The Magazine of St. Ambrose University | Summer 2016

Wellness and Recreation Center: A Game ChangerALSO INSIDE: A Week in the Life of the President

2 Under the Oaks

8 Features 8 A Day in the Life of the President 14 Celebrating a Bright Future 16 St. Ambrose Wellness and Recreation Center:

A Game Changer 20 A Facility Fit for a Gold Medal

24 Alumni News

30 Class Notes

SceneThe Magazine of St. Ambrose University

Summer 2016 | Volume XLIV | Number 1

Managing Editor

Linda Hirsch

Editor

Craig DeVrieze

Staff Writer

Jane Kettering

Staff Assistant

Darcy Duncalf ’12

Contributing Writers

Dustin Renwick ’10

Ted Stephens III ’01, ’04

Designer

Sally Paustian ’94

www.sau.edu/scene

scene@sau.edu

Photo credits: John Mohr Photography:

cover, inside front cover, pages 1 , 8,

11–15; Greg Boll: inside front cover, 21;

Dan Videtich: page 7.

Scene is published by the Communications

and Marketing office for the alumni,

students, parents, friends, faculty and staff

of St. Ambrose University. Its purpose

is to inform and inspire through stories

highlighting the many quality people

and programs that are the essence of

St. Ambrose’s distinguished heritage of

Catholic, values-based education.

Circulation is approximately 30,000.

St. Ambrose University—independent,

diocesan, and Catholic—enables its

students to develop intellectually,

spiritually, ethically, socially, artistically

and physically to enrich their own lives and

the lives of others.

St. Ambrose University, 518 W. Locust St.,

Davenport, Iowa 52803.

2920

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The excitement is growing at St. Ambrose, where recently we announced the Building Our Future campaign. We also broke ground on the largest single capital project in university history, the St. Ambrose Wellness and Recreation Center that will open in fall 2017.

The groundbreaking was an especially delightful event because our students turned out in large numbers to share their excitement about these plans.

Students also used this occasion as an opportunity to show their genuine gratitude to the campaign leadership, as well as the Board of Trustees members and many campaign donors in attendance.

You can imagine how proud this made me. It’s not everywhere students in the busy final weeks of their school year will take the time to recognize philanthropic generosity and show they truly understand how much it enriches their college experience.

That happens at St. Ambrose more regularly than you might think. Over a span of just a couple of weeks this spring, numerous students who benefit from scholarship assistance showed their sincere appreciation to their benefactors at such events as

the Freeman Pollard Minority Scholarship Breakfast and the annual Scholarship Luncheon.

To experience this interaction between students and donors is profoundly gratifying. That was especially true as it occurred in the midst of this spring’s historic campaign announcement, which was followed closely by the ever-growing Wine Festival Preview Dinner, where good friends of St. Ambrose contribute so much to our scholarship funds.

Our students “get” the importance of giving. Thankfully, of course, our many generous supporters understand this, too.

In a year when so many great things are happening at—and for—St. Ambrose, these moments when students come to know and appreciate the great friends who help this university grow are satisfying beyond words.

Thank you for your generosity in support of our students.

Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ, PhD

A Message from the PresidentIn Appreciation of Gratitude

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Shannon Rourke ’16 enrolled in theatre at St. Ambrose with dreams of pursuing an acting career, and the newly graduated student from Skokie, Ill., most certainly had a taste of the stage and the spotlight.

She played the lead in the main stage production of Hedda Gabler in February, was Gwendolyn in The Importance of Being Earnest in March of 2015 and also performed in the powerful The Laramie Project as a sophomore in 2014.

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Rourke graduated, however, with her sights set on a career that is less likely to garner audience applause. Working and learning in the do-it-all SAU Theatre Department, the daughter of two backstage veterans of the Chicago theatre scene fell hard for the multi-tasking role of stage manager.

“We’re not on stage, taking the bows by any means,” she said of the critical off-stage assignment. “But we are the ones who make everything happen, who make sure everyone stays on task and knows what is going on.”

Rourke did take a bow—and a significant one—as she wrapped up her academic career at St. Ambrose. In January, she was named the winner of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region V stage management competition. She advanced to the National Festival at the

Do-it-all Role Suits Her Talentsfamed Kennedy Center in Washington DC, in April, an experience she called “unbelievable.”

In the nation’s capital, she toured five theatres and saw two shows. She received career advice and made networking connections with nine theatre professionals and seven fellow regional winners. She also was pleased to share two days of the experience with SAU Theatre Professors Corinne Johnson, PhD, and Kristofer Eitrheim.

“This will lead to career opportunities,” said Rourke, whose parents work as freelance lighting designers in Chicago theatre and also teach the craft. She said stage management now is “absolutely a career focus.”

Rourke applied to St. Ambrose at the urging of friends. “They told me about this wonderful little theatre department at St. Ambrose and said, ‘The department is very small, but they win awards sometimes,’’’ Rourke recalled. “And now they’ve won an award that I am involved in, which is kind of cool.”

It’s the kind of cool that might not have happened had she gone somewhere larger.

“We do everything here,” she noted. “And for stage managing, that’s huge. I don’t think I could have won the award if I hadn’t come here because I was able to start a leadership role my freshman year.”

Learn more about the Theatre Department at sau.edu/scene

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Her title is a mouthful—Athletics Coordinator for Administration,

Travel and Special Events. “Basically, I manage the ‘nuts and bolts,’”

Lybbert said.

That includes often being the point of contact for the Athletics

Department and the coaches of 23 varsity sports. It means

arranging travel, helping organize such events as the NAIA

National Invitation Tournament for dance and cheerleading hosted

by St. Ambrose in March, and working very closely with Athletics

Director Ray Shovlain ’79, ’82 MBA.

“Ray and I collaborate a lot,” she said. “We are intentionally,

literally, feet apart in our workspace.”

All in a DayDo some budgeting. Welcome prospective students. Pay bills. “Can

I get a basketball?” Set up travel to Indiana for the basketball team.

An urgent request to reach coach so-and-so. A call—“Ma’am,

where do I deliver the 1,000 pounds of dance flooring?”

Said a smiling Lybbert, “My days go by fast.”

Bring on the NewUntil recently, Lybbert’s “office” was a 4-feet by 2-feet section of

reception counter in the filled-to-capacity suite of offices SAU

coaches shared with Kinesiology Department members on the

second floor of the PE Center.

In advance of construction on the new Wellness and Recreation

Center, the kinesiology staff relocated to Hayes Hall last fall. So

Lybbert now has the whole counter to herself. Several coaches still

share small offices with graduate assistants. The new construction

will create space for 11 offices, an athletics director’s office, a

conference room, a group area for GAs and dedicated places for

storage.

“We are very excited and looking forward to it greatly,” said

Lybbert.

In the LeadLybbert earned her Master of Organizational Leadership degree

from St. Ambrose last year.

And for Fun?Lybbert cross-stitches, knits and sews, the latter a skill she’s

occasionally put to use on the job. Those uniforms that sat too

long in the dryer, leaving letters all stuck together? Yup. Lybbert is

on it.

Who is SAU?Elizabeth “Beth” Lybbert

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IN THE ARENA

Interns Learn Sport Management By Doing

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o fans of the Quad City Mallards minor league hockey team, Katarina Kaczmarzyk ’16 was known for two things the past two seasons.

The first was her enthusiasm on the microphone while emceeing contests during breaks in the on-ice action.

The second? That was her ability to traverse the ice rink in high-heeled boots.

Her secret for the latter was that it was easier than it looked. Kaczmarzyk only stepped on the ice for between-period promotions, and that was after the hockey players had spent 20 minutes skating the surface to a snowy mush.

Here’s another secret: For the Mallards and other sports and recreation operations in the Quad Cities and elsewhere, St. Ambrose sport management students are an invaluable resource.

“Huge,” Mallards Director of Ticket Sales Zac Wilken said of the impact SAU students have had on the club’s operations. “We are probably the smallest staff in the league as far as full time employees, so we rely on them heavily. What we have found is that St. Ambrose students are extremely reliable.”

Two former SAU interns work full time for the Mallards, who typically provide internships to five SAU sport management students each season. In 2015–16, they also offered paid part-time practical experience for another four, Kaczmarzyk included.

The St. Ambrose sport management program graduates between 10 to 15 students per year and, at any given point in a school year, three to 12 students will be doing the internship that completes their degree.

The Quad City River Bandits minor league baseball club and various municipal parks and recreation departments around the Quad Cities also count on SAU interns. But internship opportunities don’t come strictly from within the region.

“What we have found is that St. Ambrose students are

extremely reliable.” — ZAC WILKEN,

Mallards Director of Ticket Sales

From January through May this year, Jadelyn Agent ’16 interned at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Ariz. The facility’s central function is to serve as spring training home for Major League Baseball’s Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians. In the month of March, every afternoon featured an exhibition baseball game.

“I wore a lot of hats,” Agent said of her internship. Although she worked in marketing and creative services, she was asked to sit in on meetings of all departments. “It’s cool to see how they all work together.”

