Amy C. Novak, president of Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, S.D., will become the 14th president of St. Ambrose University, Davenport, this August. She was chosen earlier this month by the SAU Board of Trustees following a national search and will succeed Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ, PhD., who will retire after 14 years as SAU president. A 49-year-old native South Dakotan, Novak has served as president of Dakota Wesleyan University since April 2013. She will become just the second female president in SAU’s 139-year-history. The success during Novak’s tenure led to DWU being profiled... Read More

During the COVID-19 pandemic, creative, intelligent people are being asked to find new ways to meet unexpected challenges. That was the case when West High School teachers Greg Smith and Jason Franzenburg received a request from TJ Schneckloth, Superintendent of Davenport Community School District, back in June 2020. At that time, Schneckloth needed a reliable source of face shields for District employees. Smith and Franzenburg, industrial technology instructors, teach Project Lead the Way Engineering and Career and Technical Education. “TJ was looking for an efficient, creative way to take care... Read More

The Rock Island Public Library Children’s Department will host a virtual show-and-tell about pets via  Zoom at 6:00 pm on Thursday, February 25. Each participant will have time to share details about their pet, its name, and what makes it special. “Show and tell is a great way for kids to practice verbal skills and language, and pets are always a popular subject,” said Ranell Dennis, Rock Island Children’s Librarian. “Join us as a family to tell us what you love best about your pet.” The event is for children in kindergarten through 6th grades and their families. Registration is due... Read More

The Bureau of Cultural Affairs (BCA) at Western Illinois University is offering a free virtual show tonight for the Spring 2021 semester as part of “On the Couch – Virtual Arts Series.” The production company, BiCoastal Productions, is offering free shows to presenters like BCA during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue to offer exposure to the arts to audiences. Each show begins at 7 p.m. on a series of Wednesdays. Tonight’s show is: • Feb. 24 – The Silhouettes® – America’s Got Talent: The Champions! was founded in 2009, and was the first runner-up on “America’s Got Talent”... Read More

The Davenport Public Library is pleased to partner with the Hoover Museum and Presidential Library for this live webinar series presented by members of the Hoover Family! Three of Herbert’s great-grandchildren will each present a special program. The first will be presented by Margaret Hoover on Thursday, February 25th at 6:00 pm on Zoom who will discuss ‘Behind the Scenes at Firing Line,’ detailing how she was able to reboot the series and pull in amazing guests to interview. Registration is required to receive the Zoom meeting details: https://davenportlibrary.libcal.com/event/7484201 This... Read More

By Craig Cooper The coronavirus sweeping across the globe may seem to be unlike anything most have experienced. But if you are 60 years old or older, mass COVID-19 vaccination efforts may seem vaguely familiar. You may remember another frightening and uncontrolled viral outbreak. We have been down this path before. There was danger in the water for parents and their children 60 years ago. The warm months of summer were polio season. Exposure to waters polluted by human fecal matter and ingested by others could be life altering and possibly deadly. Polio outbreaks were striking American children,... Read More

Michael Carton, director of education and outreach for WQPT (Quad Cities PBS), is in his fourth year of teaching computer coding classes to area K-3 students. But since last spring, it’s been very limited because of Covid restrictions. Carton is happy, however, to be among seven Q-C STEM professionals and one technical organization to be honored by the Quad City Engineering & Science Council (QCESC) at its 59th-annual STEM Celebration on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 6:30 p.m. The awards pay tribute to and recognize engineering and science professionals and educators whose outstanding achievements... Read More

Shakti Butler, PhD, a dynamic filmmaker and visionary educator in the field of social and racial equity, will provide the keynote address for the 17th-annual Ambrose Women for Social Justice Conference on Tuesday, Feb. 23. Butler’s keynote, “Framing a Racial Justice Foundation,” begins at 3:30 p.m. via Webex. It is open to the public; viewers should click here to join the Feb. 23 keynote. On Feb. 24, “Healing and Radical Imagination,” an interactive workshop is designed to encourage open conversation and exploration of first steps to begin working towards healing... Read More

In honor of Women’s History Month, Western Illinois University (WIU) Libraries will hold a virtual presentation of Robert Lopresti’s award-winning book, “When Women Didn’t Count” in March. Robert Lopresti, a retired government information librarian from Western Washington University, (WWU) will discuss his award-winning book, “When Women Didn’t Count”(Praeger, 2017). The presentation is sponsored by WIU Libraries in acknowledgment of Women’s History Month. It will be held virtually at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 18. Lopresti retired in 2018, after... Read More

Join us for the whole year in celebrating the 175th Anniversary of Iowa by discussing books relating to Iowa history. We will be starting off the conversation with each of the four books selected by the State Historical Society of Iowa’s Iowa History Book Club. We will be offering a local perspective on these topics with the help of the staff of the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center. On Wednesday, March 3rd at 6:30 pm, we will be discussing “Iowa: The Middle Land” by Dorothy Schwieder. Books are available through the Rivershare Library Catalog. Registration is not required.... Read More