St. Ambrose and Mount Mercy unite at National Catholic Youth Conference

St. Ambrose University and Mount Mercy Universitytook a shared step forward in their growing partnership by appearing together at the National Catholic Youth Conference, presenting a united presence to more than 15,000 Catholic high school students, ministers, and educators from across the country.

Held at Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, Nov. 20-22, the conference, commonly known as NCYC, marked several firsts. It was St. Ambrose's inaugural appearance at the national event and the first time the two Iowa Catholic universities collaborated at a joint booth.

The institutions were represented by Rev. Dale Mallory, chaplain at St. Ambrose; Elyse Keeffer '24, coordinator of service and justice at Mount Mercy and Mount Mercy alum; and Izzy Coss '25, '27 MA-MFT, Mount Mercy's student engagement and events coordinator, a St. Ambrose alum, and current graduate student in the marriage and family therapy program at Mount Mercy.

For Fr. Mallory, the significance of the moment extended beyond logistics and into what the collaboration represented for Catholic higher education more broadly.

"I think it just kind of reflects more the reality of where Catholic higher education is going," he said.