That, of course, is a central benefit of experiential learning, and a reason the sport management program is one of dozens of St. Ambrose academic programs whose curricula extend outside the classroom and beyond the campus.

Kaczmarzyk’s résumé was bolstered not only by her work in minor league hockey, but also by her final semester internship with the Quad City Raiders, a semi-pro football team owned in part by Jerry Harland ’14, himself a sport marketing major who interned with the Raiders.

Kaczmarzyk will begin working with a promotions company in Florida this summer. She said her collegiate opportunity for experiential learning helped her quickly land the position.

“We’re very fortunate being in the Quad Cities,” she said. “There are lots of opportunities for sport management majors.”

Learn more about sport management at sau.edu/scene

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A body in motion tends to stay in motion. More than just a law of gravity, that is one of Kevin Farrell’s core beliefs.

“Use it or you lose it,” he said of the human body. “It’s plain and simple.”

Promoting the health benefits of aerobic exercise has been a mission for Farrell ’84, PT, PhD, OCS,

FAAOMPT, from his time as an SAU student through his current role as a professor in the St. Ambrose Doctor of Physical Therapy program and chair of the Orthopaedic Residency Program.

Farrell grew up active as the son of a high school teacher who coached nearly every available sport in Goose Lake, Iowa. As a member of the Fighting Bees basketball team, he was among the first to compete in the PE Center when it opened in 1983.

Farrell came to St. Ambrose to pursue a degree in biology, with one eye on following his father into teaching and coaching. The other eye was looking toward medical school, but when Farrell met a member of the Bees softball team, the years it would take to become a medical doctor and the hours such a career would demand quickly became less appealing.

He subsequently married that softball player, Anne (Lammers) Farrell ’84, and his interest in healthcare turned to pursuing a certificate in physical therapy from the University of Iowa. He later earned master’s and doctoral degrees from Iowa, as well.

In 1992, after four years as a practicing physical therapist, Farrell fused his passions for therapy and teaching by returning to St. Ambrose to join the new Physical Therapy program. It was Farrell’s interest in aerobic activity and its practical health value that sparked his interest in therapy. His interest in, and undeniable affinity for, teaching was inherited—at home and at St. Ambrose.

“It’s something I grew up with—the educational process, the mindset,” he said. “I had some very influential instructors who showed me how to set a good balance: put the students’ interests first and do whatever you can to help them learn.”

Voted Graduate Professor of the Year in 2012, 2007 and 2001, Farrell said teaching in the classroom is not radically different from practicing physical therapy. “As a therapist, I’m

by Dustin Renwick ’10

motionTeaching the Value of

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teaching patients everyday—how to take care of themselves, how to exercise, how to avoid re-injury,” he said. “My philosophy is to do what I can to help people get where they want to go.”

Farrell also works as a therapist for Rock Valley Physical Therapy and, in his “spare time,” he doesn’t stop moving—whether that’s cycling on the St. Ambrose Alumni RAGBRAI team, hiking the Rocky Mountain National Park or just walking around his neighborhood.

“Physical, mental, spiritual,” he said of the many benefits of healthy lifestyle. “It all ties together. That’s what we try to teach our students. You have to have a balance in life. You can’t just study. You can’t just exercise.”

Because Farrell believes the new Wellness and Recreation Center will help future St. Ambrose students achieve such a balance, he last year co-chaired a campaign initiative seeking faculty and staff support. The effort surpassed its

goal in less than a month’s time, with more than 170 employees pledging in excess of $270,000.

“Everybody here recognizes the need,” Farrell said. “The entire campus is behind it.”

Learn more about the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at sau.edu/scene

facultyPROFILE

Physical, mental, spiritual.

It all ties together.

That’s what we try

to teach our students.

You have to have a

balance in life.

You can’t just study.

You can’t just exercise.

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by Ted Stephens III ’01, ’04

A Week in the Life of the President(One of) Sister Joan’s

‘Best Weeks Ever’

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that 50 years ago she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. The journey has been humbling. Grace-filled. “Even spectacular,” she told me.

It also led her to St. Ambrose University. To this academic institution that seeks to enrich lives. And open doors to the future.

But at this moment, it is 7:42 a.m. on Monday, April 4, and Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ, PhD, is opening the door to her office, tucked away in Ambrose Hall. She has an extra lift to her step, and gratitude in her heart. For, today is the start of one of the “Best Weeks Ever.” Over the course of one week, she’ll help announce an ambitious capital campaign, break ground on a new Wellness and Recreation Center, participate in the spring Board of Trustees meeting, and celebrate her Golden Jubilee as a sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet.

Plus, she’ll have an opportunity to spend time with some of her best friends.

And you and I get to go along for the ride.

Monday, April 42:15 p.m. (on the dot) The Most Reverend Martin J. Amos, Bishop of the Diocese of Davenport, and Chair of the St. Ambrose Board of Trustees, walks into the President’s Office. He’s happy—excited, actually, for the week ahead. (It is one of the Best Weeks Ever, after all.)

Kathy Anderson ’01, Sister Joan’s senior assistant, and Jan Stafford, executive assistant, greet the Bishop. They talk about the flurry of activity and final preparations for the fundraising campaign announcement, the groundbreaking of the new Wellness and Recreation Center, and Sister Joan’s Jubilee Mass on Sunday. Soon, however, it is down to business. Into the office and the door is shut. He’s here, after all, to talk about the Board of Trustees meeting on Friday.

“This week is the culmination of months of work,” Sister Joan tells me. “We will be fine-tuning everything up until the very last minute so that we can facilitate the work of our Trustees.”

She continues. “You know, every week that involves having a board meeting at the end of it is crucial, not just for me as president, but for the entire university,” she notes. “The board is our highest governing authority. They make final decisions that will impact our well being—that’s a tremendous responsibility.”

Especially this week.An hour later, the Bishop emerges from Sister Joan’s office.

Both seem happy. Both clearly energized. Both with things to get done.

As a 17-year-old high school senior, Joan Lescinski quietly hoped for all the

things a typical young woman her age wanted growing up in the 1950s.

Happiness. Success. Acceptance. Marriage.

The first three she found. The fourth, well, didn’t turn out as she expected.

For, instead of an engagement ring, she received a call.

To serve God.

And so it came to be

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4:30 p.m. (again, on the dot) One might say that Sister Joan is joined at the hip by her two assistants every week, but particularly this week. As faculty and staff begin to leave their offices and head home for the day, Kathy walks into Sister Joan’s office. There’s a lot to coordinate, and no detail can be left to chance.

Kathy has a list, and one by one, the two of them go down it. “It is a very efficient process,” Kathy says to me afterward. “And we’ve been doing this for quite some time, so we have a good rhythm to it.”

The main topic of conversation this evening: technology. At the request of the Board of Trustees in 2009, St. Ambrose went entirely paperless for their board meetings and retreats. Materials are uploaded to a secure online management system. Wireless Chromebooks are even made available for board members during the meeting so they can access documents.

Tuesday, April 51:02 p.m. Every week, Sister Joan meets with her direct reports, which includes the university’s vice presidents, as well as program directors like Rev. Chuck Adam ’82 and Coach Ray Shovlain ’79, ’82 MBA. This morning, she’s meeting with Vice President for Enrollment Management John Cooper to go over enrollment reports, and talk about the presentation that Royall & Company will give during the Board of Trustees meeting. The enrollment management firm, she explains, works with the university on its recruitment strategy.

“Trust,” Sister Joan tells me, “allows for meetings I would characterize as ‘spirited discussion.’”

“When I hire people who report directly to the President’s Office, the first thing I say to them is, ‘Don’t worry if you make a mistake. We all make mistakes. Just be honest about it, and then let’s find a way to figure out both how it happened, and how we can be better at our work,’” she says.

She pauses. “I work with some extraordinary people—people who are incredibly competent at what they do. I’m grateful. Our university is very lucky.”

One of those people is Coach Ray, who on-campus can be overheard daily saying that he is, “Great as always.” And great he always is. When he walks into the President’s Office, he greets Kathy and Jan, and his boisterous demeanor shifts. He quietly sits—with an air of respect—as he waits for the door to open for his weekly meeting. The meeting begins. There is a sense of joy and excitement in the air.

“Years and years—decades and decades, actually—are culminating into this week,” Sister Joan says, happy with anticipation of the groundbreaking for the Wellness and Recreation Center. “When we see each other, we nearly always end with, ‘Well done, my friend. Well done.’ You see, Coach Ray helped dream the dream, and shape it to become a reality. He helped me believe that, together, we could build this building. We could indeed make it happen.”

Dreams don’t always become reality. But in this case, they are about to.

Wednesday, April 6 7 a.m. (on the dot) Kathy and Jan haven’t arrived in the office yet, but Sister Joan is sitting comfortably in her office chair, double checking the call-in number and pin for a board meeting—though this board meeting has nothing to do with St. Ambrose. She is a member, you see, of the Board of Trustees at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y.

“Service on another college board lets me see what trustees need,” she tells me. “I learn so much about how we can create the best atmosphere for decision making for the women and men this university has chosen to make the most important decisions we face at St. Ambrose.”

