Rockford, Ill., – Assistant Professor of English Tara Wood, Ph.D. will present the ‘Last Lecture’ on April 17, 4 p.m. in Fisher Memorial Chapel, 5050 E. State St., Rockford. The lecture is part of the spring Forum series at the University and provides an opportunity students to nominate a member of the faculty  to deliver his or her ‘last lecture’ as the University nears the end of its academic year. 

The Last Lecture series at Rockford University was inspired by Randy Pausch. Dr. Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University from 1997 to his death in 2008. Before his death he was asked to give the students his Last Lecture. Dr. Pausch delivered a laugh-filled session of teaching stories, about going after your childhood dreams, and helping others achieve theirs. The Last Lecture Series has been made possible through the generosity of the Father Robert J. Verstynen Trust; honoring Rockford University faculty members
for their years of teaching and example of lifelong learning.

Professor Wood was chosen based on nominations from students. Professor Wood joined the English Department in Fall 2014 as an Assistant Professor. She earned her BA and MA from Colorado State University and her doctorate from the University of Oklahoma. She teaches classes in the English department, in the rhetoric sequence, and in the Gender Studies program. Her scholarly interests are in writing pedagogy, disability, and gender/feminist theory, and her work has appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education, in College Composition and Communication, and in Composition Studies. 

The Last Lecture is free and open to the public, however, tickets are required. Please contact the Rockford University Box Office at 815-226-4100 or boxoffice@rockford.edu to reserve your tickets or for more information. Fisher Chapel is accessible.

Assistant Professor of Education, Jacob Hardesty, Ph.D., has been named one of Rockford Register Star’s 75 people to know. Dr. Hardesty believes in the importance of foundational education courses, which give his students a solid understanding of the profession and promotes realistic thinking in teachers. His motto: Becoming a good teacher takes time. New tests don’t create better educators.

Read more about Dr. Hardesty in the Rockford Register’s special feature: Jacob Hardesty: Debate, foundation drew Rockford University assistant professor to education.

More about Dr. Hardesty: 

Dr. Hardesty’s primary research interest involves the historical connections and tensions between popular culture and public education. His dissertation, which he is currently revising as a book, explores educators’ perceptions and responses toward the impact jazz would have on young people in the 1920s. More than a musical genre, jazz operated as the clearest diving line between a Victorianist ethos of restraint and an emerging modernist alternative. Despite a general dislike among both groups, university faculty and administrators allowed students more agency to shape the culture of their institutions than their secondary school colleagues, who sought to minimize young people’s exposure to jazz.

Rockford University’s Spring 2018 Forum Series wraps up with a free lecture from Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Karen Kashmanian Oates, Ph.D.

Bringing Civic Engagement into the Science
Classroom: Karen Kashmanian Oates
Tuesday, April 24, noon
Fisher Memorial Chapel

Nationally recognized consultant, scientist, science educator, and higher education leader Dr. Karen Kashmanian Oates, a biology and biotechology professor at WPI, will discuss how the power of science for our democracy has required us to shift from an inert learning environment to one that actively engages students.

With the exception of Performing Arts events, the Forum Series is free of charge. Events take place on the Rockford University campus, 5050 East State Street, Rockford. Tickets are required and can be obtained by contacting the Box Office at 815-226-4100 or boxoffice@rockford.edu.

Dr. Oates’ lecture will wrap up Rockford University’s spring 2018 series, which has included lessons on forgiveness from a Holocaust survivor, an appearance by Rockford’s new mayor, a visit from a New York City-based jazz pianist and a musical presented in collaboration with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra.

Rockford University’s Spring 2018 Forum Series continues with a free lecture from Holocaust survivor Eva Kor in collaboration with the Jewish Federation of Rockford on Tuesday, April 10.

Holocaust Memorial Day
with Survivor Eva Kor
Tuesday, April 10, 7 p.m.
*Location change from Fisher Chapel to Regents Hall, Burpee Center

Rockford University’s Forum Series is partnering with the Jewish Federation of Rockford for a 2018 Yom Hashoah Memorial Observance program. Our featured speaker is Eva Mozes Kor, a survivor of the Holocaust, a forgiveness advocate, and a revered public speaker.

