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 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 4
2:15 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.
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 5
1:02 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 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.
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.
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.
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