St. Ambrose University

Foundation

St. Ambrose was founded as a seminary and school of commerce for young men in 1882, known as St. Ambrose Academy. It owes its beginning to the first bishop of Davenport, The Most Reverend John McMullen, DD, who founded it under the auspices of the Diocese of Davenport. The affiliation remains strong today.

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 now Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. Bishop McMullen died in 1883, and Reverend "A.J." Aloysius Schulte, a mere 23 years old, was named St. Ambrose’s first president.

The school was moved to Locust Street in 1885, where the central part of the present-day Ambrose Hall was built. Located in a secluded grove of oak trees, the site was far removed from the city itself. 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.”

By the start of the 20th century, a clearer division was being made between the high school academy and the college program. In 1908, the name of the institution was officially changed to “St. Ambrose College” to more clearly reflect the institution's mission. Night school classes were inaugurated in 1924, and the first session of summer school was held in 1931.

During World War II, the United States Navy chose St. Ambrose College as a location for the training of many of its officers. For a short time, regular classes ceased, and the campus became a training ground for the Navy’s V-12 squads.

St. Ambrose Academy

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. The Rev. Ambrose Burke, who would become the college's president in 1940, was named the academy's first principal in 1929. In 1955 it was determined that Davenport should have a central Catholic high school and that St. Ambrose and Immaculate Conception academies should be merged. They moved to their new quarters at Assumption High School in 1958. This move provided additional space on campus for continued growth.

Growth

In 1968, St. Ambrose became fully coeducational, although women had been taking classes on campus ever since the 1930s.

St. Ambrose began offering graduate classes in 1977 with the Master of Business Administration program. Its graduate offerings have since expanded to 14 programs.

On April 23, 1987, St. Ambrose College became St. 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 1997 St. Ambrose began offering its first doctoral program, the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA).

Students and faculty

The university enrolls 3,607 students, as of Fall 2013. 2,743 of these students were undergraduates and 864 were graduate students. The student body is approximately 60 percent female, and 78 percent are full-time students. Over 13 percent of students identify themselves as belonging to a minority group.

The university employs 350 faculty members and 314 staff. The student-faculty ratio is approximately 11 to 1 with an average class size of 20 students.

Sr. Joan Lescinski, CSJ replaced Dr. Edward Rogalski as president in 2007, becoming the first woman to hold that office.

Academics

For a university of its size, St. Ambrose boasts a strong variety of undergraduate and graduate academic programs. With a strong emphasis on the liberal arts, undergraduate students must take a wide variety of general education courses in philosophy, theology, arts/humanities, and the sciences.

Notable programs include one of the only Master of Occupational Therapy programs leading to a registered occupational therapist degree in the state of Iowa. Additionally, pass rates on the National Physical Therapy Examination are consistently high; the two-year average rate is 97%.

There are 11 master's degree programs and three doctoral programs: physical therapy, occupational therapy and business administration.

Accreditation

St. Ambrose University is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. In its review of 2008, the Association recommended a 10-year approval for St. Ambrose.

College of Business

Through its accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs, the College of Business also has accredited undergraduate, graduate, and organizational leadership programs.

Education

Iowa Department of Education – Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC)
Children's Campus – National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Industrial engineering

The Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology

Nursing

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
The Iowa Board of Nursing

Occupational therapy

Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)

Physical therapy

Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)

Social work

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)

Speech language pathology

Council on Academic Accreditation of American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) 2014-2019.

Physician assistant studies

Accreditation-provision status by the ARC-PA

Athletics

St. Ambrose athletic teams are known as the Fighting Bees. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), competing in the Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC) and the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC), while its football team competes in the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA), its men's volleyball team competes in the Mid-America Men's Volleyball Intercollegiate Conference (MAMVIC), and men's & women's lacrosse teams compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. Women's sports include basketball, bowling, cheerleading, competitive dance, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field, lacrosse, and volleyball.

Architecture

Notable alumni