SAU makes history with new president
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By Sheena Dooley | Thursday, December 21, 2006 |
(Contributed photo) Sister Joan Lescinski
St. Ambrose University has chosen the leader of a small Indiana women’s college to be its next president.
The school’s Board of Directors announced Wednesday that Sister Joan Lescinski, 59, will take over current president Ed Rogalski’s position when he steps down in June after 20 years. The selection marks the first time a woman has held the job in the school’s 125-year history.
“There were a wide range of top-notch candidates,” said the Most Rev. Martin Amos, bishop of the Diocese of Davenport and president of St. Ambrose’s Board of Directors. “We thought she was the best match for the university at this particular time.
“She has the experience to do this. She has the charisma. She has the desire and the people skills. She knows what it is to be a president.”
Lescinski, the president of St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, was chosen over two other finalists to end an almost year-long search. Peter Cimbolic, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Bellarmine University, and James Loftus, St. Ambrose vice president of enrollment management and student services, also were considered for the job.
While all three candidates brought communication skills and a background in higher education to the table, Lescinski’s previous experience at Catholic colleges and in a presidential role set her apart, members of the search committee said.
“She has a great understanding of our mission and purpose,” Rogalski said. “She comes from a rich tradition and Catholic background. I expect she is going to make a very fine president.”
During her nine years at St. Mary-of-the-Woods, she led capital campaigns, expanded and strengthened academic programs and grew enrollment by about 25 percent, said Mary Barrett, chair of St. Mary-of-the-Woods’ Board of Directors.
The school currently enrolls 300 resident students and 1,500 distance learners. St. Ambrose has an enrollment of 3,780 students.
Jim Collins, chair of the 11-person search committee for St. Ambrose, said those are all issues she will face in her new position. The school has two capital campaigns under way and is trying to grow its endowment. At the same time, it faces increased competition for students as the number of high school graduates in the area dwindles.
“It will be a challenge for her, and we feel as a board, as did the search committee, that she was a fully qualified candidate to step up to the challenge,” Collins said.
The St. Ambrose search committee hired Witt/Kieffer, a national firm based in Illinois, to find candidates. The firm contacted Lescinski about the position earlier this year.
Lescinski and six other finalists interviewed in November with search committee members in Chicago. That pool was narrowed to three candidates, who met with faculty, staff, students, administrators, alumni and community members in December to answer questions. After gaining input from the participating campus groups, the school’s Board of Directors conducted a final round of interviews before making the selection.
St. Ambrose’s Catholic-based mission and liberal arts emphasis prompted Lescinski to apply for the job, she said. Now that she’s been selected, she will spend the next six months visiting the campus and meeting with Rogalski, who will help her become familiar with the job. She officially takes over as president July 1.
“It’s always a challenge to follow a leader that is as loved and respected as Dr. Rogalski is,” Lescinski said. “I was joking with him that he’s a tall man, and I’m much shorter than he is. It would be impossible with both of my feet to fill his shoes.”
Sheena Dooley can be contacted at (563)383-2363 or sdooley@qctimes.com.
Sister Lescinski file
1998 to present: President and English professor at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, a small Catholic women’s college in Indiana.
1993 to 1998: Vice president for academic affairs, dean and English professor at Fontbonne University in St. Louis.
1991 to 1993: Associate dean of academic affairs and English professor at Avila University in Kansas City, Mo.
1979 to 1991: English professor at the College of St. Rose in Albany, N.Y.
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