OLLU offices will be closed and there will be no classes on Monday, Sept. 2, in honor of Labor Day.
The next Lake Weekly will be published on Sept. 3.
Month: August 2024
Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio awards OLLU $70,000 for scholarships
The Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio (BHFSA) has awarded OLLU $70,000 in scholarships to support students in academic programs related to healthcare.
Students in the following academic programs will be eligible to apply for the scholarships:
- Communication Sciences and Disorders (BA)
- Communications Sciences and Disorders (MA)
- Kinesiology (BS)
- Social Work (BSW)
- Social Work (MSW)
- Psychology – Marriage and Family Therapy (MS)
- Psychology – Counseling Psychology Doctorate (PsyD)
Scholarship applications will be available through the academic departments.
Students receiving the scholarships are committed to giving back to the community and working in Bexar County or one of the seven surrounding counties that include Atascosa, Bandera, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall, Medina, or Wilson.
The BHFSA is dedicated to sustaining the education and training of tomorrow’s healthcare providers and leaders. OLLU is proud to partner with the foundation in this crucial work.
TExAS FAST scholars participate in career-building and nature activities
For more than two weeks this summer, students in OLLU’s Environmental Science and Sustainability program were immersed in career-building activities thanks to an ongoing grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The $5 million grant, received last summer, funds the university’s TExAS FAST (Texas Experiential Learning and Scholarship program for Food and Agricultural Science Training) Scholars Program.
The scholars were able to move into the residence halls early and explore new career pathways through hands-on events and networking opportunities. They participated in resume writing and interviewing workshops, set up LinkedIn profiles, and had professional headshots taken. In addition, USDA conservationists spoke to students about potential internships.
Scholars also had the opportunity to tour the San Antonio Office of Sustainability, meet with the leaders from San Antonio College’s Eco Centro, and visit the San Antonio River Authority’s water treatment facilities. Field trips were arranged for the students. They saw dinosaur tracks and hunted for fossilized ocean creatures on a tour of the Canyon Lake River Gorge. They learned what land stewardship can look like on a guided trip through Bamberger Ranch, where they also got to see an endangered species of African antelope and a cave home to 200,000 Mexican Freetail Bats. They visited the Witte Museum and also bird-watched, tasted edible flora, and swam in the river at Guadalupe River State Park.
The TExAS FAST Scholars spent some time giving back to the community, as well. They prepared the Garcia Street Urban Farm’s fields for fall planting and packaged over 18,000 meals with the San Antonio Food Bank.
In addition to an amazing summer career-building experience, the TExAS FAST Programs provides scholars with two years of free room and board on campus and a $1,000 monthly stipend for 24 months. For more information, visit the TExAS FAST web page and check out the program’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ollu_texasfast/
Kinesiology’s SOAR program completes first year
SOAR, created by the Kinesiology Program with the support of a $3 million Title V grant, wrapped up its first year with a four-day program for incoming freshmen right before the start of classes.
The program, which ran Aug.11-14, supports incoming freshmen in their transition to college by fostering friendships, clarifying new expectations, and helping them feel like a part of the OLLU family. With guidance from mentors and faculty, students are equipped and excited to SOAR from day one.
Freshmen in the program engaged in collaborative games, played pickleball and other activities, created vision boards, discussed concerns and questions about the Kinesiology program, and went on a mural tour of San Antonio’s Westside
Throughout the academic year, the students will meet with their mentors every week and will meet monthly as a team.
SOAR was made possible through a U.S. Department of Education Title V grant received last year. The project, “Transforming STEM Identity at OLLU: Advancing Kinesiology,” is designed to improve student performance and graduation rates.
Students, faculty and staff who use Qualtrics should make note of down time scheduled for Sept. 8
The Qualtrics system, used by a number of OLLU students, faculty and staff, will be unavailable on Sept. 8 from 1-2:30 a.m. Qualtrics will be performing a data migration on that day. Qualtrics is migrating the dashboards, results reports, and printed reports layout database to a cloud-managed database.
During the migration, dashboard editorswill not be able to create, modify, or delete dashboards, results reports, or printed reports. Editors should not make changes to dashboards, results reports, or printed reports during the affected time. Surveys will not be affected in any way. The migration will not impact the viewing experience of the dashboards, result reports, or printed reports.
Questions about the migration should be directed to the Qualtrics Customer Success Hub.
Hispanas Unidas to hold 40th Anniversary Conference at OLLU
Forty years ago, a group of trailblazing women gathered at OLLU for the very first Hispanas Unidas Conference. On Sept. 13-14, they will return to OLLU to celebrate their 40th anniversary reunion and conference. Titled, “Raising Our Voice – Alzando Nuerstra Voz,” the conference will honor and celebrate the women who planned the first conference and the vibrant leaders who have carried the torch forward.
“We are here to explore, discuss, and strategize on the pressing issues that continue to affect us, and to forge a path forward that ensures our voices are heard louder and clearer than ever before,” said the organizers.
Participants will have the opportunity to engage with thought leaders, policymakers, activists, and fellow community members through a series of insightful sessions, workshops, and panel discussions. From exploring the impact of policy on individual lives to celebrating the rich cultural contributions of Latinas in the arts and focusing on integrating self-care for balance in daily life, the conference promises to be a dynamic and enriching experience.
