The IFCC is hosting The Gatherings: Young Artist Edition, curated by San Antonio fiber artist, Deborah Harris.
The Gatherings will feature young local artists who have been asked to ponder the question; What Sparks Your Creativity? Artists come from around the city and will have their artwork installed in the IFCC Glass Gallery in the MARC Ballroom.
Featured Young Artists: Josiah Harris Dominique Jordan Tasiah Mayfield Izel Perez Dayanara Torres (representing the OLLU Art and Visual Media Department), and Gary Young.
Meet employers, explore internship and job opportunities, and start building your career path at the Spring 2026 Career Fair. Connect with organizations looking for talented students, expand your network, and learn about opportunities in a variety of fields.
📅 Wednesday, March 18, 2026 ⏰ 11:45 AM – 1:45 PM 📍 Mall Area
Stop by between classes, bring your resume, and enjoy FREE pizza while supplies last!
Hosted by the Office of Career Services. For more information: career@ollusa.edu | (210) 431-3971.
The Our Lady of the Lake University women’s tennis team faced a competitive set of matchups in recent play, navigating challenging opponents in Louisiana Christian University, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Dillard University. Across these contests, the Saints demonstrated the ability to secure critical singles and doubles victories, highlighted by several standout performances.
The season stretch began against Louisiana Christian University, where the Saints fell 4-1. In doubles action, OLLU found success on the third court, with Laure and Peters defeating Uchiyama and Ferrer Martinez 6-3, while the top two doubles matches went in favor of the Lady Wildcats. Singles play showcased competitive efforts from the Saints lineup. Uchiyama earned a key 7-5, 6-4 victory over Chambon at No. 6 singles, and Rodrigues contributed with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Pisar at No. 2. Despite these individual successes, Louisiana Christian captured the overall team victory, leaving OLLU with valuable experience and lessons from the match.
The Saints faced Xavier University of Louisiana, where they were narrowly defeated 4-0. The Xavier doubles teams secured the early point, including decisive wins over Pisar and Chambon and also Laure and Peters. In singles, OLLU’s Guerrero and Peters faced tough losses, while other matches were unfinished once the team result was determined.
In the most recent contest, OLLU earned a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Dillard University. The Saints captured the doubles point on the top court, with Pisar and Chambon defeating Chen and Peres 5-4, setting the tone for a tightly contested match. Singles victories from Guerrero (6-3, 6-4), Peters (6-4, 7-6), and Laure (6-3, 6-1) proved decisive, allowing OLLU to overcome deficits on other courts and secure the overall team win.
While early losses against Louisiana Christian and Xavier presented challenges, the team’s competitive spirit and ability to rebound against Dillard signal growth and promise as the season progresses. The Saints will be back in action against Texas A&M-Texarkana on Saturday.
The RRAC announces Texas A&M-Victoria’s Alyssa Carter as Softball Player of the Week and ninth-ranked Our Lady of the Lake’s (Texas) Annika Litterio as Pitcher of the Week for the dates of March 2-8. This is the sixth set of weekly awards.Senior right-handed pitcher Annika Litterio pitched in all four of the Saints’ games last week. She secured two wins – Freed-Hardeman, 9-8, and (22) William Carey, 4-2. She suffered one loss against (20) Mobile (Ala.), 2-1, and one no-decision to (10) Southeastern (Fla.), 1-0. Litterio pitched 18.1 innings, allowing three unearned runs, while striking out 14. Her ERA for the week is 1.15. She also added three assists..
Litterio has 11 wins and two losses, plus one save. She pitched in a total of 68 innings and struck out 83. She is second in the RRAC with a 1.34 ERA, and first in wins and in strikeouts. This is Litterio’s third Pitcher of the Week award.
OLLU is first in the conference with a 6-0 record and 16-3 overall. The Saints are ranked ninth in the latest NAIA Softball Coaches Top 25 Poll.
