Amelia Blanton Hibner is the chief mission integration officer for St. Ambrose University-Davenport and Mount Mercy University-Cedar Rapids. Here she stands beside artwork of the late Father Edward Catich in Christ the King Chapel at St. Ambrose.
By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
DAVENPORT — Originally Amelia Blanton Hibner wanted to work in Catholic youth ministry. But a series of experiences, including a study abroad in Rome and taking higher education classes, led her to want to work in Catholic higher education.
Blanton Hibner began her position as chief mission integration officer for St. Ambrose University in Davenport and its partner school, Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, in February.
“What does it mean to be a Catholic university in the 21st century?” she asked. “High education and Catholic education are exciting and fun. I see this job as a vocation,” she said in her office in the lower level of Christ the King Chapel.
Amy Novak, president of St. Ambrose and Mount Mercy universities said, “We created the chief mission integration officer position because we believe the work of mission cannot be peripheral to the life of a Catholic university. Mission has to be intentionally woven into our strategy, our culture, our academic programs, our student experience, and the way we make decisions as an institution.”
“This became especially important as St. Ambrose University and Mount Mercy University began the work of coming together,” Novak said. “We are not simply combining operations or aligning systems. We are bringing together two Catholic traditions with deep and complementary charisms: the Ambrosian tradition of courage, wisdom, justice, and service, and the Mercy tradition rooted in compassionate service, practical action, and care for those most in need. The chief mission integration officer will help ensure that this work of integration remains deeply grounded in our Catholic identity and faithful to the religious communities, diocesan relationships, and founding traditions that have shaped both institutions.”
The idea of strengthening mission leadership was in the works even before the partnership with Mount Mercy, she noted.
Blanton Hibner “brings a deep understanding of Catholic higher education, mission formation, theology, and institutional culture. Her role will include supporting mission formation for faculty, staff, trustees, and students; strengthening Catholic identity across both campuses; helping integrate the traditions of St. Ambrose and Mount Mercy; and ensuring that mission remains central as we build a shared future,” Novak said.
“This position is ultimately an expression of our hope for Catholic higher education. We believe Catholic universities have a vital role to play in forming students intellectually, spiritually, morally, and professionally. The chief mission integration officer will help us remain attentive to that calling as we build a university that is both deeply rooted in its founding traditions and responsive to the needs of the Church and the world today.”
When Blanton Hibner taught high school, she said at first there was no sense of identity of the religious sisters who worked there integrated into the school. Catholic identity in general was there, but “it broke my heart not to see the sisters’ charisms woven into the school.” She then worked at other Catholic schools until May 2020 when she took a job at Visitation Academy in St. Louis — a K-12 school. As dean of mission integration, she wove the charisms of the Sisters of the Visitation of Holy Mary into life at the school. The charisms of St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantel focused on gentleness, humility, joy and freedom.
Blanton Hibner led mission-centered strategic planning, multi-year formation programs for faculty and staff, and extensive partnerships with academic and campus ministry leaders.
“This was the right job and was a great experience,” she said. “But it was high school level.”
Then the opportunity to work for St. Ambrose and Mount Mercy came about.
Her job is to guide mission integration across both universities, ensuring that Catholic identity, values, and formation remain central as institutional collaboration continues to evolve, according to a press release from both schools.
One of the first things she did after starting at St. Ambrose was to attend the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities meeting. “I met other actual mission integration officers (at the higher education level). It was surreal and exciting to attend,” Blanton Hibner said.
She noted that Mount Mercy did have the position before, but not at St. Ambrose. Her position is for both universities. “I am so excited,” she said.
“This is an opportunity to talk and share not only Catholic identity, but the charisms of St. Ambrose and Mother Catherine McAuley (founder of the Sisters of Mercy). We can all bring things to the table.”
Over time, Blanton Hibner wants to marry the charisms between the two colleges. “We have opportunities to collaborate in campus ministry,” for example, she said. There are peer campus ministers and service learning trips. Both campus ministry programs can “navigate together” in a number of ways. Last year a retreat was held between both campuses in campus ministry. In the future, they could do service learning trips together.
Since February, Blanton Hibner has worked on both campuses to “understand what opportunities for collaboration and growth” could be done. Her job isn’t just related to campus ministry, but education and athletics as well. “My big hope is we will work on formation of Ambrose tradition and the Sisters of Mercy tradition.” She wants to find the overlap and how these charisms can come together.
One example of Catholic mission integration in the classroom is an economics class, Blanton Hibner said. Using the topic of a free market economy she said, “Did you know there are encyclicals and writings on free market?” She suggests that faculty could integrate reading of a Catholic document into the curriculum.
She acknowledged some classes may be easier than others to accomplish this.
She said, “Everyone should understand their roles from coaches, academic staff, housekeeping, and how they can work with each other and students.”
There will be a learning curve, Blanton Hibner said. “But we will build this together. I see everyone helping to embrace mission integration. We all have our own unique call to vocation and to holiness.”
“Bringing two Catholic universities together requires more than administrative coordination,” Novak said, “It requires careful attention to culture, identity, sponsorship, ecclesial relationships, and the lived expression of mission on both campuses. This position was created to help us do that work thoughtfully and faithfully.”
