Christmas Greetings, Fellow Ambrosians

Christmas Greetings, fellow Ambrosians.

Those last two words mean so much to me. I am honored to be a member of your Ambrosian community, humbled to be the 14th president of St. Ambrose University, and eager to help build the next chapter of this "great and lasting beginning."

I wish you a joyful celebration of the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and pray the coming year will keep you safe, happy and continually mindful of the rich obligation to build a better world that comes with being Ambrosian.

You may know "Come to the Table" was the theme of our inaugural celebration, and I promise to make that invitational message a centerpiece of my presidency. As noted in my inaugural address, Ken and I see the table as a place that establishes proof that we live, move, and invest our whole selves in something that is continually co-created with those who sit alongside us. Something greater than ourselves.

What better time to embrace that communal message than during Advent and Christmas? Our family certainly has spent many joyful hours at our own large table celebrating the blessings of this holy season, and we will do so again this Christmas as we make our new home in the Quad Cities.

Of course, as we Novaks gather at our table and enjoy our abundant blessings, we are sobered in the knowledge too many around us feel less blessed. They may be struggling with the absence or loss of loved ones, or are alone and challenged by the ongoing pandemic or the countless untold difficulties everyday life can bring.

We pray that everyone will find some comfort in the presence of Christ in their lives this Christmas. More than that, we pledge as Ambrosians to model Christ, to be servants to those less blessed, and not just during this holy season.

I am heartened by the commitment to enriching lives, to being Ambrosian, I see in our students.

Someone recently shared the beautiful story from just a few years ago of two women basketball players who assisted a neighborhood widow on our traditional fall Bee the Difference Day. Yet, they didn't limit their kindness to that single day. They returned to that home in January to shovel snow, then came back for spring cleanup in April. Soon enough, this widow and our two gracious young student-athletes became good friends. Without prompting, those wonderful Fighting Bees would spend afternoons watching TV and keeping their neighbor company. She, in turn, came to Lee Lohman to watch them play.

What remarkable examples of being Ambrosian those young women were. What tremendous examples of the spirit of coming to the table. What true models of carrying the grace of the holiday season in their hearts - and deeds - throughout the year.

May God bless each of you this Christmas season, and may you return those blessings in ways as simple yet meaningful as those modeled by those student-athletes.

Thank you, St. Ambrose community, for welcoming our family to your table. God most certainly blessed the Novaks in 2021.

–Amy C. Novak, EdD