UIW President Meets and Presents Gift of Service to Pope Leo XIV

In June, University of the Incarnate Word President Thomas M. Evans, PhD, joined a delegation of presidents and leaders of Catholic institutions for a summit in Rome. Organized by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and the Lay Centre, this summit offered leaders an opportunity to reflect on mission, the Catholic Intellectual tradition and the important work of Catholic universities. And, perhaps most notably, it offered an opportunity for leaders to meet with Pope Leo XIV.

"Every day since this moment, I have taken time to reflect upon the magnitude of my encounter with Pope Leo," said Evans. "It was certainly the fulfillment of a personal dream and a professional milestone. But, more than that, our audience with the Holy Father offered a moment of re-centering in the greater significance of what we do at UIW, which is to provide education that changes lives."

That spirit was reflected in the Holy Father's address to the ACCU delegation wherein he reflected on Catholic higher educators role in guiding students' "desire for knowledge so that they may also learn to love the truth, to reflect on the meaning of life and to recognize the dignity of every person." The first American pope acknowledged the challenges that today's institutions face but also issued an inspiring charge - Catholic colleges and universities should lead student to the truth, and therefore to Christ.

"Unless Catholic education instills in students a true passion for the truth - and not only intellectual truth, but the Truth that is Christ himself - we can hardly expect people to be willing to put forth the effort required to recognize truth and adapt one's life accordingly," he said.

During the private audience, members of the delegation were invited to visit individually with the pontiff. President Evans shared how the University of the Incarnate Word is fulfilling the Holy Father's mandate issued in his Apostolic letter "Drawing New Maps of Hope." In it, he calls schools and universities to collaborate with one another, to coordinate across "the multiplicity of charisms" and grow together. Institutions are to build nothing less than constellations.

UIW is doing just this across its growing system, Evans told Pope Leo. Through the CHARISM alliance with Dominican University, Mount Saint Vincent University and Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, academic leadership and faculty are paving new pathways that broaden educational opportunities. Through the Brainpower Connection, we bring Catholic pre-K through high school students into a circle of collegiality. And, through greater collaboration across UIW schools and programs in the U.S., Mexico and abroad, we ensure the Cardinal experience is global and interconnected.

"We are adopting his celestial view of Catholic education," Evans said.

As vice chair of the ACCU Board of Directors, Evans joined Dr. Donna Carrol, ACCU president, and Dr. Amy Novak, board chair and president of both St. Ambrose University and Mount Mercy University, in presenting Pope Leo with a gift of 5,000 hours of community service to be performed by our students and community.