With the driving message of “never give up” in mind, she has emerged through a life filled with trauma as a brilliant example of the power of the human spirit to overcome. Kor is the recipient of the 2017 Sachem award, the highest honor in the state of Indiana.

The program also will include brief remarks from leaders of Rockford’s Jewish community, a time for prayer, and a candle-lighting ceremony. All are welcome.

With the exception of Performing Arts events, the Forum Series is free of charge. Events take place on the Rockford University campus, 5050 East State Street, Rockford. Tickets are required and can be obtained by contacting the Box Office at 815-226-4100 or boxoffice@rockford.edu.

Remaining installments in this spring’s Forum Series include a musical presented in collaboration with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra and a lecture on civic engagement in the science classroom. View the full lineup at www.Rockford.edu/forum.

Rockford University has been recognized by the American Advertising Federation of Northern Illinois with seven 2018 American Advertising (ADDY) Awards for advertising creative excellence. The AAF Northern Illinois is the ad industry trade association serving advertising creatives, public relations, marketing, and other communications industry professionals in Rockford and Northern Illinois and
represents the Northern Illinois Chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF). Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AAF is the oldest advertising trade association representing over 40,000 professionals in the advertising industry in a national network of more than 200 ad clubs in communities across the country.

Rockford University’s Institutional Advancement division submitted a collection of collateral materials into this year’s competition. The assortment of entries included six different categories, and all six submissions were selected by the panel of judges to receive an ADDY. In addition, Colorwave Graphics, submitted an entry highlighting work done in partnership with the University for the newly renovated Starr Science Center, which also received an award. 

On March 9, 2018, AAF Northern Illinois held its annual awards presentation and presented Rockford University with the following seven awards:

• Gold ADDY, Out-of-Home Poster Campaign—Fall 2017 Forum Series
• Silver ADDY, Special Event Material, Card,Invitation Campaign: Gala 2017 Relevé: A RisingUp
• Silver ADDY, Out-of-Home Site Campaign—Rock Solid Banners (campus pole banners)
• Silver ADDY, Out-of-Home Site Interior—Starr Science Acrylic Hexagon Wall Display (submitted by Colorwave Graphics)
• Bronze ADDY, Printed Newsletter—Catalyst Winter 2017 and Summer 2017 issues
• Bronze ADDY, Brochure—Rock Solid Transfer (Admissions) Brochure
• Bronze ADDY, Outdoor Board—Rock Solid Billboard (Belvidere Tollway Oasis on I-90)

Entries were judged based upon creativity, originality, and creative strategy; all work entered into the competition must have first appeared between January 1 and December 31, 2017.

To view Rockford University’s award-winning entries, please visit the University’s Issuu page.  For more information about the ADDYs, the AAF Northern Illinois, and to see the full list of  award winners, please visit http://www.niadfed.org/aaf-northern-illinois-presents-the-2018-addywinners/.

The Rockford Public School District 205 School Board recognized 20 seniors at last night’s board meeting who have committed to participation in the Education Pathway program at Rockford University. The students come from high schools East, Jefferson, Auburn and Guilford.

First introduced in the spring of 2016, Education Pathway students could first began enrolling in the program in the fall of 2017. The Education Pathway program’s goal is to attract RPS 205 students to the teaching profession specifically to stay and work in RPS 205. The program begins in the middle school with seventh and eighth graders discussing a teaching career. It continues in high school with an education pathway, then transitions into a college degree program through Rockford University at a significantly reduced cost. If hired in RPS 205, program graduates can also receive a master’s degree in urban education cost-free from Rockford University. 

Rockford University congratulates the incoming Education Pathway students and commends them on their decision to pursue a career in education. 

Read more in Rockford Register Star’s article – Rockford Public Schools celebrates first full class of future teachers

ROCKFORD — Rockford University’s Spring 2018 Forum Series continues with a free lecture from transgender and immigrant rights activist Jennicet Gutiérrez on Wednesday, March 21.

