UIW fires President Louis Agnese after controversial comments

The University of the Incarnate Word’s governing board voted unanimously Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, to remove Louis Agnese Jr. as president after he allegedly made offensive comments about African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and Mormons. less The University of the Incarnate Word’s governing board voted unanimously Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, to remove Louis Agnese Jr. as president after he allegedly made offensive comments about African Americans, ... more Photo: Juanito M Garza, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Photo: Juanito M Garza, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close UIW fires President Louis Agnese after controversial comments 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — The University of the Incarnate Word’s governing board just announced that it voted unanimously today to remove Louis Agnese Jr. as president and will begin a national search for his replacement.

The board’s decision, made in a closed-door meeting this afternoon and coming after more than a week of controversy over statements Agnese made at a luncheoan, ends Agnese’s three-decade long tenure at the helm of the Catholic university.

“The Board voted unanimously today to remove Dr. Agnese from the office of president, permanently, effective immediately,” UIW Board President Charles Lutz said.

MORE: Leaked letter accuses UIW President Louis Agnese of making offensive comments at school event

It’s a sudden, dramatic departure for Agnese, 65, who was hired as president in 1985 at a time when Incarnate Word was an obscure college suffering from dwindling enrollment.

Last week, an anonymous complaint first reported by mySA.com accused Agnese of making offensive comments about African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and Mormons at an Aug. 15 luncheon for physical therapy students.

“We’ve known for a long time that Dr. Agnese has a reputation for being blunt, eccentric, colorful, even abrasive,” stated the anonymous letter sent by “very concerned students” to UIW. “But the statements made by him today were so egregiously over the top that I became viscerally sickened by them.”

Agnese didn’t deny making the comments but insisted they weren’t offensive.

“I haven't made an offensive comment in my life,” Agnese told the San Antonio Express-News last week.

At the luncheon, Agnese singled out an African American student who wasn’t wearing the school colors of Cardinal red. “Well, you’re lucky you’re black so you are in a way wearing Cardinal black,” Agnese reportedly told her.

Agnese went on to ask if there were any Native American students in the group and said their “Indian-red skin color would also count as wearing Cardinal red.”

According to the complaint, Agnese made another student stand up, said she wasn’t good enough to get into any other program because of her poor test scores, and noted how lucky she was to be accepted to UIW.

Agnese told the Express-News he also praised the student for excelling at UIW. "Now she has the highest test score of anybody in the program," Agnese said.

At another point, Agnese reportedly addressed a Hispanic faculty member by calling him by the wrong name. When the man corrected Agnese and said his name was Jaime, Agnese responded, “Well, close enough, you look like a José.”

On Aug. 18, Lutz released an announcement to the UIW community saying Agnese was placed on 90-day medical leave. Without offering details, Lutz apologized to anyone who might have been offended by Agnese’s behavior.

That same day, Agnese told the Express-News nothing was medically wrong with him. Upset and defiant, Agnese threatened to “sue the pants off” Lutz if the board didn’t issue a retraction.

“I will have the board send out a retraction to that (expletive) they sent out today,” Agnese said. “They ruined my reputation of 31 years. They will send out a retraction by Monday or I will sue the chair of the board. You can put that in the paper in quotes.”

Agnese later backed down from that threat.

On Friday, after the Express-News and other local news outlets published details of the anonymous complaint against Agnese, Lutz released a statement praising Agnese’s service at UIW but added that his recent comments “cannot be condoned.”