OLLU students, faculty and staff are invited to take part in the conference. To learn more or to register, please visit the conference website.
OLLU STEM grads participate in White Coat ceremonies
Three recent OLLU graduates took part in White Coat ceremonies to start the academic year.
- Getsemani Arteaga, BS Biology, May 2022, received her white coat for starting pharmacy school at the University of Texas at El Paso.
- Erika Zapata, BS Biology, December 2022, started physician assistant school at the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley.
- Meaghan Molina, BS Biology, May 2024, started pharmacy school at the University of the Incarnate Word.
OLLU congratulates these successful STEM alumni.
Faculty open enrollment deadline is Wednesday
The Benefits Open Enrollment deadline for faculty to start, change or end benefits is this Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 11:59 p.m. No changes will be accepted after the deadline.
Faculty can enroll via Saints Connect>Self-Service>Employee>Benefits.
Employee Service Award honorees will be recognized during Spirit Day Mass on Sept. 12
The listing below includes names and years of service of full-time employees whom Human Resources records show as being eligible to receive the 2024 Service Awards. Honorees will be recognized during the Mass of the Holy Spirit on Sept. 12 at 11 a.m. in Sacred Heart Chapel. Employees must have completed full-time service in increments of five years beginning with the 10-year mark and continuing in 2024 to be eligible to receive the Service Award. Faculty and Staff Honorees will be recognized immediately following the Mass.
Faculty and staff employees who believe they are eligible to receive a Service Award for full-time service years at OLLU, but do not see their name on the list, should contact Human Resources as soon as possible via email at mbecerra15@ollusa.edu.
Eligible Service Award recipients for 2024
| Employee Name | TITLE | Service Years |
| Murtha, Paul M. | General Maintenance Technician | 35 |
| Gonzalez, Mateo | Grounds/General Maintenance Supervisor | 35 |
| Green, Mark T. | Professor of Leadership Studies | 30 |
| Garcia, Evelyn A. | Accounts Payable Assistant | 25 |
| Glasscock, Darrell R. | Director of Facilities | 20 |
| Garza, Carmen C. | Academic Advising Counselor | 20 |
| Flores, Esmeralda M. | Director of Financial Aid | 20 |
| Findley, Teresa E. | Payroll Assistant | 20 |
| Winney, Kathryn M. | Associate Professor of Accounting | 15 |
| O’Donnell, Kristin L. | Professor of Psychology | 15 |
| Munguia, Teresita | Associate Provost | 15 |
| Lozano, Yvette M. | Clinical Professor | 15 |
| Kubena, Jiletta L. | Department Chair/Professor of Criminology & Criminal Justice | 15 |
| Dinh-Camarillo, Linda T. | Library Operations Manager | 15 |
| Watts, John H. | Professor, Business Administration | 10 |
| Rodriguez, Maria | Housekeeper | 10 |
| Quinones, Michael V. | Network Manager – Engineer | 10 |
| Munoz, Robert | Police Lieutenant | 10 |
| Maurer, Alycia D. | Associate Dean/Department Chair & Associate Professor of Education | 10 |
| Martinez, Guadalupe M. | Housekeeper | 10 |
| Komara, Kirsten | Academic Center for Excellence Director | 10 |
| Hernandez, Reyna R. | Custodian | 10 |
| Healy, Deborah A. | Department Chair/Professor of Psychology | 10 |
| Garza, Gina M. | Senior Processing Specialist- CRM Operations | 10 |
| Deperez, Claudia | Housekeeper | 10 |
| Cuevas, Maureen C. | Professor of Social Work | 10 |
| Clark, Vanessa G. | Associate Dean/Department Chair & Professor, CISS | 10 |
| Allen, Jeffrey | Director of Infrastructure Services | 10 |
| Aguilar, Antonio | General Maintenance Worker | 10 |
Men’s soccer earns first win of season over Schreiner
The men’s soccer team downed Schreiner University (SU) 2-1 to open the 2024 season on Aug. 23. The Saints start 1-0 while the Mountaineers drop to 4-3.
History
The Saints were 7-1 against the Mountaineers prior to the match.
Basics
The Mountaineers scored first at the 37th minute with a goal from Cody Brown. Schreiner led 1-0 at halftime but the Saints evened the score a few minutes into the second half. Alessandro Sierra scored unassisted at the 50th minute. Thiago Fernandes followed with an unassisted goal at the 67th minute. Fernandes’ goal ended up being the game winning strike. Dominic Pena made five saves and Sierra had two shots on goal.
Scoring overview
37′ – SU – Cody Brown (assisted by Manuel Coya)
50′ – OLLU – Alessandro Sierra
67′ – OLLU – Thiago Fernandes
Inside the box score
Sierra led the Saints with two shots on goal. Zaaron Gonzalez had two shots on goal for the Mountaineers.Overall, the Saints tallied 12 shots, with seven on goal. Schreiner recorded nine shots with six shots on goal.OLLU took six corner kicks while the Mountaineers had two.
Up next
The Saints play at Texas Lutheran University in an exhibition on Monday, Aug. 26, at 7:30 p.m.