Transgender and Immigrant Rights in the
Fight for Liberations: Jennicet Gutiérrez
Wednesday, March 21, 3 p.m.
Regents Hall, Burpee Student Center

Jennicet Gutiérrez, best known for shedding light on the plight of transgender women in immigration detention centers through her organization FAMILIA: TQLM (Trans Queer Liberation Movement), is a transgender activist from México who resides in Los Angeles.

She burst onto the national scene in the summer of 2015, when she interrupted then-President Barack Obama during a speech in honor of Pride month to call attention to the struggles of transgender immigrant women. Gutiérrez believes in the importance of uplifting and centering the voices of trans women of color in all racial justice work.

With the exception of Performing Arts events, the Forum Series is free of charge. Events take place on the Rockford University campus, 5050 East State Street, Rockford. Tickets are required and can be obtained by contacting the Box Office at 815-226-4100 or boxoffice@rockford.edu.

Remaining highlights of this spring’s Forum Series include lessons on forgiveness from a Holocaust survivor and a musical presented in collaboration with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra. View the full lineup at www.Rockford.edu/forum.

Three Rockford University professors have received a $14,000 grant to study the spread of Lyme disease in northern Illinois from the Community Grants Program of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL).

Associate professors of biology at RU — Troy Skwor, Ph.D.; James Marshall, Ph.D.; and Chemical and Biological Sciences Department Chair Sean Beckmann, Ph.D. — are collaborating on “Lyme Ecology in Northern IL: From Voles to Birds to Humans.” Funded for two years by the CFNIL, the project is an expansion of Dr. Beckmann’s research into how rodents can spread the disease, which yielded two previously unknown carriers of Lyme — meadow jumping mice and 13-lined ground squirrels.

“Ticks themselves are not born with Lyme disease,” Dr. Beckmann explains. “They have to acquire it by feeding on the blood of another animal that is infected. We call this a reservoir. For Lyme disease, the traditional reservoir has been the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus. However, Lyme exists in areas and ecosystems outside of the range of this mouse.”

Reports of Lyme disease have doubled in northern Illinois in the last 15 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Beckmann describes the region as “one of the hotspots for the disease in Illinois.”

“This increase in cases alone demonstrates a need to identify the reasons,” says Dr. Skwor, who wrote the grant proposal. “People who spend any time outdoors with prairie or wooded areas are at risk of acquiring Lyme disease, and with climate change, the numbers could increase even more.”

In the majority of Lyme cases affecting humans, patients develop a bullseye rash with a fever, headache, and chills. However, in 20 to 30 percent of instances, the rash is not detected, allowing the disease to progress with severe complications in the heart and joints, as well as neurological damage. Traditional medical treatments currently have little effect in the chronic stage of the illness, with symptoms known to arise even six months after the use of antibiotics.

Most studies involving Lyme, including previous research done by Rockford University’s professors, focus on identifying the tick-borne illness’ first or second animal carriers — typically the white-footed mouse and deer, respectively. Very few have expanded to test animal reservoirs’ blood serum for the presence of antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that indirectly causes the disease.

The University’s research team will broaden its focus to birds with the hope of understanding how Lyme spreads within northern Illinois — whether birds are bringing the disease into the area and infecting ticks, or are being bitten and infected after arriving in the region.

“Little is known about what other mammals can serve as reservoirs of Lyme, particularly the role of birds,” Dr. Beckmann explains. “This is important, as birds can move from place to place and cover long distances much better than mice and may serve as mobile reservoirs.”

The researchers will partner with undergraduate students to trap and obtain blood and DNA samples from hundreds of animals to test for

the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi in the spring, summer and fall months over the next two years. With Dr. Marshall leading efforts to capture, test and release birds and Dr. Beckmann continuing his focus on rodent carriers while analyzing DNA and blood samples for the presence of Lyme-causing bacteria, Dr. Skwor will search for antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi in the animals’ blood. Trap sites will include Rockford University’s campus and Severson Dells Nature Center in Winnebago County, as well as Boone County’s Distillery Road Conservation Area.

