Sister Joan takes reins at St. Ambrose
Sister Joan Lescinski loves to fly. As long as she’s in the air, she’s happy.
When she turned 40, she went up in a hot air balloon. At 50, she jumped out of a plane on a skydiving excursion. And this year, when she hit 60, she signed up for flying lessons.
Birthdays that end in zero tend to make people reflect on their lives, she says. For her, they also bring about big change.
The same year the 5-foot-2 Lescinski climbed onto the wing of an airplane and let go, she took another plunge by becoming a first-time college president at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in Indiana. Now, almost 10 years later, a new challenge lies before her: leading St. Ambrose University.
“The most exciting part of life is it continues to unfold for me,” she said. “I thought I couldn’t be anything but a high school teacher.”
Lescinski, who insists people call her Sister Joan, arrived on campus in August to replace former president Ed Rogalski, who announced his retirement more than a year ago. His move sparked a national search that ended in December when leaders announced their decision to hire St. Ambrose’s first woman president in its 125-year history.
Sister Joan’s formal inauguration is set for Friday afternoon at St. Ambrose.
Life experiences
Ever since Sister Joan can remember she has wanted to be a teacher.
Growing up in New York, her parents influenced her at an early age. Her father, Joseph Lescinski, who died three years ago, worked as an interior designer and welder. Her mother, Lucy Lescinski, stayed at home with Sister Joan and her brother and sister.
She said her mother always valued education, and her father instilled in her a constant desire to learn from life’s experiences. At age 9, she came home from school frustrated with her teacher. She vented to her father, who then asked her repeatedly, “What have you learned from this?”
Sister Joan finally replied, “That I won’t ever treat anyone like that.”
Her first job out of college was teaching English at an inner-city Catholic high school in Utica, N.Y. It was there, she said, she learned how to teach. Many of her students were poor. Almost no one in their families had been to college. She worked to instill in them a desire to succeed, while teaching them how to best use their talents.
“That has been an integral part of my entire life,” she said. “It has stayed with me until today.”
It was her congregation, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, who pushed her into higher education almost 30 years ago. At the time, Sister Joan wasn’t convinced it was the right fit. She gave into their urgings, however, and pursued her master’s degree and Ph.D. and began teaching English at the College of St. Rose in New York.
She worked her way up into administrative positions, until she landed a job leading Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, the oldest women’s liberal arts school in the country.
During her time there, Sister Joan led a capital campaign that generated $25 million. “There was a great respect for her among the faculty and sisters there,” said Sister Barbara Moore, who serves on the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet congregational leadership team with Sister Joan.
Dealing with growth
Leaders, students and faculty at St. Ambrose say they are looking to Sister Joan’s experience to help her more easily pick up where Rogalski left off.
During his tenure, the college undertook 15 building projects totaling more than $67 million, increased its enrollment by more than 70 percent and added almost 40 academic programs. Those accomplishments, however, have prompted the need for increased student housing and space for programs.
“We need now to determine how to cope with all of the pressures that growth brings,” Sister Joan said.
In addition, Sister Joan will have to complete a capital campaign for funding to construct a health science building. St. Ambrose expected to break ground on the $13.3 million project last May but ended up delaying it because fundraising fell short by more than $7 million.
A new recreation center may also be in the works. “The facilities have not kept up with the needs of students,” said Alex Cahill, vice president of the St. Ambrose Student Government Association and a senior at the school.
Sister Joan is excited to lead St. Ambrose. “I have been extraordinarily lucky in my life to have such loving relationships. And every job I have had is one that was meaningful to me,” she said.
Sheena Dooley can be contacted at (563) 383-2363 or sdooley@qctimes.com.
The Sister Joan Lescinski file
August 2007 to present: President and English professor at St. Ambrose
University.
1998 to June 2007: 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.
If you go
What: The inauguration of Sister Joan Lescinski, St. Ambrose’s new president
When: Friday
Where: St. Ambrose University, 518 W. Locust St.
Schedule of events: Inauguration liturgy, 10 a.m. at the Christ the King Chapel; installation ceremony, 2 p.m. at the Galvin Fine Arts Center; and inauguration reception, 3:30 p.m. in the Rogalski Center Ballroom.
Additional information: Because of limited space, attendance at the ceremony is by invitation only. However, the public can listen to the inauguration liturgy live on KALA Radio (88.5 FM and 105.5 FM) or on the St. Ambrose Web site at sau.edu. St. Ambrose TV-11 (Mediacom channel 11) or the school’s Web site will broadcast the installation ceremony live.