Spring 20 Issue
Faculty Stories
Faculty Notes
Class Notes
In Memoriam
Inside This Issue – Catalyst Spring 2020
Catalyst is published by the Marketing and Communications and Alumni offices within the Advancement Division. Letters to the editor, feedback, feature suggestions, and class notes are welcome.
Contact information: Office of Marketing and Communications, 815-394-5041 or Communications@rockford.edu.
Connect With Us
Message From The President
Greetings from President Fulcomer
Greetings from Rockford University! The English expression “May you live in interesting times” certainly applies to living through 2020. Over the last few months, we have weathered a storm that we didn’t see coming. But as a liberal arts institution that values the development of critical thinking and transferable skills that help one respond to unforeseen challenges and opportunities, we were prepared.
Faculty Stories
Featured Stories
See Our New Softball & Baseball Fields
By Kayla Eddy, Social Media & Web Coordinator Rockford University Athletics has had an outstanding year. With the introduction of flag football, two brand-new athletic fields, exciting seasons for many teams, and a winning Esports program, the future looks...
Rockford University Dominican Republic Serve & Study Abroad Trip
By Dr. Kelly Monson, Dr. Danielle Klein, & Dr. Beth Lipton On May 14, 2024, sixteen students and three Rockford University faculty began a week-long transformational journey to serve a small rural community in the Dominican Republic. Participants were...
Our Story
By the 1974 Golden Grads Reunion Committee Looking out the windows of the O’Hare/Rockford bus or from the comfort of our parents’ cars, we drove past endless cornfields as we made our way to a college campus many of us had not ever set foot on, in a city we hadn’t...
Faith Gomez ‘24 Awarded Grant
By Sara Myers, Digital Media & Communications Specialist RU Student Faith Gomez was mentored by Dr. Filiz Dik, Dr. Deepshikha Shukla, and others in the SMN (Science, Math & Nursing) College and was awarded a $2,500 grant to create a STEM camp for middle school...
Alumna Emily Hartzog Rises to the Top
By Sara Myers, Digital Media & Communications Specialist Though she grew up in San Diego, California, RU Alumni Emily Hartzog’s mother convinced her to look at a small, private school in Illinois when Hartzog was looking at colleges. Her mother grew up...
New Opportunities Offer a Brighter Future
by Sara Myers, Digital Media & Communications Specialist Rockford-born and raised graphic design graduate Geniss Scharnweber ‘24 was described by some as a “nontraditional student.” Scharnweber did not decide to attend college until she was in her late 30s....
Regent Heroes
During the past several months, Rockford University alumni have proven their dedication to their professions.
A Semester Abroad Motivates Alumna to Change Medical Care Nationwide
Michelle Collins’ ’86, senior year study abroad experience proved to be life-changing.
Unbreakable bonds: A message from incoming Student Government President Tanner Elliott
Online learning at Rockford University posed an interesting challenge and certainly new and uncharted territory for many of my peers and me.
Seaver Transformed
Rockford University’s $3.5 million Seaver Physical Education Center renovation was completed, ahead of schedule and on budget, on May 29.
Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics Business & Accounting Orhan Erdem, Ph.D., gave a presentation to the Rockford Rotary this past January where he highlighted several outstanding cases about the global economies and mentioned ties of several social and economic developments to the 2008 financial crisis. In addition to his talk, Orhan also published his book titled After the Crash: Understanding the Social, Economic and Technological Consequences of the 2008 Crisis with Palgrave Macmillan.
Read more about other faculty accomplishments, including published works, presentations, and awards.
THREE WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LEGACY
With a little preparation, planned gifts can be made now to immediately support Rockford University’s needs or they can take effect in the future as a way to leave your legacy.
Anyone can make a planned gift. Consider these three popular options:
A gift in your will or revocable living trust.
Work with your attorney to include a few simple sentences in your will or living trust. Plus, you can change your mind at any time because this gift doesn’t go into effect until after your lifetime.
A gift of your retirement plan assets.
By naming us as the primary beneficiary on the designation form for a percentage (1–100) of your account’s final value, you can make a tax-wise gift to support Rockford University.
A gift of your bank or brokerage account.*
By placing a payable on death or transfer on death designation on your bank or brokerage account, you can name our organization to receive the funds.
Leave a Lasting Legacy
Contact us today at 815-394-3756 or legacy@rockford.edu to learn more about the benefits of planned gifts.
*State laws govern payable on death accounts and transfer on death accounts. Please consult with your bank representative or investment advisor if you are considering these gifts.