9:43 a.m. Sister Joan reaches the top of the stairs of the Rogalski Center and pauses a moment, not to catch her breath, but to take in what is about to happen. Today, the university is publicly announcing the launch of the largest single capital project in its nearly 135-year history. With $13 million raised and $5.5 million

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to go, it is (finally) time to share the good news with the greater Quad Cities community.

As she takes her place next to two of the campaign co-chairs, Barbara (Bush) and Mike Johnson (at left), to begin the news conference, Sister Joan seems elated. The smile on her face shows two things: pride, yes. But also gratitude. “This announcement wouldn’t be

happening today without the support of so many Ambrosians,” she says.

She walks up to the podium. The cameras are aimed at her. She looks out at the crowd, and sees faculty, staff, students and members of the Board of Trustees who made this moment possible. “The time has come for us to build better facilities to serve the physical well being of our students,” she declares. “Adding state-of-the-art wellness, recreation and athletic facilities is part of ensuring a robust and thriving St. Ambrose for years to come. A St. Ambrose,” she adds, “that will serve

the whole student.” Moments later, a virtual tour of the 80,000-square-foot

Wellness and Recreation Center begins. If only buildings could be built as quickly as the video shows. But in 16 months, it will be ready for student use.

10:55 a.m.The news conference is done. Interviews have been given. WQAD, the local ABC news affiliate in the Quad Cities, is broadcasting live from the Rogalski Center. Sister Joan, along with Barb and Mike Johnson, rush over to the President’s Office to try and catch the live telecast.

11:04 a.m. The campaign announcement is the top story on the 11 a.m. news. As the group crowds around Sister Joan’s 12-inch TV—the kind you would have found in a Rohlman Hall dormitory in 1998—she clicks over to

channel 8. They just miss the story, but stand around and talk not just about the momentous day, but about the work that is to come.

“We are so grateful for your leadership,” she tells the Johnsons as they say good-bye.

Sister Joan returns to her desk, and settles into her chair for an afternoon of preparation and meetings. She double-checks that the menu is set for the dinner she will host in her home—something she does often. Tonight, she’s hosting special guests.

And afterward, is hoping that maybe, just maybe, she’ll have a few minutes of quiet.

Thursday, April 7 2:16 p.m.It’s a big day in the university’s history (if that isn’t stating the obvious).

With a morning of board committee meetings behind her, Sister Joan emerges from the Rogalski Center to the cheers of several hundred students, staff, faculty and guests. The atmosphere is festive. Almost down-right rowdy. It is the kind of cheering and clapping you’d find during a football playoff game.

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Sister Joan spots two students who will speak during the groundbreaking ceremony, Jennifer Lopez and Devin Hartman (left). Amidst the joy of the moment, there is also concern. “Are you two warm enough?” she asks them. Even

though it is spring, it is also, well, Iowa. The weather is chilly, the skies overcast. At least there wasn’t any rain.

“We’re good,” Devin tells her. “Just excited for this day to be here,” Jennifer adds. The ceremony begins. Speeches are given. Ceremonial golden

shovels dig into the earth. Dirt is overturned. And officially, construction on the new building is underway.

As Jennifer and Devin leave the groundbreaking, Sister Joan watches them go. “Students are at the heart of every thing we do, and the quality of their experience here is the reason for this space.”

5:56 p.m. It’s time to party! Well, sort of.

Standing near the front door to the community gathering space in Christ the King Chapel, Sister Joan greets about 80 guests for a special social to celebrate the groundbreaking, and welcome the Board of Trustees to campus. With the construction site just down the hill, it is the perfect spot to talk about the university’s future, and the pending board meeting.

Friday, April 8 6:58 a.m.The board “to-do lists” are nearly completed. The Chromebooks are being set-up. The coffee pot is on. Final preparations are taking place for the morning Board of Trustees meetings.

At 8 a.m. (on the dot) the doors to the Rogalski Center Ballroom shut, and the meetings begin. The board will work up until the lunch hour, and then again into the afternoon.

Sister Joan emerges from the Rogalski Center late in the day,

and heads toward her car. “Now, I get the chance to inhale. And exhale,” she says to me. “And welcome two of my dearest, best friends to the Quad Cities for the weekend. I can’t wait to see Kitty and Sean.”

That’s Sister Sean Peters, CSJ and Sister Katherine Hanley, CSJ. They are two of Sister Joan’s best friends—women whom she met during those first formative years in the novitiate. “They live in Albany,” Sister Joan says to me. “I have known Sister Sean every single day that I have been a sister. We were both educated to be teachers, and both earned our doctoral degrees so that we could teach at the College of Saint Rose.”

Sister Joan got to know Kitty, on the other hand, during her second year in the novitiate. “She was the youngest PhD in our community. And she is one of the finest teachers I ever had. I learned a great deal from her.”

A moment passes. “These two friends couldn’t be more similar, and yet more

different,” she tells me. “Our deep, long-lasting friendship has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. They are my two closest friends. Saturday we’ll pass the day sharing stories and laughing.”

The time with her friends isn’t on Sister Joan’s official schedule. It is, however, officially blocked off. Presidents need time for rest—and laughter—too.

Saturday, April 9 6:44 p.m.Sister Joan arrives at the annual Wine Festival Preview Dinner. She’s hard to spot (not because of her height), but because amidst the sea of alumni and supporters of the university, she’s darting in and out of conversations, talking to attendees about the historic week that St. Ambrose has just had, and thanking them for their generosity to the university. Chief among those she’s talking to are Ed and Molly Carroll and Kurt and Kristyn Tjaden, the co-chairs of the preview dinner.

“What a week this has been,” she can be overheard saying. There is a glass of red wine in her hand, but it has barely touched her lips.

The evening commences. A live auction begins. And the Oktoberfest Reception and Beer Tasting that Sister Joan has contributed to the night’s bidding—valued at “priceless”—is so popular that she agrees to add another package to the bidding, doubling the dollars raised to support student scholarships.

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Sunday, April 10 10:25 a.m. The regular 10:30 a.m. student Mass is about to begin in Christ the King Chapel.

In March, Sister Joan traveled back to New York to participate in the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet’s annual renewal of vows. Today in celebration of her Golden Jubilee, with four of her sisters from her community in attendance, she will renew the vows she took so long ago.

A vow of poverty, which calls Sister Joan to live simply and not to seek happiness in material goods.

A vow of religious chastity, which calls her to love all persons without distinction.

And a vow of obedience, which calls her to listen to her religious superiors, her community, and the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

In truth, Sister Joan has renewed these vows more than 50 times—whenever a member of the community takes her vows, so too will some of her sisters stand and recite them with her.

“Every time I say these words, what comes to my mind and to my heart is overwhelming gratitude,” she tells me.

“Is there a particular moment that comes to mind?” I ask her. “No. It isn’t a moment. It is a sense of gratefulness that

overcomes me. Religious life is a gift that was given to me. I’m humbled to have been given this gift, and to have the grace to live it,” she says. “The most important characteristic for me as president is the understanding that leadership is not power. It is service, to St. Ambrose—and to wherever God leads me in the future.”

In the front pews are a number of dignitaries, including

friends and colleagues such as Augustana College President Steven Bahls, and St. Ambrose President Emeritus Edward Rogalski and his wife, Bobbi.

After the Mass, there is an informal reception, and Sister Joan stays for hours. Although it is overcast outside, the Chapel gathering space is filled with laughter, easy conversation, and many hugs for Sister Joan. Around 1:33 p.m., the last of the guests begin to pull on their coats, at which point Sister Joan gets ready to leave Christ the King alongside her sisters. “What a week it has been,” she says. “It really has been one of the Best Weeks Ever.”

The rest of the day will be spent with her friends, and in the evening, in quiet time and prayer. Because, ready or not, Monday is just around the corner.

Top photo, left to right: Sister Joan with members of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet: Sister Sean Peters, CSJ; Sister Mir iam Ukeritis, CSJ; Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ; Sister Danielle Bone t ti, CSJ; and Sister K atherine Hanley, CSJ.

Below: scenes from Sister Joan’s Golden Jubilee.

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The Johnsons enthusiastically joined voices to

reveal that more than $13 million of the campaign goal

already has been pledged.

“The impressive total raised so far for this project

includes several leadership gifts of $1 million or more,”

Mike Johnson said. “Some of those leadership donors

wish to remain anonymous. Four are allowing us to

share news about their leadership gifts, in hopes they

might inspire others to support our campaign.”

One such gift honors Patricia and John “Jack” Bush,

and is being given by their sons and daughters and

their spouses: Barbara (Bush) and Mike Johnson, Peter

’99 MBA and Julie Bush, Greg Bush, Larry Bush, Joseph

and Mary “Katie” Bush, Thomas and Susan Bush,

and Mary (Bush) and Timothy Walsh ’08 MBA; and

by members of the extended McCarthy-Bush family,

Frank and Ann McCarthy.

The Johnsons also announced a generous gift from

fellow co-chairs Beth (Figge) ’86 and Brian Lemek ’86.

