeing their dreams become reality through education and then being able to do things that they never thought was possible. That is a true joy for me,” Evans said.
Evans, an Austin native, spent time at St. Edward’s University and was also president of Carroll College in Helena, Montana. He can speak Japanese and French, and apparently is also good at raising money, which he showed by setting fundraising records at Carroll College.
"I've always been amazed when I’m meeting with donors that often times when you ask for their support, their first response that they have is thank you because they're appreciative of the ability to make changes,” Evans said.
Evans comes to the university at a time when the student population is growing and when it’s about to open a new medical school. He said he realizes he has a tough act to follow. Agnese was almost synonymous with UIW.
“He's a visionary leader, and so it's an honor to follow in those footsteps with those big shoes, and hopefully I can fill them nicely,” Evans said.
As for the future, Evans sees it going beyond the campus border, such as the medical school’s partnership with the Southside Independent School District. And like the founders of the university, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, the school’s mission is felt across the city and the world.
"I hope the University of the Incarnate Word can serve San Antonio very well and find new and wonderful ways to enrich the community,” Evans said.
Evans also was selected as an outstanding Eagle Scout.
The new student center will be officially unveiled Aug. 28.
WATCH: See Steve Spriester's entire interview with Dr. Evans below:
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