Dr. Wendi Williams, the 2026 President of the American Psychological Association, visited OLLU on April 7 to meet with Psychology students and discuss the current and future field of psychology.
During the visit, Dr. Williams answered student-generated questions and held a conversation with students Kimberly Hawthorne, Abigail Zavala, and Star Sanchez. The discussion gave students the opportunity to engage directly with a national leader in the field and explore important topics shaping the future of psychology.
Jeni Brett, Coordinator for Student Programming in the Center for Student Involvement, has been selected to participate in the 2026 NASPA New Professionals Institute (NPI), a premier professional development experience co-sponsored by NASPA Region III and the Southern Association for College Student Affairs.
NPI is an intensive, week-long institute focused on leadership development, mentorship, and professional growth. Participants engage in interactive learning, small group mentorship, and collaborative dialogue designed to strengthen their effectiveness in the field. The experience also emphasizes meaningful networking, allowing participants to build lasting professional connections with peers and mentors across the region.
Jeni will attend the Institute in June 2026 in Arlington, Texas, joining a cohort of professionals committed to advancing student success in higher education. Through this experience, she will bring back new strategies, insights, and connections to further support student engagement, leadership development, and belonging at OLLU.
Julian S. Garcia, a 1975 graduate of Our Lady of the Lake College, has published his first novel, When VIAztlan Was the Rage. Garcia studied sociology and bilingual education at OLLU and is now adding fiction to a long record of published writing.
Garcia is a regular Op-Ed contributor for the San Antonio Express-News, San Francisco Chronicle and other Hearst publications. His work has also appeared on the Texas State Historical Association website.
The ebook edition of When VIAztlan Was the Rage has been published by Tiltwood Press, with a paperback edition expected in summer 2026. The book cover describes the novel as “a novel of writers, rebellion, and literary awakening.”
A literary novel exploring the vibrant history of the ViAztlan International journal in the 1980s, captures the creative energy, cultural rivalries, and artistic voices that shaped San Antonio’s West Side and connected local writers to an international literary movement.
This accomplishment highlights the continued impact of OLLU alumni in literature, journalism and public thought.
Our Lady of the Lake University has earned Silver-level recognition from the Exercise is Medicine on Campus Committee, an initiative of the American College of Sports Medicine. The recognition honors OLLU’s commitment to educating students, faculty and staff about the benefits of physical activity and to fostering a culture of wellness on campus. The certificate below identifies OLLU as a “2026–27 Silver Campus.”
OLLU’s Exercise is Medicine on Campus (EIM-OC) program began in fall 2024 and has included initiatives such as the President’s Walk, the SAINTS Challenge, a blood pressure monitoring program and educational sessions. OLLU is the only campus in San Antonio to be recognized as an EIM-OC campus.
OLLU leadership will be recognized at a ceremony in May during ACSM’s Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah. The OLLU EIM-OC leadership team is led by Dr. Emily Sauers, Professor in Kinesiology, and includes Karen D’Amata, Director of Counseling and Wellness Services, Prof. Michael Maspero, Instructor in Kinesiology, and Kinesiology students Isai Moran and Isabella Maldonado-Esparza.
Celebrate Fiesta with OLLU! 🎉 Official OLLU Fiesta Medals will be on sale tomorrow for $10 each. Stop by, grab your medal, and help support the Sisters’ Legacy Scholarship, continuing the mission and impact of the Sisters of Divine Providence.
Late last Friday afternoon I was distracted during my daughter’s softball game as the starting lineup was being called. In my hand was my phone, rotated horizontally, displaying on the screen the final moments of Artemis II splashdown.
The Artemis II mission was personally meaningful for several reasons, including the togetherness of the mission, the present global opportunity for kinship, dignity, and respect, and because Yvonne Villegas-Aguilera played an important role in this mission. Yvonne is a 2002 OLLUmna who during her time at OLLU was a McNair Scholar and deeply involved with campus ministry. Yvonne is the Deputy Chief Engineer responsible for the design and manufacturing of the propulsion system used in the same Orion spacecraft that splashed down Friday following the 10-day 695,000 mile mission. Friday afternoon the inner curious kid watched attentively, the mechanical engineer calculated, and the proud university president couldn’t stop thinking about the opportunities that await our students with their OLLU degree, all while thanking Yvonne and our OLLU community who made it possible for her. I am so inspired by our ongoing conversations and possibilities for our emerging unique definition of Focused Differentiation at OLLU.
Each of you is actively engaged in what Focused Differentiation will become for us. Yvonne’s success is not accidental, on the contrary, it is the result of focus, discipline, and alignment. Aligning mission, clarity, and execution will only scale outcomes like Yvonne’s.
