This is the new institutional logo for St. Ambrose University in Davenport.
For Catholic Messenger
DAVENPORT — Father Dennis Holtschneider, CM, an educator and advocate for the homeless, will give the keynote addresses at the 2025 Spring Commencement ceremony of St. Ambrose University on May 17 at 11:30 a.m. in the Vibrant Arena in Moline, Illinois. The Vincentian priest also will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree for his significant humanitarian efforts, said St. Ambrose University President Amy Novak.
Father Holtschneider has dedicated his life to Catholic higher education and caring for vulnerable populations. Since 1985, he has served as a professor and administrator at multiple universities rising to president of DePaul University in 2004, a position he held for more than a decade. While there, he became a national advocate for financial aid reform and a voice for immigration reform for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) students.
He also served as president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, focusing on creating tools and training opportunities to help the institutions’ leaders find strategic ways to survive the highly competitive environment in which they exist.
Prior to that position, Father Holtschneider served as Chief Operations Officer of Ascension — a Catholic healthcare system. Working with his colleagues, he joined 2,600 healthcare sites into a nationwide wide system to save costs and deliver compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to those most vulnerable. He organized and set up 13 health-related companies to sell services to other healthcare systems and use the profits for the unsubsidized care of the poor.
As co-founder of the Institute for Global Homelessness, Father Holtschneider has contributed significantly to the issue of homelessness around the globe. The institute provides advice to mayors of major cities on six continents and serves as the primary advisory on homelessness to the United Nations.
He also chaired the National Pastoral Migratoria, leading its growth from a Chicago-based organization to one that provides services to newly arrived immigrants in 13 U.S. cities. Currently, he holds the position of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin Fellow of Church Leadership at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Father Holtschneider serves as a mentor and model for students, guiding them toward becoming skilled and passionate leaders in the Catholic Church.
Father Holtschneider holds degrees in mathematics and theology and a doctorate in higher education policy from Harvard University, where he continues to teach strategy and governance in its summer professional programs. He also teaches in the Boston College Institute for Administrators in Catholic Higher Education, which he helped establish 25 years ago.
A commencement Mass begins earlier in the day at 8:30 a.m. in Christ the King Chapel on the St. Ambrose campus in Davenport. For more information, visit the 2025 Spring Commencement webpage at https://sau.edu/about-sau/news-events/events/2025/ spring-commencement-ceremony.php
