Rockford University is pleased to announce the appointment of Anissa Kuhar of Rockford, Ill., as Director of Adult & Graduate Admission, effective March 6, 2019. This is a new position for the University created to provide leadership and management for a newly formed department responsible for the recruitment of students to existing and future adult accelerated and graduate degree programs across the University. Kuhar will focus on developing and executing recruitment and marketing strategies designed to attract graduate-level and adult degree completion program students, as well as working to grow existing and new relationships with corporations, community organizations and governmental agencies.  

Kuhar has served Northern Illinois University for 24-years, most recently as Assistant Director for the Division of Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development. She has a strong background in project management, communications, marketing, strategy development and community outreach. Previously, she served Rock Valley College as an instructor teaching on–site classes at United Parcel Service’s Air Hub location.

Active in the region, Kuhar serves on the Alignment Rockford Operating Board, where she evaluated projects that fulfill high-priority strategic needs in the RPS system. She also serves as coordinator for the Parents of Gifted Education’s Auburn High School Power Professional Speakers Forum. Kuhar earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing from Illinois State University and a master’s in business administration from Northern Illinois University. 

Rockford University welcomes Reverend Katherine Gray Silvan on Monday, March 4, 12 p.m., in Fisher Memorial Chapel, as part of the University’s Spring Forum Series. Rev. Katherine Gray Silvan is an ordained Interfaith Minister and a licensed Master of Social Work who educates, empowers and ministers to people of all faiths. Fisher Memorial Chapel is located on the University’s campus, 5050 East State Street, Rockford.

After being ordained as an Interfaith minister at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYC in 2002, she went on to grad school at Southern Connecticut State University and became a licensed social worker. As a professional speaker, Rev. Silvan leads groups, seminars, and lectures both locally and nationally at colleges and community centers. A few years ago she began doing public speaking through Conscious Campus, an organization that provides renowned inspirational speakers and entertainers to colleges and universities with the mission of building social and cultural awareness. Since then, she has had the great privilege of speaking around the country educating students about the importance of faith diversity and learning the art of self love.

“The Art of Self Love” includes stress reduction, healthy boundary setting and mindfulness techniques and ground breaking research on alternative methods of healing and body balancing. In this workshop/lecture, Rev. Katherine Gray Silvan engages her audience in the Art of Self-Care. Katherine makes the distinction between being selfish and self-full and teaches students how to assess their perceptions regarding self-care and to set honest boundaries for themselves. This workshop explores healthy living, healthy giving and healthy believing; helping the audience understand the connection between our thinking and beliefs and how we are feeling and doing in our lives. Katherine will introduce and explore short and simple techniques for creating skills in self-care that help navigate a diverse world. Students will not only spend the session caring for themselves, but they will also walk away with the beginnings of a self-care tool box that they can utilize and build on throughout their lives. All will be encouraged to embrace a personal commitment to be a force of love in the world, by first loving oneself.

This event is free and the public is welcome to attend. Tickets are required and seating is limited. To reserve tickets, contact the Box Office at boxoffice@rockford.edu. The complete list of the Spring 2019 Forum Series events is available on the University’s website at www.rockford.edu/artslectures/forum/.

Rockford University’s Spring 2019 Forum Series continues with a special keynote address from Board of Trustee member Jonathan Whitlock, to commemorate the 172nd anniversary of the signing of Rockford University’s charter on Monday, March 4 at 4 pm.

This year’s Charter Day commemorates the 172nd anniversary of the signing of the charter for Rockford University. The annual event will include special speaker and Board of Trustee member Jonathan Whitlock, and an academic procession of faculty in traditional robes depicting their rank, with stoles representing their respective alma maters and degrees.

There is no charge to attend, but tickets are required. This event will take place in Maddox Theatre, in the Clark Arts Center, 5050 East State Street, Rockford. Clark Arts is accessible. Tickets can be obtained by contacting the Box Office at 815-226-4100 or boxoffice@rockford.edu.

This semester’s Forum Series continues through late April. View the full lineup at www.Rockford.edu/artslectures/forum.

Rockford University’s Jane Addams Center for Civic Engagement is hosting Rockford Goes Bald: Head Shaving Event for St. Baldrick’s on Weds., February 27 in Regents Hall, Student Burpee Center from 5:00- 7:30 pm. T-Mobile is an official sponsor for this event. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-powered charity that funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization, with the exception of the U.S. government.

