Sister Joan Lescinski finds her place at St. Ambrose

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By Sheena Dooley | Sunday, June 22, 2008 4:50 PM CDT | () comments

Saint Ambrose University senior Chad Driscoll talks with President Joan Lescinski. (Jeff Cook/QUAD-CITY TIMES) Buy this Photo

Ask most people at St. Ambrose University what surprises them most about Sister Joan Lescinski and they give the same answer: her energy.

In her first year, the college’s new president typically worked 15-hour days that started at 7 a.m. and ended around 10 p.m. Lescinski, 61, spent that time meeting with every faculty and staff group, getting to know members of St. Ambrose’s Board of Trustees and educating them about new ways to serve students, and learning everything she could about the 125-year-old college in Davenport.

She traveled to Arizona, Texas, California, Washington, D.C., and Nevada, and took shorter trips to places such as Minneapolis and Chicago to meet St. Ambrose alumni. She oversaw a three-day rigorous site visit by members of the Higher Learning Commission, which resulted in a 10-year extension of St. Ambrose’s accreditation. Also, she cooked monthly dinners for students and networked with Quad-City leaders, while raising funds for a new health science building.

Construction is already under way on another building that will house students and classrooms this fall and a new parking lot.

“Frankly, we kind of wonder how she does it all,” said Jim Collins, St. Ambrose board member. “Her energy level is strong, and that’s what we sensed in the interview. We thought when she got here it might be a little different. But she’s not stopped or rested a moment.”

The change in leaders at St. Ambrose this year was a smooth one that left students, employees and alumni excited about their first new president in 20 years, some said. Lescinski tackled issues that stem from a recent spike in enrollment, listened to and acted on issues of concern for students and employees, and got to know the community she serves.

Throughout all of her efforts to acclimate to the college, she continued to move it forward, leaders said.

Board members, faculty and students credit her success in the last year to her leadership and dedication to student success. She, however, attributes it to the support they have provided her.

A transition team of about 10 faculty, staff, board members, alumni and students guided Lescinski throughout the year, providing her with advice, answers to questions and a better understanding of the school’s history and values. Having the help of former St. Ambrose President Ed Rogalski also aided in an easier transition, Lescinski said.

“They helped me get to understand this place — how it’s the people that make the place,” she said. “To follow someone as extraordinary as Ed Rogalski is a challenge. (I wanted) to have a smooth transition for the university. Were there some rocky points along the way? I’m sure there were. But those things have come off well.”

Her packed schedule this past school year left Lescinski without time to reach one accomplishment: to teach a class.

That will change in the fall, when she will spend Tuesday nights teaching a class on author Jane Austen. It provides her an opportunity to do what she loves most, while getting to know students better, she said.

This year, Lescinski got to know them by starting a new tradition at St. Ambrose. She cooked dinner once a month for small groups of students. The menu? A garden salad with avocado and olives, homemade rolls, baked chicken with a wine sauce, rice pilaf with a garlic twist, and parsley carrots. For dessert, she dished up rocky road ice cream and chocolate chip cookies.

“You could tell she enjoys doing that,” said Chad Driscoll, who will be a senior in the fall at St. Ambrose. “I was in one of the student groups that was initially part of the interview process. From then on, I thought she would be a great person to follow in Dr. Rogalski’s footsteps and fulfill his mission while putting her own twist on things.”

Another change Lescinski implemented this year was meeting with faculty after board of trustee meetings, which keeps employees better informed and gives them the opportunity to ask questions or voice concerns, said Sandra Cassady, St. Ambrose professor and director of the physical therapy department.

Before this year, staff got their information regarding the meetings from occasional e-mails or newsletters, Cassady said.

“She’s not the type of leader that makes arbitrary decisions on her own,” Cassady said. “She likes to get information and meet with groups to hear what their ideas are. She’s very dedicated to ensuring that our students have a great experience.”

Lescinski is already looking forward to the future, glad to shed her title of being “the new president of St. Ambrose,” she says. By the end of the summer, she hopes to unveil the school’s new mission statement, which will guide leaders as they develop a strategic plan in the coming months. That plan will shape what direction St. Ambrose will take in the next decade in regard to its size, programming and place in the community, she said.

“My vision is bound up with the university’s mission,” Lescinski said. “It’s hard for me to separate mine from the university’s because I have spent the last year merging them together.”

Sheena Dooley can be contacted at (563) 383-2363 or sdooley@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.