Our institutional data reinforces the urgency of this work. We have experienced market share erosion in an increasingly competitive and constrained landscape. In Spring 2026, approximately 80% of our undergraduate semester credit hours are concentrated in just 31% of our academic programs. At the graduate level, 80% of semester credit hours are concentrated in just 19% of programs. Our students are already signaling where demand is strongest and where OLLU’s strengths resonate most clearly.
Focused Differentiation now requires that we swiftly clarify two dimensions: our narrow target market, and our unique differentiators. The sum will concentrate our efforts where we can make the greatest difference. We will sharpen our focus. We will align our energy. And we will commit to becoming distinctive in the areas where our mission and strengths will change the livelihoods of our graduates.
It is the work we are doing for our students, our legacy, together by responding to meet the needs of the time.
I am grateful to you for the opportunity of a lifetime to serve our students.
As we work together to make Fall 2026 as successful as possible, our vision is clear – we want our classes filled with students and our community full of energy and opportunity. Achieving this will take all of us working together with focus and urgency. Enrollment is a shared responsibility, and every interaction we have with students matters.
As a community, we each play a role in this effort:
Recruit future students by sharing your OLLU experience
Retain the amazing OLLU students that are already here
Engage and collaborate across campus with everyone that crosses your path
Together, we can create a vibrant, welcoming environment that makes OLLU not only a great place to study, but also a place to work, grow, and truly enjoy the college experience.
You will see the enrollment thermometer displayed across campus each week as we track our progress together. Every registration matters, and every conversation counts. Let’s work as one community to build momentum, support one another, and reach 1,800 students for Fall 2026.
On Saturday, OLLU and our neighbors and partners celebrated the unveiling of the Treaty Mural. This beautiful piece of Chicano art was painted in 1980 by Community Cultural Arts, the pioneers of public muralism in our city. While the piece has stood proudly for 45 years, it has become weathered by time and over the course of this semester, students from the OLLU Visual Arts class “Barrio Art and Popular Culture” partnered with the original artists to restore it to its glory. They did so with many partners, including the Segundo de Febrero Committee at OLLU, Opportunity Homes, City District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo, the OLLU Center for Service-Learning and Volunteerism, and a whole crew of volunteers from across the OLLU and Westside communities.
This Saturday, we celebrated this success with an unveiling ceremony and blessing. The event was from 11 to noon and included addresses from Visual Arts professor Suzy Gonzalez, original mural artist Tache Torres, Amber Ortega from the International Folk Cultural Center and Segundo Committee, and representatives of the Councilwoman and Opportunity Home. The event culminated in a blessing presided over by Sister Rose Kruppa, the Superior General of our Congregation of Divine Providence.
Speakers at the event highlighted its historic importance, not only as an early example of Chicano muralism but also due to its link to Segundo de Febrero. This event commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in 1848, which ended the Mexican-American War and marked the political birth of the Mexican-American people. This transformative event has had repercussions that continue over the centuries. OLLU was among the first organizations in the nation to recognize the significance of this event, and this mural restoration is part of a revival of that tradition this semester.
Others spoke to the importance of intergenerational connections between the original artists and today’s art students, to the crucial role that public art has in uplifting our community and the special role the public housing plays in creating a just society.
OLLU has committed to continuing this partnership and will be seeking pathways for restoring more murals and uplifting their presence in San Antonio and beyond.
Please be advised that Our Lady of the Lake University will be closed from April 2 through April 6, 2026. During this time, all on-campus operations will be suspended. We will return to normal operating hours on April 7th.
Faculty and staff are reminded to:
• Set their email and voicemail greetings to out of office to reflect the campus closure. • Disconnect and empty any perishable items in office mini fridges. • Unplug any office space heater • If any faculty members need to come to campus during the closure, they must notify Campus Police before arrival to ensure proper access and safety.
If any faculty members need to come to campus during the closure, they must notify Campus Police before arrival to ensure proper access and safety.
As a reminder, OLLU partners with Uwill to provide students with 24/7 emotional support, scheduled counseling, and urgent medical care via telehealth. Students can access these services at https://medical.uwill.com.
Please note the adjusted hours of operation for on-campus dining locations during Easter Weekend.
From Thursday, April 2 through Monday, April 6, the Market will be open with modified hours, while all other dining locations—including Annie B’s, SBX, Crave, and the Sub Shop—will be closed.
For more information on dining at OLLU, click here.
📱 Safety Reminder: Download the InformaCast app to receive important campus emergency alerts and safety notifications.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. Wishing you a joyful Easter break and a restful holiday season.