There are currently 15 people signed up to participate in the event, of which 10 will be shaving their heads to help raise awareness and donate to the cause. These participants include Alex Johnson (Director of Student Involvement and Orientation at Rockford University), James Orourke (T Mobile representative), Sergio Herrera (AmeriCorps VISTA at Rockford University and Rockford Goes Bald event organizer), as well as several other students and staff members. The commitment of these individuals to shave for this event raises more than just funds and awareness, it also shows kids who lost their hair during their cancer treatment that you support them.

Rockford Goes Bald begins at 5 pm on Rockford University’s campus, located at 5050 East State Street, Rockford. To learn more about Rockford Goes Bald and the St. Baldrick’s Foundation or to donate visit www.stbaldricks.org/events/rockfordgoesbald, donations are now being accepted. 

Hear from New York City based musical theater songwriting team Sam Carner and Derek Gregor as they share insights about their new musical “Techies”, how they chose Rockford University and its students to take part in developing this brand new musical, the process of creating and workshopping a new musical, and what opportunities it presents to the Rockford University students involved. Carner and Gregor are in residence here through the end of February to bring their musical comedy “Techies” to life. The debut of this new production will run February 21 – 23 in Maddox Theatre, before heading to the Duplex Theater in New York City in March with students from Rockford University. This also presents a unique opportunity for the community to be able to see and participate in a brand new musical production and provide valuable feedback. 

“Techies” is described as a fourth-wall shattering pop-rock musical comedy about being weird and fighting for respect in one of the most judgmental places on earth – high school. The show opens on Thursday, February 21 and runs through Saturday, February 23. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Single ticket admission for adults $12, seniors age 55 and up, and students $9 unless otherwise noted. Group rates are available. For tickets, contact the Box Office at 815-226-4100 or boxoffice@rockford.edu. Visit rockford.edu/artslectures/performingarts/ for more about Techies and the University’s performing arts season.

Rockford University is pleased to welcome Jamsheed Choksy, Ph.D. as he presents State and Faith in Iran- Recent History as a Key to Understanding the Present on Thurs., February 21 at 4 pm. In this Phi Beta Kappa lecture, Dr. Choksy will discuss how the country’s geography, natural resources, international relations, and domestic changes combined with foreign influences and interventions to produce a political system in which the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government—not dissimilar to those of the US—become subordinate to a theocratic establishment. Dr. Choksy is a U.S. Presidentially-nominated and U.S. Congressionally-confirmed Member of the National Council on the Humanities which oversees the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington, DC.

Dr. Choksy is Distinguished Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington. His writings and lectures explore why human existence is viewed as a struggle between good and evil, and how beliefs and practices shape people’s lives and actions.

He is a leading authority on the Arab conquest of Iran, Iraq, the Persian Gulf, and Central Asia, the spread of Islam, and the impact of faith on politics, international relations, and security. He is a member of the National Council on the Humanities, and has held fellowships from the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton), National Endowment for the Humanities (Washington, DC), Guggenheim Foundation, the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (Stanford), American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Religion. His many publications include Conflict and Cooperation: Zoroastrian Subalterns and Muslim Elites in Medieval Iranian Society.

There is no charge to attend, but tickets are required. Dr. Choksy’s presentation will take place in Fisher Memorial Chapel, 5050 East State Street, Rockford. Tickets can be obtained by contacting the Box Office at 815-226-4100 or boxoffice@rockford.edu.

Read more about Dr. Jamsheed Choksy here.

View the full lineup at www.Rockford.edu/forum.

Rockford University’s Spring 2019 Forum Series continues with a free lecture from American historian and author Ronald C. White, Ph.D. on Sunday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. in Maddox Theatre. Dr. White will speak about his latest presidential biography American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant, which has won the William Henry Seward Award for Excellence in Civil War Biography awarded by the Civil War Forum of Metropolitan New York. The biography was a finalist for the Gilder-Lehrman Military History Book Prize. General David H. Petraeus (Ret.) wrote, “Certain to be recognized as the classic work on Ulysses S. Grant”.

Ronald C. White is one of today’s most astute biographers of Abraham Lincoln. He has written three award-winning and bestselling books on the 16th U.S. president, offering new insights into this fascinating historical figure. In his latest presidential biography, American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant, White offers a surprising portrait that reshapes our understanding of an American hero. Dr. White’s lectures are noted as riveting and thoroughly researched historical journeys, with lessons that still speak to us today.

