Freshman Ayden Anderson receives a bracelet from Mathew Ardaugh, student body president of St. Ambrose University in Davenport. Students received the blessed bracelets during the welcome convocation Aug. 13 in the university’s Christ the King Chapel.
By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
DAVENPORT — After moving into the dorms and attending some activities on campus, freshmen and their parents filled Christ the King Chapel at St. Ambrose University for the welcome convocation and blessing of the year Aug. 13.
“It is my pleasure to welcome you to our convocation. Take a moment to celebrate what’s happening right now. You are taking a leap of faith. You are so ready for this moment,” said Christopher Waugh, vice president of student engagement and dean of students.
Speaking from his experience as a father, he offered four pieces of advice:
- Focus on academics. Get to know your professors, mentors, study groups.
- Be aware of services that St. Ambrose offers. He encouraged the students to attend the school’s engagement fair later this month and to check their email daily.
- Get connected with at least one activity outside the classroom.
- Take time to learn what it means to attend a Catholic university. Check out campus ministry.
Waugh advised students not to “suffer in silence” if they experience troubles. “Pray. Contact us. Our doors are open. I am praying for all of you.”
Ken Novak, husband of St. Ambrose University President Amy Novak, pinch hit for his wife who was at a funeral. “It’s an honor to fill in for her. She may have helped some of you move into Cosgrove Hall this morning.”
He encouraged students to get to know their president. The Novak family invites students throughout the academic year to their home for a meal, games and fellowship. He spoke of a service of sending and a service of belonging. “Join the hive,” he said, referring to a beehive, the home and workspace of the bee, the university’s mascot.
“Become an intentional community,” he advised, engaging in the university’s many offerings. The students’ university education will involve transformation and change. “Discern and expand your intellect.” He told the parents, “You will see a different person emerge. You are a part of the service of sending,” he said, expressing his gratitude to them. Then he told the students, “We hope to walk aside you and nourish you.”
Father Dale Mallory, the university’s chaplain, prayed that the students would know the loving presence of God in their lives, most especially through the care and guidance of their fellow students, faculty and staff. He prayed that during their studies at St. Ambrose they would discover their talents and skills and use them in service to God and the world God created.
Father Mallory prayed that the students would face their anxieties, fears and challenges with courage and tranquility, “knowing that they carry with them the love of their families and the support of their new campus community.”
The chaplain blessed the parents and then the bracelets for distribution to the new students. The brief convocation closed with the song “Go Make a Difference.” As students processed out of the chapel to a meal outside, faculty and staff lined the gathering space to “clap in” the students to the new academic year. At graduation, faculty and staff will “clap out” the students.
