Dr. Mary Skemp is a true asset to St. Ambrose! A long-time Latin and English teacher, Mary has previously served as our Dean of Students and college counselor. In addition to teaching, she currently serves as Academic Advisor.
In the classroom, Mary is particularly skilled at leading her students to a deeper meaning of the primary texts they read. As Dean of Students, Mary supports students in many ways, including by overseeing their extracurricular activities and making sure they are on the right path to graduation. She enjoys helping students prepare for college and is always eager to listen to the students’ dreams and to answer questions about how to realize them.
Mary has also taught courses at the University of Wisconsin, Edgewood College, UW-Whitewater, and Madison College. Prior to this, Mary held a tenured position as French professor at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky, where for seven years she taught classes ranging from beginning level French to the upper-level literature and civilization courses. Mary received an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in French literature. While at the University of Minnesota, she studied Latin and worked briefly as the coordinator of their first-year French language program. She also taught English in France for two years between her M.A. and Ph.D.
After a full day at school, Mary enjoys relaxing by…competing in sprint triathlons! Inspired by her husband who runs marathons, Mary took up her own endurance training several years ago. Whether students are in class or on the racetrack, they will really have to push themselves if they want to catch Dr. Skemp!