The celebration begins with a first look at the 2026 OLLU Fiesta Medal—a bold, colorful tribute to Our Lady of the Lake University and Fiesta tradition. This year’s medal proudly represents OLLU spirit and will be featured as part of the official Fiesta 5K Confetti Run.
Get ready to celebrate, run, and shine with OLLU pride. Pricing is still being finalized, and more details on how to purchase are coming soon.
Show your OLLU pride. Show your Fiesta spirit. ✨ More to come! ✨
Order through the Grubhub app between March 16–31 for your chance to win a Nintendo Switch with Gray Joy-Con. Simply select the $0.00 purchase option in the app to enter.
Game on, Saints — your next order could score you the ultimate gaming console! 🎮
Over the past several weeks, our campus community, including Cabinet, the Board of Trustees, faculty, and staff, have been engaged in an important conversation about Focused Differentiation and the future of our university. This work extends well beyond strategy. It is rooted in discernment.
As a Catholic university rooted in Providence and entrusted to the charism of the Sisters of Divine Providence, we are called to read the signs of our time and respond with courage, clarity, and faith. Focused Differentiation is our strategic expression of that calling, ensuring that our mission continues to transform the lives of students and communities for generations to come.
As I reflect on our conversations, several of you reminded me of something important in our university data.
In Spring 2026, approximately 80% of our undergraduate semester credit hours (SCH) are concentrated in just 31% of our academic programs. At the graduate level, 80% of SCH are concentrated in just 19% of programs.
Several of you also noted that our students may already be telling us something, perhaps signaling where demand is strongest and where OLLU’s strengths resonate most clearly.
These insights reinforce that excellence inspires. Excellence leads. And excellence transforms lives. In today’s shifting higher education landscape, every university faces a choice: drift toward sameness or become distinctive in the areas where mission and institutional strengths intersect most powerfully. Focused Differentiation is how we will make that choice.
Institutions that thrive are clear about who they serve and what makes them unmistakably valuable. Becoming distinctive requires discipline, focus, and the courage to concentrate our efforts where we can make the greatest difference. Doing so will require disciplined choices about where we invest our energy—and where we do not.
I recently read that excellence is not an aspiration; excellence is a discipline. Our clarity, focus, and courage to concentrate our efforts where we can make the greatest difference is how we honor our institutional legacy.
The Lenten season reminds us that growth often requires refinement so that we may focus more fully on what matters most. The Sisters of Divine Providence modeled this discipline in their ministries, responding to the needs of their time with courage rooted in trust in God’s providence.
Two weeks ago, I wrote that we will not hide from change; rather, we will pursue it and shape it. Institutions of higher learning that thrive do not treat change as temporary; they build the capacity to innovate continuously in response to the needs of their time.
The insights from the survey I shared with you two weeks back will be shared this week, and they represent another important step as we refine our narrow target market and clarify the distinctive differentiators that will define OLLU’s future.
The work before us, which we will do together, is clear. Focused Differentiation will require disciplined choices and a shared commitment to excellence.
Together, as stewards of our institutional legacy, we will shape the next chapter of our university.
Did you graduate from OLLU in the summer or Fall of 2025? Are you looking forward to graduating this Spring or Summer 2026? Join us at Grad Fest on March 19 between 12 and 2 pm or March 23 between 4 and 6 pm in the Mall and Bookstore to get your graduation products and questions answered. Visit with representatives from the Bookstore, Jostens, Registrar’s Office, Student Affairs, Career Services, Financial Aid, and Alumni Association. See flyer for more information.
Stop by, get your questions answered, and take the next step toward celebrating your OLLU achievement. This is your moment—let’s make it official.
By Teresa Niño (VP for Marketing, Communications, and Engagement)
Earlier this month, in the March 3rd issue of Lake Weekly, President Chávez shared a vision of what Our Lady of the Lake can be. An attainable vision. He also provided a link to a survey that asked seven questions. That same survey was also presented to Cabinet and the Board of Trustees.
