By Theresa Servin
Founders Hall may have a new look, but its grand opening was less about the building and more about the people who will fill it.
Students, faculty, administrators, Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word and members of the University of the Incarnate Word community gathered on Aug. 24 inside the Col. Charles E. Cheever Legacy Event Center to celebrate the grand opening of a space designed not only for classes but for people.
The timing was fitting. Founders Hall opened just as students began the Fall 2026 semester and started making the newly renovated building their own.
“The opening of Founders coinciding with the beginning of the fall semester is auspicious,” Eva M. Fernández, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, said. “It’s a future-ready space that also honors our past in very tangible ways.”
Fernández said the building’s design goes beyond its new classrooms and facilities.
“The design puts the student at the center, fostering a sense of belonging,” Fernández said. “I’m excited for the learning already taking place in our beautiful new facilities in Founders Hall.”
UIW President Thomas M. Evans shared that same focus on students and community.
“When we were designing Founders Hall, our students and our community were at the forefront of our vision,” Evans said.
That vision is visible throughout the building, from new learning spaces and a ground-level “living room” to lounge and study areas designed for collaboration. Evans also highlighted quieter spaces, including three mural installations and an interfaith prayer room.
“Founders Hall is a new building that will bring us together in new ways,” Evans said.
Founders Hall also brings several university services under one roof, including UIW Health Services, the UIW Police Department and International Affairs.
Dean of Campus Life Eric Booth said the building helps fill a need for more places where students can spend time together outside the classroom.
“Founders Hall also provides additional spaces for students to relax and study between classes, collaborate and learn together, and for student clubs and organizations to meet,” Booth said. “These additional spaces have been a real need on our campus, and I am excited to see how students use and make the most of them.”
For Communication Arts students, those spaces offer more than just a place to study.
Communication does not happen only behind a classroom door. It happens in conversations between classes, in collaborative projects, in interviews, in student organizations and in unexpected encounters. Founders Hall gives Communication Arts students a new place for those connections — and a new academic home.
The building has a story of its own.
The property located at 4119 Broadway dates to the 1950s and once served as USAA’s headquarters. UIW acquired the 10-acre property in 2019 and later named it Founders Hall in honor of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.
Now, the building has been transformed into a place centered on education, community and UIW’s future.
After the speeches, it was finally time to celebrate.
University representatives gathered behind a bright red ribbon bearing the words “Grand Opening.” Red the Cardinal joined the festivities and helped lead the countdown as the ceremonial scissors were raised.
The ribbon was cut. The crowd applauded. Founders Hall was officially open.
Then came a smaller moment.
Evans picked up the section of ribbon he had just cut and held it up with a smile. Spotting his wife, Lisa Evans, seated in the front row, he tossed the keepsake to her.
For a ceremony celebrating the transformation of such a large building, it was a simple, human moment. Maybe that was fitting.
Buildings are ultimately remembered not simply for their architecture, but for what happens inside them.
Students will learn here. Faculty will teach here. Organizations will meet here. Friendships will form, projects will begin and conversations that cannot be predicted today will take place tomorrow.
Founders Hall now has its ribbon-cutting photographs.
The rest of its story will be written by the people who walk through its doors.
The best part for me was the moment Dr. Evans tossed the ribbon to his wife, Lisa. With all the ceremony surrounding the opening of such a large building, that small, spontaneous moment really stood out. Great capture of what made the day feel personal.