University Leadership
Rockford University is a private, four-year, co-educational institution and is governed by the University’s Board of Trustees, a 31-member board that includes representation from an Alumni, Student and Faculty trustee. Serving as the University’s president is Dr. Patricia Lynott, whose Executive Council leadership team includes the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Business and CFO, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Vice President for Advancement.
More About Rockford University
Rockford University, formerly Rockford College, is a four-year, co-educational institution founded in 1847 offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in traditional liberal arts and professional fields. The undergraduate program offers approximately 80 majors, minors and concentrations, including three 100% online majors through the RU Online program. Six master’s degrees are offered through the graduate program, including: Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Master of Education (M.Ed.), Master of Arts in Sport Management & Leadership (MASM), Masters of Science in Exercise Physiology (MSEP), and Master of Science in Data Science (MSDS).
In addition to our degree programs, Rockford University also offers the English as a Second Language (ESL) Program. The ESL program includes listening, speaking, reading, writing, and grammar components.
Rockford University is home to one of only 11 Phi Beta Kappa (PBK) chapters in Illinois, the most prestigious honor society in the United States. Rockford University is proud to hold the prestigious Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement, an elective classification that highlights our dedication to meaningful and impactful partnerships within our local and regional communities. Named by The Princeton Review as a 2018 Best Midwestern College and a U.S. News & World Report Best Midwest Regional University, Rockford University currently serves approximately 1,200 full- and part-time students.
A NCAA Division III institution, the university offers 14 intercollegiate varsity teams along with several junior varsity teams and participates in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. Approximately 25 percent of the university’s students participate in at least one intercollegiate sport. For more about Regent Athletics, visit rockfordregents.com.
The University is also noted as the alma mater of 1881 graduate and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jane Addams. Hundreds of alumni have gone on to distinction and include those who are responsible for groundbreaking work in the discovery of the use of ACE inhibitors in the prevention of heart attacks; participating on the team that developed LED and fiber optics; testing the first artificial valve in humans; captains of industry; coaching a Division I program to the NACAA Tournament and touring with the national tour of CATS, to name just a very few.