Both families represent “a new generation of

Grey skies and cool early spring

temperatures didn’t stop hundreds of

St. Ambrose students, faculty, staff,

alumni and community supporters from celebrating a

bright future outside the Rogalski Center on April 7.

Ground was broken that day for a new

80,000-square-foot Wellness and Recreation Center

adjacent to the PE Center.

A day earlier, plans for the state-of-the-art facility

were unveiled when Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ, PhD,

university president, announced the launch of the

public phase of the Building Our Future campaign.

The Wellness and Recreation Center is the priority

project of the $18.5 million campaign.

The facility represents the largest single capital

project in university history.

Sister Joan was joined for the campaign

announcement by Vice President for Advancement Jim

Stangle ’82 and Campaign Co-Chairs Mike and Barbara

Johnson.

Celebrating a Bright Future

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St. Ambrose philanthropic and volunteer leadership,”

Sister Joan said.

Barbara Johnson and the Lemeks are members of

the Board of Trustees, and Barbara and Beth each

follow in the footsteps of their late fathers in service

to St. Ambrose. “Jack” Bush and John Figge were

St. Ambrose trustees emeriti, as well as leaders of

families with long histories as university benefactors.

Noted as well at the April 6 news conference

were gifts to the Building Our Future campaign from

the Richard McCarthy Trust and from Joyce and Joe

O’Rourke. The late Richard McCarthy was a 1946

St. Ambrose graduate. McCarthy Hall is named in his

honor. Joe O’Rourke is a 1972 St. Ambrose graduate,

a member of the Board of Trustees and a member of

the campaign council. His family helped to fund Jim’s

Place, the St. Ambrose assistive technology house that

honors their brother Jim O’Rourke.

The campaign leadership also includes honorary

chairs Jim ’56 and Mary Hagen. Jim is a trustee

emeritus. Hagen Hall is named in the couple’s honor.

Sister Joan said the Building Our Future campaign

also has received support from several “first-time

major donors,” many who were especially inspired to

“make this dream of a new Wellness Center a reality.”

On April 7, students, faculty, staff and SAU

supporters turned out to celebrate the ceremonial

groundbreaking. Davenport Mayor Frank Klipsch

praised the St. Ambrose leadership and Board of

Trustees for continuing to invest in a campus that

long has served as an anchor for the city’s Hilltop

neighborhood.

The mayor noted the Wellness and Recreation

Center project adds to the $200 million in overall

annual economic impact a recent study showed the

university has on the local economy. Officials estimate

that the new construction project alone will have an

additional economic impact of nearly $43 million and

create 300 jobs in the community.

“Think about that,” the mayor said. “St. Ambrose is

not just a great academic institution in our midst. It is

a great economic generator for our community.”

Learn more about the Building Our Future campaign, the campaign’s leaders and the two April events at sau.edu/scene

From left: Bishop Martin Amos, Barbara and Mike Johnson, Brian and Beth Lemek, Sr. Joan Lescinski, Mayor Frank Klipsch, Joe O’Rourke.

16

Bouncing from class to the cafeteria to the court was a standard school night routine for Matt Hayes ’99, ’00 MBA during his time at St. Ambrose.

“That was my social life,” said Hayes, a self-described SAU gym rat who proudly hangs the Intramural Athlete of the Year plaque he was awarded as a senior on a wall of the “man cave” in his basement. “I didn’t go down Harrison Street. I just went down to Lee Lohman.”

Occasionally, though, Hayes found more time to socialize than he preferred. More than once, he remembers waiting hours on the sidelines to play pick-up basketball and still never taking the court. “You’d hit the weight room, run some laps, and never get to play,” Hayes said.

Nonetheless, Hayes emphatically said he loved all of his St. Ambrose experience. That’s why he is an enthusiastic supporter of the Building Our Future campaign, for which construction of an 80,000-square-foot St. Ambrose Wellness and Recreation Center is the priority focus.

Hayes is among a large group of alumni donors to the $18.5 million campaign who understand the impact the new facility can have for the experiences of future St. Ambrose students. As important is the impact it will have on the future of the university itself.

“It’s going to be fantastic,” said Board of Trustees member and campaign donor Tom Berthel ’74. “This is just going to put us light years ahead.”

Emma (Crino) Folland ’08 has joined with her husband, D.J., in making their first pledge to a capital campaign. She is especially motivated because, as a member of the Student Government Association from 2006 through 2008, Folland and fellow SGA members discussed the need for new recreational facilities with Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ,

PhD, university president, and with Sister Joan’s predecessor, Edward Rogalski, PhD.

Folland said she understood then that other growth priorities first needed to be addressed. She is pleased—and excited—that the time is now for the Wellness and Recreation Center.

“I just think it is going to benefit so many people,” she said of the building that is scheduled to open in fall 2017. “It is worth it to give back.”

Hayes said he is pleased he can help rectify the busy schedule that continues to challenge PE Center users today. “I love St. Ambrose and I want to see them be successful in every way possible,” Hayes said. “The reason I am so passionate about this project is that I am exactly the type of student who would be using this great new facility.”

One type, certainly. But not the only type.

St. Ambrose Wellness and Recreation Center: ‘A Game Changer’

by Craig DeVrieze

17

Serving Three RoommatesThe beauty of the new facility is the multi-

purpose versatility that will address the wants and needs of almost any student.

“With a building this size, there is a great opportunity to build to suit multiple constituencies and to do so consistent with current trends in recreation, athletics and kinesiology,” said Jack Patton, a principal architect at RDG Planning and Design, the Des Moines, Iowa, firm that designed the Wellness and Recreation Center.

RDG designed the new space in consultation with St. Ambrose leadership, and after multiple meetings to gather input about internal and external constituent expectations for the single most ambitious capital project in university history.

An advisory committee chaired by Vice President for Finance Mike Poster ’88 brought together representatives from the Board of Trustees, community, faculty and staff to give input about the design process for the center. Alumni and community volunteers who served on the council included: Ned Bergert ’79, Tom Berthel ’74, Peter Bush MBA ’99, Leonard Cervantes ’70, Adam Gentz ’97, Greg Gowey, Ann O’Donnell ’91, D.O., Kevin Rose ’79, Bill Sueppel ’81, Phil Waters ’80 and Lawrence Weldon.

Last fall, Poster led a group on a tour of wellness and recreational centers at five regional campuses—Olivet Nazarene University, Monmouth College, North Central College, the University of Dubuque and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Poster said the group found some features they collectively liked, some they did not, and, importantly, discov-ered that no two facilities were constructed with

entirely common goals and constituencies in mind.The St. Ambrose Board of Trustees outlined

construction of the facility as the university’s highest capital priority after the development of the 2011 Master Plan. Since then, Poster said St. Ambrose leaders have made it a collective imperative to create a space that meets the needs of three groups:> students focused on extracurricular wellness and

recreation activities,> student-athletes,> and students majoring in kinesiology, sport

management and exercise science.“The architect used the imagery of having

three roommates sharing the same space,” Poster

explained. “And that is how we approached this. We’re not saying any one ‘roommate’ is more important than the other. But I think it’s safe to say, that, at various times of the day, one group’s needs will be primary.”

RDG’s Patton said the sheer size of the new facility—particularly a field-house section that accounts for three-quarters of the new building—

18

makes meeting the needs of all three groups a fairly manageable challenge.

“I think the building design captures solutions that meet the need to overlap and be multi-purpose,” he said. “There are very few spaces in this building that will be specific to any one group. But they will feel specific to each group when they use them. The building needs to be a master of many things but we wanted to make sure we didn’t make it a jack-of-all-trades.”

If necessary, Patton noted, the field house could accommodate an indoor track meet while, at that same time, recreational games and/or varsity sports practices take place on four interior courts. Motor-operated netting would separate each section.

Beyond the field house will be a 5,200-square foot, two-story weight and cardio training center dedicated solely to general campus use. (A second training room, a smaller version of the existing weight room, will be part of a concurrent PE Center renovation. That room can be scheduled for athletics use only, but also will be available to the general campus population when not in use by a team, Poster said.)

The new building also will include four large classrooms and a physiology lab that will serve the growing kinesiology and exercise science programs. A clubroom will accommodate meetings and athletics gatherings. It also will be home to the Athletics Hall of Fame.

“We wanted it to be a very functional space,” Poster said of the entire structure. “And I think we got there.”

Importantly, the new building will fit the campus’ overall look. The facility’s exterior will consist of brick, glass and cast stone. A half-barrel roof will serve both function and aesthetics, said Patton, whose firm recently designed wellness and

The building needs to be a master of many things,

but we wanted to make sure we didn’t make it a jack-of-all-trades.

‘‘ ’’

19

recreation centers at the University of Iowa and at Iowa State University, among others.

“The curvature of the roof is really going to be a neat element that will make this unique compared to other campus buildings,” Poster said. “But being brick, it is going to fit in with other buildings around it.”

The Future is NowJim Stangle ’82, vice president for advancement,

said he and his staff have been gratified by the great response the Building Our Future campaign has received from alumni and university supporters. To date, more than $13 million has been pledged toward the $18.5 million goal.