A frequent and popular speaker, White brings history alive to give context to today’s issues. As one of the foremost biographers of Abraham Lincoln, White draws audiences in with new insights into Lincoln’s life and legacy as a lawyer, politician, and president. In his lectures on Ulysses S. Grant, Dr. White refocuses the life of self-effacing American Ulysses who points beyond himself to a panoply of enduring values. He has lectured at the White House and been interviewed on PBS News Hour.

There is no charge to attend, but tickets are required. Dr. White’s presentation will take place in Maddox Theatre, in the Clark Arts Center, 5050 East State Street, Rockford. Clark Arts is accessible. Tickets can be obtained by contacting the Box Office at 815-226-4100 or boxoffice@rockford.edu.

View the full lineup at www.Rockford.edu/forum.

Rockford University will host a Future Regent Visit Day on Saturday, February 23, 2019, beginning at 10 a.m. Future Regent Visit Day’s provide interested students and their families an in-depth look at the University, including visits with admission representatives, financial aid staff, faculty, and current students. Guests are invited to explore campus, meet with faculty, and interact with current students. The February 23 visit day also features a free lunch. The Visit day will conclude at approximately 2 p.m.

Check-in begins at 10 a.m. on Rockford University’s campus, located at 5050 East State Street, Rockford. To learn more about Future Regent Visit Day and to register, call 815-226-4050 or visit www.rockford.edu/admission/visit to reserve a spot today.

New York City based musical theater songwriting team Sam Carner and Derek Gregor have chosen Rockford University and its students to workshop a brand new musical. Carner and Gregor are in residence here through the end of February to bring their musical comedy “Techies” to life. The debut of this new production will run February 21 – 23 in Maddox Theatre, before heading to the Duplex Theater in New York City in March with students from Rockford University. This presents a unique opportunity for performing arts students to work with professionals in the industry and to learn more about the process of how a new production moves from concept to reality. It also presents a unique opportunity for the community to be able to see and participate in a brand new musical production.

“Techies” is described as a fourth-wall shattering pop-rock musical comedy about being weird and fighting for respect in one of the most judgmental places on earth – high school. The show opens on Thursday February 21 and runs through Saturday, February 23. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Single ticket admission for adults $12, seniors age 55 and up, and students $9 unless otherwise noted. Group rates are available. For tickets, contact the Box Office at 815-226-4100 or boxoffice@rockford.edu. Visit rockford.edu/artslectures/performingarts/ for more about Techies and the University’s performing arts season.

What it means to “workshop” a show: When playwrights and songwriters/composers of musicals create new work, it is very important to give the play a voice (other than the creators’ own voices) in order to see what works and what doesn’t. This happens with virtually every composed theater piece that exists. The process usually begins with a “reading,” in which actors are chosen just to sit around in a group, perhaps with an audience or maybe not, to read the play or musical. The next level is often a “stage reading” in which the actors have actually rehearsed with the script, and perhaps there’s a director that guides the performance. There may be some simple blocking and movement, but usually the actors stand behind a music stand or read it with script in hand. Eventually a new work is given a “workshop,” in which the actors have spent several weeks rehearsing, memorizing, and staging the new work. In all of these iterations, the work is discussed at length by actors and audience alike, and many edits are made to the work. When it gets to the workshopping stage, there are often several performances so the creators can get a lot of needed feedback.

Performing Arts Chair and Professor of Performing Arts Deborah Mogford explains, “The production of Carner & Gregor’s Techies is part staged reading, part workshop. The performances in Rockford will be ‘lightly staged,’ and the performances in NYC will truly be a staged reading. The joy of this process is the special collaboration that goes into creating a work of art in the theater. Sam and Derek have trusted Rockford University Performing Arts students with their newest work, and the two of them have been amazingly gracious in their desire for feedback and collaboration with our department.”

More about the writers as noted on their website carnerandgregor.com – Sam Carner and Derek Gregor, among Playbill.com’s 12 Contemporary Musical Theatre Songwriters You Should Know, won the Richard Rodgers Award and the John Wallowitch Award for songwriters under 40, and Sam won the Kleban Prize for “Most Promising Librettist.” Their songs, which have garnered 11

MAC nominations for “Best Song” / “Best Comedic Song” with one win, are performed in hundreds of venues around the world every year and have been sung on all seven continents (including Antarctica).

“Techies” cast list

Tonight’s Lunar New Year Celebration has been postponed due to hazardous weather conditions. The event will now occur on Monday, February 11 from 5- 7 p.m. in Regents Hall, Burpee Center located on the Rockford University campus.