Collaborating with Texas A&M University Lyme expert Dr. Jon Skare, professor and associate head of the Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Rockford University’s team will further explore whether robins — identified by the CDC as having only transient infections of Lyme — and potentially other species produce antibodies that could help make them immune to the disease. Dr. Skwor says although it’s “very hypothetical,” these birds’ natural ability to fight off Lyme could point to potential human treatment.

“We are thrilled to receive funding for this exciting project. It addresses Lyme disease in a holistic fashion, researching multiple vectors involved in the transmission of the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi,” Dr. Skwor says. “Most studies analyze only one vector at a time from various parts of the world, making it difficult for scientists to understand the pathogen in a defined ecosystem. Our research study includes numerous vectors — some of them being new — as well as an additive feature assessing whether birds have been infected locally or outside northern Illinois.”

Rockford University is a four-year, coeducational institution founded in 1847 offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in traditional liberal arts and professional fields. The University offers approximately 80 majors, minors and concentrations, including the adult accelerated degree completion program for a B.S. in Management Studies. Through its Graduate Studies department, degrees are extended to include the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and Master of Education in Urban Education (MEd).

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. RU is ranked as a Best Regional University – Midwest Tier One by US News & World Report and was named by the Princeton Review as a Best in the Midwest institution. The University currently serves approximately 1,260 full-and part-time students.

The mission of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois is to serve as a catalyst for giving in order to attract, preserve, and grow an endowment for the current and future needs of the people of Northern Illinois. Since its founding in 1953, CFNIL has granted more than $65 million for charitable purposes in the region.

ROCKFORD, Ill. — Two Rockford University assistant professors of chemistry—Gidget Tay, Ph.D, and Matthew Bork, Ph.D.—have been honored with 2018 awards from the American Chemical Society.

Dr. Tay received the Local Section Outreach Volunteer of the Year Award for the Rock River Section of the ACS, nominated both for her chemistry demonstrations at after-school centers and public libraries as well as her series of “educational videos that combine dance and chemistry to explain concepts that students find difficult,” according to the ACS.

Dr. Tay, who was a dance minor as an undergraduate, collaborated with Rockford University Performing Arts faculty and students to produce the latest video on her DanceChemistry YouTube channel. Her videos have tackled topics including stereochemistry, reaction rates, distillation and solubility, with the hope that this free content will “inspire a younger generation of future scientists” and “be used to improve scientific understanding from a creative viewpoint.”

Dr. Bork earned a Salute to Excellence Award from the Affiliated Chemical Society for his work revitalizing an annual Chemistry Olympiad for the Rock River Section of the ACS. Dr. Bork has coordinated the event for five years, adding a banquet to the yearly meeting and working to build relationships with local high schools.

Rockford University is pleased to introduce the new Bloomberg Business Lab and invites the public to a special open house on February 27, 2018 from 4:30 – 6 p.m. Complete with state-of-the-art Bloomberg Professional services terminals, the Bloomberg Business Lab, part of the Puri School of Business, is the only one of its kind in the Rockford region. Providing trusted real-time and historical data as well as market-moving news and analytics, the Bloomberg Business Lab will allow our students to develop leading skills for careers in finance, economics, accounting and other business fields. For more about the new Bloomberg Professional services at Rockford University, read the full press release here.

During this open house, professor and students will be in the lab to demonstrate how this powerful global technology is being used in the classroom. In addition, the Puri School of Business features newly renovated spaces, and guests are invited to tour the entire facility. 

When: Tuesday, February 27, 2018, 4:30 – 6 p.m., (Welcome and remarks at 5:15)

Where: Puri School of Business on the campus of Rockford University. Building is located just east of the 5050 East State Street entrance.

Please register to attend by Feb. 23.
Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bloomberg-business-lab-open-house-tickets-42986789645 to RSVP.

Bloomberg Business Lab fact sheet