“The Wellness and Recreation Center is something that has been needed for more than a generation and people are happy to see it finally come to fruition,” Stangle said. “Donors are particularly excited to support this because it does benefit the entire campus community.”

Sister Joan expressed confidence the campaign will reach its goal precisely because the need is obvious and the support is spread wide.

“We know we have the need,” she said. “We know we have the momentum to meet that need. Now is the time.”

Trustee Berthel’s SAU career pre-dated the opening of a PE Center that was too small almost the day it opened in 1983.

Gradually, St. Ambrose has grown beyond Berthel’s expectations. Today, he sees a modern campus with residence halls as good or better than any in Iowa, as well as a large library and renovated chapel. Modern classroom space has been added at the Center for Health Sciences Education at Genesis and in McCarthy Hall, which will overlook the new building on the north end of campus. Updated classrooms in Ambrose and Lewis Halls also meet the needs and expectations of millennial students.

First-class recreational facilities are the next logical step toward the future, Berthel said.

“The Rogalski Center to me was one of the biggest lifts to the campus look and culture,” he said. “This building will have the same effect. I think it will be a game changer.”

Learn more about the Building Our Future campaign at sau.edu/scene

Jenny Lopez and Anthony Peters just may walk their way to the Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro in August, but, if they don’t, their St. Ambrose track and field coach is convinced his two Fighting Bees national champions can certainly stride to Tokyo in 2020.

For each young athlete, preparation for a long walk in Japan happily would include countless training laps around a state-of-the-art indoor track in the new St. Ambrose Wellness and Recreation Center.

In March, Lopez and Peters each won their respective 3,000-meter race-walk finals at the NAIA Indoor National Track and Field Championships. Weeks later, both met rigid qualifying standards for entry into the U.S. Olympic Trials in Oregon in June. The next step is a big one: qualify for the U.S. team that will travel to this summer’s games in Brazil.

Earning a trip to Rio is sure to be a challenge against older, more experienced athletes, said SAU Head Track Coach Dan Tomlin ’05, ’10 MBA. Barring that, he said, reaching the Olympics four years from now in Japan is a very realistic goal for both student-athletes.

“I think Anthony’s best chance is going to come in 2020, when he’s

stronger and more mature as an athlete,” Tomlin said. “Likewise, for Jenny.”

Plus, he said, “Between 2017 and 2020 they will be training year-round in a facility that will suit their competitive needs. It is exactly what they need. It’s an ideal training facility that can be used 12 months a year.”

You don’t need to be an Olympic-caliber athlete, of course, to be excited about the fall 2017 opening of the new St. Ambrose Wellness and Recreation Center.

You don’t even have to be a student-athlete, because the new facility is designed to serve the entire student body and all of the St. Ambrose community.

“We have made construction of this facility the foremost priority of the Building Our Future campaign because it will benefit all students,” stressed Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ, PhD, president of St. Ambrose. “The health and well being of every single member of our campus community is so important, and we are pleased to provide a modern and welcoming place where all of our students can study, socialize, work and play in comfort and convenience.”

Devin Hartman, a junior work study student in Campus Recreation as well as an active participant in intramurals,

A Facility Fit for a Gold MedalStudents Eager to Welcome New Wellness and Recreation Center in 2017

by Craig DeVrieze

20

“It’s going to be the state of the art

facility in the area.”

— DEVIN HARTMAN

is extremely excited about the new addition to campus life.

“Just to see the design plans around campus and know we will have all that room is great,” said Hartman, an exercise science major who will enroll in the SAU Doctor of Physical Therapy program after his May 2018 graduation. “I think we will be able to pull more students to St. Ambrose when we have that. It’s going to be the state of the art facility in the area. I think it’s going to be a big draw.”

Hartman certainly understands the benefits the new center will bring. As a fitness-focused student, he struggles to find space at peak hours in the crowded weight and cardio room currently available in the PE Center. A 5,200-square-foot, two-story training center in the new facility will be dedicated to general student use. Athletics teams will use the existing weight room in a renovated section of the PE Center.

As a Campus Rec coordinator and participant, meanwhile, Hartman said weeknight events that currently start at 8:30 p.m. and conclude at 11:30 p.m. are less than ideal for students. “Being able to have four more courts in the new building means we can schedule more

21

Jenny Lopez and Anthony Peters

22

games and not have to go nearly as late,” he said.

Madison Schramer, a junior majoring in nursing, isn’t likely ever to bounce a ball on a court. “I am a very non-athletic person,” she conceded. She values her health, however, and so works out on a regular basis and makes use of the many group fitness classes offered by Campus Recreation.

Accustomed to a “super, super nice” commercial fitness center back home, Schramer has made do with a treadmill and two elliptical cycles in a North

Hall cardio room. When she can, she joins the group fitness courses held in the kinesiology fitness lab in Hayes Hall. With a limit of 15 people per class due to the

lab’s small size, that’s not always easy. The added space the new facility will provide will be very welcomed.

“For a change, it’s an advantage to be an underclassman,” Schramer said, looking forward to 2017. “All the upperclassmen are jealous.”

Julia O’Conner, a second-year student majoring in kinesiology, also will enroll in the Doctor of Physical Therapy graduate program after she earns her undergraduate degree in 2019. She said she was attracted to St. Ambrose by the Center for Health Sciences Education at Genesis, a building equipped with new technologies and one that is the envy of many universities.

Kinesiology facilities in Hayes Hall pale by comparison, but O’Conner can accept the current accommodations, knowing considerably better kinesiology space is coming. The new building will include four classrooms and a physiology/exercise science lab equipped with cutting-edge equipment.

“I definitely think having up-to-date technology will help me learn more before I join the DPT program,” she said. “I think I’ll be able to draw a lot from that.”

For student-athletes who comprise nearly a third of the entire undergraduate student population, the St. Ambrose Wellness and Recreation

“For a change, it’s an advantage to be an underclassman. All the

upperclassmen are jealous.”—MADISON SCHRAMER

23

Center also will bring significant benefits, of course. Athletes will have access to a weight room all their own. And, for the basketball and volleyball teams particularly, more flexible practice schedules will better accommodate their academic schedules.

The new building also will provide an on-campus place to practice for an SAU dance team that has won three national titles in the past five years. Currently, both the dance squad and cheerleading teams practice in a small gymnasium at the St. Vincent’s Center, two blocks from campus.

In March of this year, the dance and cheer teams combined to host the NAIA National Invitational Tournament in their respective sports. The 22 visiting teams and hundreds of athletes, coaches and parents who came to Davenport gathered not on the SAU campus, however, but in downtown Davenport.

“It would have been nice to host it here on campus,” said junior dancer Kaci Greenleaf, whose squad won the NAIA crown for a second straight year.

That is just another reason she is excited to see construction begin on the new building. “I am eager to see what it’s going to be like and I will use it,” Greenleaf added. “I think it will make for a better college experience.”

Speaking of national champions, Peters and Lopez, as well as their dozens of teammates, are looking forward to having a true indoor track and field facility. The 200-meter track will allow for effective winter training and racing. Pits for long jumpers, triple jumpers and pole vaulters will allow Tomlin’s Bees to host indoor meets.

A year ago, Lopez and Peters trained prior to the indoor nationals on an indoor track an hour east of the Quad Cities. This year, the entire team worked out ahead of the national meet on the spongy turf at the Ambrose Dome.

“Practicing in the Dome is really hard,” Lopez said. “Getting the track is really exciting. It will add to our campus and maybe we’ll get more recruits.”

Peters already was a nationally known race walker and age-group champion

when he enrolled at St. Ambrose. He primarily was drawn to the school’s academic programs, but it helped that St. Ambrose was close to his Bartlett, Ill., home and able to field a competitive collegiate race walking program.

Now, his choice is looking even better. After all, as seniors, Peters and Lopez may be working (and walking) toward Tokyo in a facility worthy of a gold medal.

Learn more about the Wellness and Recreation Center at sau.edu/scene

24

alumniPROFILE

by Craig DeVrieze

Here’s a twist on the headlines you often

read regarding big-time college athletics:

Lizz (Ciprian) Erickson ’90 gave up a new

car to play basketball at St. Ambrose.

As a record-setting member of Lisa

Bluder’s powerhouse St. Ambrose women’s

basketball teams of the late 1980s,

Erickson had ample motivation to want to

be (and remain) a Queen Bee.

Not initially, however.

“My dad kind of bribed me to go to

St. Ambrose,” said Erickson, who had

planned to give up basketball after high

school. “He said, ‘If you don’t like it there,

I’ll buy you a car and you can transfer

someplace else.’ Obviously, I never

transferred, and I loved it there.”

And?

“I never got the car,” she said.

Instead, she got so much more.

Winning 121 of 132 career games,

reaching the Elite Eight of the NAIA

Nationals all four years and playing in the

Final Four each of the last two campaigns

helped forge lifelong Queen Bees’

friendships.

Driven to be a Queen Bee—Then and Now

Lizz (Ciprian) Erickson was a four-year starter on

Queen Bees teams that lost just 11 times in 132 games.

