St. Ambrose University (SAU) is aprivate Catholic university inDavenport, Iowa, United States. It was founded as a school of commerce for young men in 1882.[4]
St. Ambrose was founded as aseminary and school of commerce for young men in 1882, known asSt. Ambrose Academy. It owes its beginning to the firstBishop of Davenport,John McMullen, who founded it under the auspices of the Diocese of Davenport. The affiliation remains strong today.[5]
For its first three years, classes were held in two rooms of the old St. Marguerite's School, located on the grounds of what is nowSacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. McMullen died of cancer in 1883,[6] andAloysius Schulte was named the first president of St. Ambrose at the age of 23.
The school was moved to Locust Street in 1885, where the central part of the present-dayAmbrose Hall was built. Located in a secluded grove ofoak trees, the site was far removed from the city. That same year, St. Ambrose was incorporated as "a literary, scientific and religious institution." The articles of incorporation stated, "No particular religious faith shall be required of any person to entitle him to admission to said seminary."[7]
By the start of the 20th century, a clearer division was being made between thehigh school academy and the college program. In 1908, the name of the institution was officially changed toSt. Ambrose College to express the institution's mission. Night school classes were inaugurated in 1924, and the first session of summer school was held in 1931.
DuringWorld War II, theUnited States Navy chose St. Ambrose College as a location for the training of many officers. For a short time, regular classes ceased, and the campus became a training ground for the Navy'sV-12 squads.[8]
The high school program, St. Ambrose Academy, was founded at the same time as the college and housed in the college's buildings. From 1886-1931 some of the academy students were boarded on the campus.[9] The Rev.Ambrose Burke, who would become the college's president in 1940, was named the academy's first principal in 1929. In 1955 the diocese decided that Davenport should have a central Catholic high school, and that St. Ambrose andImmaculate Conception academies should be merged. They moved to their new quarters atAssumption High School in 1958. This move provided additional space on campus for continued growth of the college.[citation needed]
In 1968, St. Ambrose became fullycoeducational, although women had been taking classes on campus ever since the 1930s.
St. Ambrose began offering graduate classes in 1977 with the H.L. McLaughlinMaster of Business Administration program. Its graduate offerings have since expanded to 14 programs.
On April 23, 1987, St. Ambrose College becameSt. Ambrose University at the direction of the Board of Directors. The university was organized into the colleges of Business, Human Services (now Health and Human Services), and Arts and Sciences.
In May 2024, the university announced a partnership with fellow Catholic institutionMount Mercy University inCedar Rapids that would allow students from both institutions to freely take classes at them. At the time of the announcement, a merger was "being explored for the future."[11] Three months later, in August 2024, it was announced that the university would merge with Mount Mercy.[12][13]
The university enrolls 2,916 students, as of Fall 2021.[1] 2,231 of these students were undergraduates and 685 were graduate students. The student body is approximately 58 percent female, and 89 percent are full-time students. More than 16 percent of students identify themselves as belonging to a minority group.[14]
The university employs 335 faculty members and 270 staff. The student-faculty ratio is approximately 12 to 1 with an average class size of 20 students.[15]
Amy C. Novak, EdD, became the 14th president of the university on Saturday, August 7, 2021, succeeding Sr. Joan Lescinski, CSJ after 14 years as the president of St. Ambrose University.[17]
St. Ambrose University offers more than 60 undergraduate majors(includes pre-professional like Medical, Dental, Law, Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, Physician's Assistant, Optometry, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine), 11 master's, and three doctoral programs offered through the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, and Health and Human Services. Notable programs include one of the only Master of Occupational Therapy programs leading to a registered occupational therapist degree in the state of Iowa.[18] Additionally, pass rates on the National Physical Therapy Examination are consistently high; the two-year average rate is 97%.[19]
There are 11 master's degree programs[20] and three doctoral programs: physical therapy,[21] occupational therapy[22] and business administration.[23]
There are Study Abroad Programs for Fall and spring semesters, winter and May interim, and summer programs offered in more than 40 countries.
St. Ambrose University is accredited by theHigher Learning Commission. In its 2017-18 review, the Commission recommended a 10-year approval for St. Ambrose.
In 2021, St. Ambrose University was labeled a "College of Distinction".[35] That same year,U.S. News & World Report ranked St. Ambrose University 27th for Regional Universities Midwest out of a region of 12 states.[36] It also named the university 19th in the nation for Best Colleges for Veterans due to helping veterans and active duty service members pay for their degrees and 32nd overall in the nation for overall value (calculated by 2019-2020 net cost of attendance).[36]
In 2021,The Princeton Review ranked the university in their Best of the Midwest section of its "2021 Best Colleges Region by Region".[37]
The Rogalski Center, constructed in 2004, houses a food court, bookstore, ballroom, and administrative offices, among others. Its function is comparable to that of astudent union building.[citation needed]
Christ the King Chapel, designed by Cincinnati architectEdward J. Schulte, has a prominent tower of white brick and was built in 1952.[41] It underwent a $5.2 million renovation in 2007.[42]
The St. Ambrose University Library was designed in 1995 by Evans Woollen ofWoollen, Molzan and Partners. The library was opened in March 1996.[43]
KALA (FM) (88.5FM/106.1 FM) This 350watt public format, non-profit radio station located on campus in the Galvin Fine Arts Center, broadcasts throughout the quad-cities. The varied format of the station, includes local and national news, information and entertainment from Public Radio and fromPublic Radio International. The music format includes mainstream and fusion jazz, blues, roots, gospel, latin, classic rock, oldies, pop music, urban contemporary and classic R&B. KALA is also affiliated with the syndicatedPink Floyd programFloydian Slip. The station also covers "live" radio programs such as SAU campus news, a local calendar of events, daily weather updates, and student run radio shows. A mainstay of the station's commitment to the University community is its live home/remote coverage of St. Ambrose University sports events. This includes SAU's Fighting Bees/Queen Bees basketball, football, and baseball games.[citation needed]
Paul V. Galvin Fine Arts Center
SAUtv is the television outlet of the St. Ambrose University Communication Center. On-line, program channeling and student run content is broadcast throughout the Quad-city area on the local cable channel. This includes Dateline SAU, The Ray Shovlain Show, The Krista Van Hauen Show and the Mike Magistrelli Show. The Station and individual student broadcasters have gone on to win awards due to the quality of their content from the Iowa Broadcast Network Association (IBNA). SAUtv also has live coverage of St. Ambrose University sports, including Fighting Bee and Queen Bee basketball, football and baseball games.[44]
Edward Catich (1906–1979) was an AmericanCatholicpriest, teacher, andcalligrapher. He is noted for the fullest development of the thesis that the inscribedRoman square capitals of the Augustan age and afterward owed their form (and their characteristicserifs) wholly to the use of the flat brush, rather than to the exigencies of the chisel or other stone cutting tools.
John H. Ebersole (January 26, 1925 – September 23, 1993) American pioneer in submarine medicine and radiation oncology, Captain US Navy,John F. Kennedy's autopsy Radiologist
Pat McMahon (born 1933) is an actor and broadcaster, best known for his portrayal of numerous characters onThe Wallace and Ladmo Show, a daily children's variety show broadcast on KPHO-TV in Phoenix.
Marcos Villatorois a writer and the author of six novels, two collections ofpoetry and a memoir, and the producer/director of the documentary "Tamale Road: A Memoir from El Salvador."
^McDaniel, George William (2006).A great and lasting beginning: The first 125 years of St. Ambrose University. Davenport, IA: St. Ambrose University. p. 17.ISBN1-59152-036-3.
