Joan Lescinski was the 13th president of

St. Ambrose University St. Ambrose University is a private Catholic university in Davenport, Iowa. It was founded as a school of commerce for young men in 1882. History Foundation St. Ambrose was founded as a seminary and school of commerce for young men in 1882, know ...

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

. She is the first woman to lead the

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

in its history. Lescinski took office in the summer of 2007, succeeding Edward Rogalski, who retired after 20 years as the university's president. She retired after 14 years as the university's president on August 6, 2021.

Biography

A native of Albany,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, Lescinski is the daughter of Joseph and Lucy Lescinski. Sr. Joan professed

religious vows Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views. In the Buddhism tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of re ...

as a member of the

Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJ) are a Roman Catholic congregation of women religious which traces its origins to a group founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, Le Puy-en-Velay, France around 1650 by Jean Paul Médaille#Jean-Pierre Médaille, Jea ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

in 1965. In 1970 she received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

and in 1974 a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in English literature from the

College of St. Rose The College of Saint Rose is a private Roman Catholic college in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1920 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet as a women's college. It became fully co-educational in 1969; the following year, the college ad ...

in Albany. She earned a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

in 1981 from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

. Lescinski started her teaching career at an inner-city Catholic high school in

Utica, New York Utica () is a Administrative divisions of New York, city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The List of cities in New York, tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 ...

. She has taught at the college level since 1972. From 1979 to 1991, she worked as a professor of English at the College of St. Rose; from 1991 to 1993 she served as associate dean, academic affairs and professor of English at

Avila University Avila University is a private Roman Catholic university in Kansas City, Missouri. It is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and offers bachelor's degrees and master's degrees. Its 13 buildings are situated on a campus of in K ...

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

; and from 1993 to 1998 she served as vice president of academic affairs, dean and professor of English at

Fontbonne University Fontbonne University is a private Roman Catholic university in Clayton, Missouri. It enrolled 955 students in 2021. Fontbonne is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and it offers undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs. It ...

. She became president and professor of English at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, serving from 1998 to 2007. St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, "The Woods," is the oldest Catholic

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...

women's college in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Lescinski led SMWC to record gains in enrollment, facilitated the development of institutional strategic and master plans, and introduced several undergraduate and two new graduate academic programs. SMWC invested $10 million in campus facilities and had a significant increase in its number of donors. Lescinski led the most ambitious capital campaign in SMWC's history, with $25 million raised, exceeding their campaign goal by 20 percent. In 2007, Lescinski became the first nun and first female president of St. Ambrose University (SAU) in Davenport, Iowa. Under her leadership, the university has expanded on and beyond the main campus. In 2009, ground was broken for the Center for Health Sciences Education building on the

Genesis Medical Center Genesis Health System is a non-profit health system based in Davenport, Iowa. The system provides health services to multiple communities in Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois 6 different hospitals. Genesis is the largest employer in Scott County, ...

West Central Park campus, with an addition built in 2014. Also in 2009, SAU established its presence in downtown Davenport at the DavenportOne New Ventures Center, where students take graduate and professional development courses. The following year in 2010, the university purchased the residence building and property of the

Diocese of Davenport The Diocese of Davenport ( la, Diœcesis Davenportensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church for the southeastern quarter of the U.S. state of Iowa. There are within the diocese. The diocese's eastern ...

, while the Diocese was in bankruptcy. The land is being developed in partnership with the adjacent Assumption High School for an athletic complex. Anticipated for completion in Fall 2017 is a new Wellness and Recreation Center on the main campus in the location of the former Timmerman Field. This will mark the conclusion of the largest single capital project in the University's history. During Lescinski's tenure, several degree programs have been added or expanded at the undergraduate and graduate levels: Mechanical Engineering (2011);

Master of Physician Assistant Studies A physician assistant or physician associate (PA) is a type of mid-level health care provider. In North America PAs may diagnose illnesses, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, and may serve as a principal healthcare provi ...

(2014); Master of Early Childhood Education (2015); Healthcare and Business Sales (2016); and Doctor of Occupational Therapy (2016).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lescinski, Joan 1947 births Fontbonne University Brown University alumni College of Saint Rose alumni Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport Presidents of St. Ambrose University American academics of English literature Religious leaders from Albany, New York People from Davenport, Iowa Living people Religious leaders from Iowa Journalists from New York (state) Catholics from Iowa 20th-century American Roman Catholic nuns 21st-century American Roman Catholic nuns Women heads of universities and colleges