25

As she travels for business, Erickson

frequently visits with old teammates such

as Cindy Born ’92 in San Diego, Carleen

Forler ’89 in Washington DC, and Robin

(Becker) Pingeton ’90 in Columbia, Mo.

Erickson also made friends for a lifetime

off the court. Every few winters, she

and friends she made in classrooms and

residence halls take a trip somewhere

warm. This past fall, she and 13

classmates returned to SAU for their 25th

Homecoming reunion.

“I have siblings and friends who went to

Big Ten schools, and they just don’t stay in

touch with their friends from college like I

do,” she said. “They are all so jealous that

I have such a great group of friends from

St. Ambrose.”

Erickson’s appreciation for her

St. Ambrose experience shows in the

ways she has chosen to help shape the

experiences of future SAU students and

athletes.

She is a member of the Athletics

Advisory Council, a group that meets with

members of the Athletics Department

twice each year to review existing

programs and share input to improve

them. She also is among the first of several

former Fighting Bees to join the Athletics

Team Captain program, an initiative

through which former athletes will reach

out to better engage fellow alumni.

Both roles make use of the leadership

skills Erickson displayed as a Queen Bees

point guard, along with the people skills

she has developed throughout a career in

sales.

Since 2007, Erickson has been key

account manager for SPRI Products, which

markets premium fitness equipment. She

currently works with national commercial

clients such as Lifetime Fitness and 24

Hour Fitness. Previously, she helped equip

new wellness and recreation centers at

the University of Iowa and Illinois State

University.

Her former role enhances Erickson’s

appreciation for recently announced plans

to build a Wellness and Recreation Center

at St. Ambrose. “Students expect quality

recreational facilities,” she said. “This really

is an important step for St. Ambrose.”

Erickson remains active herself. She

continues to play basketball, volleyball

and softball. She also plays golf with

her husband as frequently as their busy

schedules allow. Always, she said, she

plays to win, which, after all, became a

habit as a Queen Bee.

“It has made me a better salesperson

because I’m so competitive,” she said. “I

learned that from having great teammates

and coaching at St. Ambrose.”

Read more about Athletics Alumni initiatives at sau.edu/scene

alumniPROFILE

26

alumniNEWS

Anne Gannaway recalls that when she began her work as the director of alumni engagement and special events four years ago, “I could see that we had an involved alumni base, that we hosted a lot of events, and we offered some good volunteer opportunities.

“But we wanted to understand how we could make those experiences even more meaningful—and align them with the mission and strategic priorities of the university.”

Because alumni are among the greatest champions of a St. Ambrose education, enlisting their help to encourage potential new student enrollment made good sense.

That idea led to a partnership between the offices of Alumni Engagement and Admissions. Working with Lisa Stanforth ’16 MBA, assistant director of first-year admissions and alumni liaison, alumni this year have begun

serving as ambassadors for the university at college fairs, and sometimes, even during campus visits.

“From Peoria to Milwaukee and even as far away as India, alumni are joining our admissions counselors to talk about their experiences at the university,” Gannaway said. “Lisa has been tremendous to work with, offering opportunities that I believe will bring a new generation of Ambrosians into the university, and in a few years, into our alumni family, too.”

Katie Zorn ’15 welcomed the opportunity to tell students at her former high school about her great St. Ambrose experience.

“I spoke to prospective students about how, from the first time I stepped on campus, I felt welcomed and how that feeling never went away,” she said. “I felt more connected as an alum and was happy to have an opportunity to give back to a place that gave me so much.”

Another unique admissions-focused alumni volunteer experience was introduced last winter. When alumni from the Chicago area gathered during the Alumni Holiday Luncheon, they were invited to hand write notes to prospective students. “Our alums have so many wonderful stories, and it was special to not only hear about them, but also watch as they shared those experiences on paper with students who are thinking about attending the university,” Gannaway said.

More new and creative opportunities for alumni to support St. Ambrose are coming, thanks to an infusion of new talent on the alumni engagement staff. Becky Lorentzen and Paige Nagle ’13 MOL were hired this year to fill the respective roles of volunteer coordinator and coordinator of event engagement.

“I spoke to prospective students about how, from the first time I stepped on campus, I felt welcomed and how that

feeling never went away.”

—KATIE ZORN ’15

Fresh Opportunities, Enriched ExperiencesAlumni Engagement:

by Ted Stephens III ’01, ’04

From left: Becky Lorentzen, Bobby Harris, Lisa Stanforth, Paige Nagle, Anne Gannaway and Wendy Pondell.

27 27

They join Associate Director of Alumni Engagement Wendy Pondell ’05 and Administrative Assistant Bobby Harris in assisting Gannaway’s efforts to make the experiences of engaged alumni both valuable and fresh.

“There are so many ways to be part of this university today,” Gannaway said. “We have an incredible Alumni Association Board and invaluable Wine Festival committee. In the past couple of years, academic and student activity programs have helped us develop alumni advisory boards that guide faculty and students in their professional and personal interests. Alumni regularly speak in our classrooms, passing on their

alumniNEWS

knowledge and expertise to students on the verge of new careers.

“My hope is that we can always keep our alumni in the fold—both in the way they want to be reached and in the way they want to participate,” she said.

Learn more about the Office of Alumni Engagement and volunteer opportunities at sau.edu/scene

28

alumniNEWS

There’s no better time than now to visit www.sau.edu/alumni.The Alumni Office recently launched a re-

designed website that includes enhancements to the look, while completely overhauling the navigation and content across the site.

“We spent a lot of time talking with alumni about what they want in an alumni website,” said Anne Gannaway, director of alumni engagement and special events. “We have reorganized the site with sections that speak to the type of information they are looking for and the ways they have said they want to be involved.”

The new site includes a section for alumni interested in returning to their alma mater not just

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR AN EASY WAY TO HELP THE CAUSES YOU CARE THE MOST ABOUT?

The charitable IRA rollover gift option has been signed into law. This is a great way for donors age 70.5 and older to make a direct gift to St. Ambrose University and save on taxes. For more information about this popular gift plan, contact

Sally CrinoAssociate Vice President for Advancement 563-333-6080crinosallye@sau.edu

The IRA CHARITABLEROLLOVER IS PERMANENTHOW YOU CAN BENEFIT

during Homecoming and Reunion Weekend, but anytime during the year. There’s also a section for continued learning opportunities, from alumni tours to professional development.

“We are also offering our view of the state of the university from time to time, sharing with alumni what is happening on campus,” Gannaway added. “We hope the new site not only offers news, but perspective on what is important to our students and faculty and how alumni can be part of our community no matter where they are.”

Check out the new site, update your contact information, submit a class note—it’s all possible at www.sau.edu/alumni.

A S

ite

to B

ehol

d

29

When an appeal was made to St. Ambrose

faculty and staff to contribute to the

Building Our Future campaign, it wasn’t

difficult for John Byrne, PhD, professor

and chair of the Marketing Studies

Department, to go the extra mile.

Last spring, Byrne joined with 170 fellow

St. Ambrose employees who pledged

more than $270,000 in support of the new

Wellness and Recreation Center.

“I would support any priority project

for this university,” said Byrne, a fitness-

focused father of five who firmly

understands the college student’s need

for modern wellness and recreation

facilities. “But this one lines up with some

of my life interests and it is something we

desperately need here.

“I really think college is about

developing great life habits,” he added.

“That’s in the classroom, and it’s also in the

gymnasium.”

Besides, what’s an extra mile to

someone scheduled to run 100 miles at

two miles above sea level in the up-and-

down terrain of the Colorado Rocky

Mountains in August?

Since this past fall, Byrne has been

training to run his third Leadville 100, also

known as “The Race Across the Sky,” in the

company of SAU alumni Rick Fountain ’92

and Curt Johnston ’98, among others.

alumniNEWS

The Gift of Giving

In 2005, Byrne finished his first Leadville

run with 137 seconds of the allotted 30-hour

time limit to spare. He committed to

keeping a dedicated workout regimen in

the aftermath, and, in 2012, shaved more

than 2 ½ hours from his finishing time.

Byrne’s goal in August is to finish in 24

hours. “And I’m confident I can do it,” he

said.

He is equally confident the new

Wellness and Recreation Center will

significantly enhance campus culture and

help develop graduates intent on enriching

lives.

“We make the world a better place by

transforming the lives of young adults

and giving them that lift to go out and do

amazing and powerful things,” he said.

“The better the environment we can create

here for those students, the bigger the

impact we will have for years to come.”

Byrne is not alone in thinking that way.

Margaret Babbitt, director of annual giving

at St. Ambrose, said that is evidenced by

the swift and resounding response to the

campaign appeal to SAU employees. The

campaign exceeded its goal, and in barely

more than a month’s time.

“Our faculty and staff members ‘got

it,’” Babbitt said. “People understood why

this is important to the university and to

current and future students. What really

surprised us was how widespread the

support was. At every level, faculty and

staff stepped up and that was a really,

really gratifying experience.”