Below are the results of the combined surveys. As you read through them, ask yourself, “what do these results mean?” “What do the results say as to where we are today and where we want to be?” and “what will be my role?”
In the next few weeks, whether in a State of the Lake Forum, a Leadership Team meeting, a Faculty and/or Staff leadership meeting, or an email from me, we will learn the answers to these questions together and continue to carve out our path. In the next few weeks, you’ll hear phrases such as “change management,” “models for small, private, catholic universities,” and a lot of “Focus and Differentiation” as well as “Focused Differentiation.” Don’t be alarmed. We will stay in touch and would love to hear from you. This process requires active engagement.
At your end, please attend those meetings or get notes from someone that attended; read Lake Weekly stories that address the status and/or progress that’s being made. Stay tuned in.
Here are the top three responses we heard from the combined surveys:
In your view, which primary student populations should OLLU intentionally prioritize over the next 5–7 years? Please rank the following options from highest strategic
39% First-generation Hispanic undergraduates from South Texas
21% A combination of multiple segments
19% Catholic Hispanic students seeking faith-integrated education.
Follow-up to Question 1: If there is a student population not reflected above that you believe should be prioritized, please describe. [This open-ended question prompted numerous varied responses. Below are the ‘top’ responses – those that were mentioned more than twice but less than five times.
Catholic, service-oriented students
Working professionals
Veterans/Military
Should OLLU intentionally narrow its recruitment geography?
39% Yes – Texas Statewide
26% No – Maintain broad geographic reach
23% Yes – Primarily South Texas
Should OLLU deliberately deprioritize certain student segments to strengthen focus?
48% Yes – Trade-offs are necessary
45% Maybe – With data review
6% No – We should remain broad
Which attributes could realistically differentiate OLLU in a meaningful and defensible way? (Select up to three)
Which of the following do you believe is most critical to long-term sustainability?
31% Target market clarity
27% Operational excellence and cost discipline
23% Academic program specialization
Are we currently disciplined enough to execute a focused strategy?
58% Not Yet
24% Uncertain
18% Yes
We hope to see you at tomorrow’s State of the Lake Forum where Interim Head of Enrollment Shirley Caldera will share data on our enrollment trends and our rate of persistence. Why is this important? Because as we proceed to carve out our vision, it is important to know what the market demands. In this case, our market is our students. They vote with their feet and their tuition dollars. What classes, programs and/or degrees are they pursuing? What is it about them or about us that could differentiates us?
Looking forward to it and BYOM … Bring your open mind!
Dr. D. Anthony Miles, OLLU alumnus and managing editor, statistician, and marketing expert, has a new book coming out this month. “Confessions of a PhD: Real Stories from Doctoral Students-Volume 2” is finally out!
The book is published with Routledge Publishing, a subsidiary under Taylor & Frances. Routledge is a British multinational publisher. Routledge specializes in providing academic books, journals and online resources. Taylor & Francis Group is an international publishing company originating in England that publishes books and academic journals. Taylor & Francis Group is one of the top five major book publishers in the world.
“Confessions of a PhD: Real Stories from Doctoral Students-Volumes 2” will be released on March 20, 2026. This anthology features authentic stories that illuminate the mental and emotional hurdles faced during the PhD process, providing readers with a platform to share and reflect on their experiences. Through a blend of humor and heartfelt storytelling, this book fosters a sense of community among doctoral candidates, allowing them to realize they are not alone in their struggles.
Dr. Miles is the managing editor(s) and his new editorial board team with Routledge are: Dr. Philip Adu, Dr. Wanda Corner, Dr. Jacqueline Dansby, Dr. Michael Laney, Dr. Rhondra Willis-Brown, Dr. Robin Shedrick and Dr. Nadine Wheat. Each of the editorial board member brings a stellar and robust wealth of expertise to the publication of this book.