Learn more about the Building Our Future campaign at sau.edu/scene

SAU Faculty, Staff Step Up

30

classNOTES

60TheForties

Mahlon Dier ’48, who attended

St. Ambrose during WWII as a

young naval recruit, celebrated his

90th birthday on March 5, 2016.

Bill Freddy ’49 and his wife, Bev,

celebrated their 65th wedding

anniversary on Oct. 14, 2015.

70The Seventies

Jim Moran ’75 was elected to the

United States Tennis Association’s

Iowa District Hall of Fame.

80The Eighties

Patrick Weise ’81 retired

from the City of Orlando

(Fla.) Police Department and

is the professional standards

investigator/ombudsman for the

School Board of Seminole County

(Fla.) Public Schools. Patrick and

wife, Christa (Lira) ’81, celebrated

their 35th wedding anniversary on

April 11, 2016.

Kelly (Pratt) Garrett ’83 was

named research data specialist for

Product Strategies and Life/Health

Research at State Farm Insurance

in Bloomington, Ill.

The East Moline-Silvis Rotary

Club and City of East Moline

selected Mayor John Thodos ’85

as the Citizen of the Year. He was

honored at an awards dinner in

November.

The Iowa Business Education

Association named Steve

Verdon ’89, ’91, ’00 MBA the 2015

Outstanding Business Educator

of the Year. He also earned the

AEA 9 Outstanding Secondary

Business Educator Teacher of the

Year for 2015, and his ninth Iowa

Best Award. Verdon is a business

teacher at Davenport North High

School.

90The Nineties

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad

appointed Linda (Meyers)

Fangman ’92 justice for the First

Judicial District of Iowa.

Cory Tomasson ’92 has been

named athletics director at Illinois

Valley Community College,

Oglesby, Ill. He had been filling

that role in an interim capacity.

Brian Farrell ’95 was promoted

to associate director for the

Center for Human Rights at the

University of Iowa College of Law.

Mark Norris ’96 has been named

the Westside branch office

manager of the First National

Bank of Muscatine, Iowa.

Dennis McDaniel ’98 has been

named chief of police in Johnston,

Iowa. McDaniel previously was

the chief of police for Windsor

Heights, Iowa.

Michael Overturf ’99 is the

director of athletic training

services for Athletico Physical

Therapy in Oak Brook, Ill.

00The Zeros

Neil Eigenbrod ’01, ’08 MBA

has been named manager of the

Agency Accounting Department

for Modern Woodmen of America.

Modern Woodmen of America

appointed David Guyer ’01

manager of the Enterprise

Program Management Office.

Ian Happ ’02 has joined the Kent

Corporation as the risk service

manager.

David Knupp ’04 MBA has been

named a district sales manager for

Wyffels Hybrids, where he works

with corn growers in northwest

Illinois.

Rebecca (Lacey) Pilcher ’04

won a National Multiple Sclerosis

Society Sylvie Award, given to the

Programs Volunteer of the Year

in Des Moines, Iowa. Over three

years, Pilcher has fostered growth

and engagement within the MS

community by providing relevant

and diverse programming.

Matt Stickelmaier ’04, ’05 MBA

has been named national sales

director at Alternative Service

Concepts in Nashville, Tenn.

Stickelmaier will be responsible

for leading the account executive

team.

Jason Potter ’06 MBA is a

financial representative for

Country Financial, Aledo, Ill.

Julia Reifert ’06 has been

promoted to credit analyst at

Kent Corporation. She joined the

company in 2012.

The Iowa Organization of Nurse

Leaders has named Jackie Anhalt

’07 MSN the 2015 Outstanding

Nurse Executive in Iowa. Anhalt is

vice president of patient services

at Genesis Medical Center and

chief nurse executive of the

Genesis Health System.

Emily Petruccelli ’07 earned

a doctoral degree from the

University of Iowa in December

2015. She is conducting research

at Brown University on the

underlying molecular and

neuronal circuitry of alcohol use

on disorders in drosophila.

Joe Rennert ’07 has been named

senior quality assurance specialist

in the Enterprise Program

Management Office for Modern

Woodmen of America.

Nicole Lindstrom ’09 is the

director of the Newton (Iowa)

Public Library.

Joe Wonio ’09 is a real estate

development associate for the

Russell Real Estate Development

division, Davenport.

10The Teens

Meghan (McCullough) Peterson

’10 MBA has been selected as the

2016 co-director of the Quad City

Arts Festival of Trees.

Michael DuBois ’11 recently

moved to the San Carlos Apache

reservation in Arizona and

accepted a full-time position as

a physical therapist at the San

Carlos Apache Health Care Corp.

Kate Duffus ’11, ’12 MOL is the

division clinical coordinator at the

University of Iowa Department of

Pediatrics.

Thomas Fallon ’11 is track and field

coach for the Louisa-Muscatine

(Iowa) Community School District.

Tina (Vires) Stoneking ’12 MEDT is

the program director for the office

of disability services at Winthrop

University, in Rock Hill, SC.

Mike Walsh ’12 MOL received his

Certified Professional in Supply

Management certification and

designation from the Institute of

Supply Management in Arizona.

He is the strategic sourcing

manager-indirect procurement

at Home Depot’s Store Support

Center in Atlanta, Ga.

Mark Brauweiler ’13, ’15 DPT is a

physical therapist at Progressive

Rehabilitation Associates, LLC, in

Tipton, Iowa.

31

classNOTES

Jena Keimig ’13 is a special

education teacher for the Raytown

C2 School District in Missouri.

Sean Santiago ’13 is the caretaker

for the Wapsi River Environmental

Education Center in Dixon, Iowa.

Jake Montague ’14 MOL is

working as a packaging specialist

for John Deere Harvester Works in

East Moline, Ill.

Katie Zorn ’15 is a financial analyst

in the Finance and Accounting

Leadership Development Program

at HNI Corporation in Muscatine,

Iowa.

■Marriages

Joe Whalen ’74 and Mark Denney,

Sebastopol, Calif.

Jill Gansemer ’98, ’00 MBA and

Clete Campbell, Dubuque, Iowa

Kourtney Burkhalter ’03 and Jon

Mannall, Kewaunee, Wis.

Katy Anderson ’03 and Nathan

Miller, Davenport

Kelly Carlson ’07, ’10 and Casey

Raisbeck ’08, Evergreen Park, Ill.

Katherine McGann ’10 and

Robert Anderson, Peoria, Ill.

Dylan Parker ’10 and Tia Plapp,

Rock Island, Ill.

Shelby Smith ’11 and Brendan

Koren ’11, Clinton, Ill.

Audrey Stanek ’11 and Anthony

Carter, Norcross, Ga.

Erin Valentine ’12 and Collin

Goldsberry, Rock Island, Ill.

Tina Vires ’12 MED and Carey

Stoneking, Rock Hill, S.C.

Sarah Crawford ’14 and Brennan

Pasvogel, Fulton, Ill.

Casey Nabb ’14 and Chloe

Whiteman, Dubuque, Iowa

Amy (Orendorff) Finn ’09 gave $8.7 million to charity last year.

Now, that’s enriching lives. Finn’s not really a millionaire

philanthropist. As the Manager of Charity Development and Support for the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic, however, she helps marshal an army of volunteers from the more than 400 charitable organizations who participate in the JDC’s wildly successful Birdies for Charity program.

Since 1971, the tournament has helped raise more than $70 million for charities in eastern Iowa and western Illinois. Introduced in 1993, Birdies for Charity has produced $58 million of that total. Most of that is thanks to community members who pledge to give a penny or more to their favorite charity for every birdie the golf professionals make in competition during the annual event in Silvis, Ill.

Last year’s Birdies contribution represented a $2 million increase over the previous year and made the Quad City tourney one of only six among the 47 sanctioned PGA Tour events to exceed $8 million in funds generated for charity.

Finn oversees the Platinum Tee Club, a program through which large donors help supplement a bonus pool that

matches each charity’s collected pledges by as much as 10 percent. She also serves as contact person for participating charities throughout the year.

Gratifying work? You bet it is.“Being in this role, being part of

a program that gives back to the community in such a grand way, is really fulfilling,” she said.

It’s certainly not a job Finn expected when she graduated with a St. Ambrose bachelor’s degree in elementary education, but it fits well with the mission-driven life lessons that come with an SAU education.

“It’s something that was instilled in me—giving back to the community,” said Finn, whose activities at St. Ambrose included serving as a founding member of the Student Alumni Association. “Service to your community is something St. Ambrose is big on, and I have always appreciated that.”

Since her graduation, Finn has found another reason to appreciate her alma mater. She met James Finn ’07, ’09 MBA only after each had left St. Ambrose, but they were introduced by common Ambrosian friends.

8.7 Million Reasons to Love Her Job

32

■Births

Amy Coulthard-Atwater ’95 and

husband, Scott, announced the

birth of daughter Allison, born

Oct. 29, 2015. She was welcomed

home by brother Rodney.

Brian Farrell ’95 and his wife, Sara,

celebrated the birth of their son

Rowan on Dec. 10, 2015. Rowan

joins big sister Eleanor.

Erica (Carlson) ’05 and Patrick

Bleffer ’05 are parents of Landon

and Riley, born July 12, 2013.

Sara (Miller) ’06 and Gil Cervelli

’06 are happy to announce the

birth of son Gilbert Matthew, born

April 21, 2015.

Elizabeth (Pfeiffer) Lauck ’06

and her husband, Greg, are proud

parents of daughter Olive, born

Aug. 6, 2015.

Shannon (O’Connor) ’08 and

Keith Gloude ’08 celebrated the

birth of their daughter Scarlett,

born June 5, 2014.

Joni (Lenger) ’08 and Brad

Hannon ’08 are the proud parents

of twins Kella and Liam, born Jan.

6, 2016. The twins were welcomed

home by Easton.

Ashley (Moellenbeck) Kelting

’09 and her husband, Matt,

welcomed their son Tannen on

Nov. 26, 2015.

Rachel (Whitford) Simenec

’09 and her husband, Nate, are

the proud parents of daughter

Aidia, born May 6, 2015. Aidia was

welcomed home by Selah.

Kelsey (Nervig) Vukov ’10 and

husband, Joseph, celebrated the

birth of their son Isaac, born Oct.

13, 2015.

An Historian with an Ambrosian HistoryWhen Jeff Forret ’95, PhD, stood for the first time in front of a college classroom to lecture on the topic of United States history, it all sounded

strangely familiar.Much like what he heard in his first college history course as

taught by Rev. George McDaniel ’66, PhD. “My first notes from Fr. McDaniel’s classroom were the

foundation,” said Forret, a professor of history at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. “I have been building on them ever since.”

Now in his 11th year at Lamar, Forret credited academic connections he made at St. Ambrose and elsewhere with helping him develop a strong reputation as a scholar on the topic of

slavery in the pre-Civil War South. He has written three books on the subject, including a volume for the Issues and Controversies in American History textbook series. He co-edited an anthology on the same topic.

Forret’s most recent book, Slave against Slave: Plantation Violence in the Old South, earned honorable mention in the U.S. history category of the 2016 PROSE Award competition. Also this year, Forret was awarded a William Nelson Cromwell Foundation Research Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Humanities stipend to

fund archival work for his next book.That project will tell the story of infamous slave trader William H.

Williams. Forret intends to sell the book as a trade market paperback. It is a story that will be told with a deeper level of empathy than his

previous scholarly works, Forret said. That’s because, in the course of doing research, Forret encountered the name of a 4-year-old boy who was shipped south with his enslaved mother. That struck a chord with the father of a 5-year-old son.

“That made it all so intensely personal for me because I have this little boy who I love and I know the aspirations I have for him,” Forret said. “What has developed within the past few years as I research this topic is a growing sense of the tragedy of it all.”

The younger brother of SAU Professor of Business Administration and Managerial Studies Monica Forret ’88, PhD, Jeff Forret said his own history always will have St. Ambrose roots.

“It’s the most perfect school I could have gone to,” he said. “It’s all about the people you meet there. I had classes with wonderful professors who helped my understanding of history and who made my writing what it is.”

classNOTES

Lynse (Hermsen) Gisel ’11, ’12

MOT and her husband, Andrew,

welcomed home son Jace, born

Dec. 20, 2015.

Nicole (Bartholomew) Roseman

’12 and husband, Dustin, are happy

to announce the birth of son

Dominic, born July 6, 2015.

Jake Montague ’14 MOL and his

wife, Carrie, celebrated the birth

of daughter Norah, born Oct. 19,

2015. She was welcomed home by

siblings Laila and Presley.

■Deaths

James “Skeets” Coleman ’38, Del

Mar, Calif., May 13, 2014

Twila Parker ’38, Cedar Rapids,

Iowa, Jan. 5, 2016

Max Beam ’45, Scarborough,

Maine, Oct. 31, 2015

Elmer Zost ’45, Rexburg, Idaho,

Dec. 7, 2015

Paul Barton ’48, Orlando, Fla., Nov.

24, 2015

Gilbert “Gil” Redelman ’48,

Rolling Meadows, Ill., Feb. 25, 2016

Edward Koch ’50, Milan, Ill., Sept.

9, 2015

Donato “Dan” Petruccelli ’50,

Davenport, Jan. 15, 2016

Thomas Staley ’50, Shorewood, Ill.,

Nov. 8, 2015

James Trickey ’50, Clearwater, Fla.,

May 2, 2015

Gerald Bednarik ’51, Morris, Ill.,

Dec. 30, 2015

Thomas Dixon ’51, Ft. Wayne, Ind.,

Jan. 6, 2016

Francis Fosdick ’51, Ft. Worth,

Texas, Dec. 10, 2015

James McClintock ’51, Sioux City,

Iowa, Feb. 2, 2016

33

Rev. John Riley ’51, Coon Rapids,

Minn., Nov. 21, 2015

James Taylor ’51, Fort Myers, Fla.,

March 13, 2014

Mark Mulvihill ’52, West Des

Moines, Iowa, July 31, 2015

Rev. Richard Bevenour ’53,

Fresno, Calif., Nov. 10, 2015

Charles Conway ’53, Sun City,

Ariz., Oct. 1, 2015

Thomas Mulligan ’53, Lenexa,

Kan., Feb. 2, 2016

Frank Masciopinto ’54, Glenview,

Ill., June 14, 2012

Rev. Thomas Mohr ’54,

Davenport, Dec. 3, 2015

John “Jack” Purney ’54, Chicago,

Oct. 21, 2015

Dolores (Hoogerwerf) Testroet

’57, Davenport, July 24, 2015

Jo Ann (Lynch) Mattke ’58,

Davenport, Oct. 18, 2015

Charles “Chuck” Azzaline ’59,

Davenport, Jan. 31, 2016

Walter Hoambrecker ’59,

Seminole, Fla., Aug. 12, 2014

Gerald Lafeber ’60, Columbia

Heights, Minn., Nov. 2, 2015

Jack Ruff ’60, Arvada, Colo., Aug.

14, 2015

Loren Thompson ’60, Detroit

Lakes, Minn., Oct. 18, 2015

Michael Friemel ’62, Davenport,

Dec. 27, 2015

Michael Hart ’62, Atlanta, Ga.,

Dec. 14, 2015

Andrew Hutmacher ’62, Grand

Junction, Colo., Jan. 24, 2016

Larry Borg ’63, Rapid City, S.D.,

Jan. 29, 2015

Michael Fay ’64, Cedar Rapids,

Iowa, July 28, 2015

Thomas Houghton ’64, Spokane,

Wash., Dec. 24, 2015

Robert Martin ’64, Davenport,

Dec. 5, 2015

Vingene “Bud” Martens ’65, Rock

Falls, Ill., Feb. 9, 2016

Stanley Reinhold ’65, Bettendorf,

Iowa, Nov. 7, 2015

Michael Russell ’65, Lake St.

Louis, Mo., Feb. 3, 2016

Robert Wise ’70, East Moline, Ill.,

Oct. 11, 2015

Richard Noll ’72, Letts, Iowa, Feb.

2, 2016

Kenneth Plumb ’72, Davenport,

Oct. 3, 2015

Anne “Terry” Chouteau Strader

’75, Davenport, Jan. 9, 2016

Douglas Krebs ’76, Drakesville,

Iowa, June 4, 2012

Paula Radosevich ’81,

Indianapolis, Ind., Dec. 7, 2015

Frank Kern Sr. ’82, Honolulu,

Hawaii, Sept. 10, 2014

Joanne (Horch) Forlini ’99, Rock

Island, Ill., Oct. 28, 2015

Mike Hofmann ’00, Davenport,

Sept. 27, 2015

Michael Moore ’00 MBA, Vienna,

Ill., June 14, 2015

Jerry Wilkins Sr. ’03 MSITM, ’04

MBA, Blue Grass, Iowa, Dec. 2,

2015

Gerald “Coop” Cooper Jr. ’04

MSITM, Bettendorf, Iowa, Dec.

30, 2015

Rose Waters ’07, Davenport, Dec.

27, 2015

Honorary Degree

Michael Cervantes Sr. ’00 (Hon),

Davenport, Feb. 6, 2016

Help us keep you informed The St. Ambrose University Office

of Alumni Engagement is eager

to keep your contact information

current. If you have a seasonal

address in addition to the one we

currently have on record, or if you

have recently relocated, let us

know. Contact us at 800-SAU-

ALUM, alumni@sau.edu, or visit

sau.edu/scene/newaddress.

518 West Locust Street

Davenport, Iowa 52803

What’s New? Let us know what

you’ve been up to. Drop us a note at

Alumni Engagement, St. Ambrose

University, 518 W. Locust St.,

Davenport, Iowa 52803, or go online

to share updates. Include your full

name, class year and phone number

or email where we can contact you

to verify your information.

online extra: tell us what’s new at

sau.edu/keepintouch

Sept. 30–Oct. 2

Also save these dates:

July 30Bix Porch Party and Bee Cool Tent

Sept. 9 Fighting Bee Golf Classic

Look up old friends and make new ones