ROCKFORD, Ill. — As the director of NASA’s Astrobiology Institute (NAI), Dr. Penelope “Penny” Boston has devoted her career to finding new life both within and beyond our planet. She will speak about her work at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 6, at Severson Auditorium, Scarborough Hall. 

The free event is part of Rockford University’s Spring 2017 Forum Series, which also will include farcical play A Flea in Her Ear from April 27-30. With the exception of plays, the public series is free of charge. 

Prior to joining NASA, Boston founded and directed the Cave and Karst Studies Program at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, where she also served as a professor and led their earth and environmental sciences department as chair. Additionally, she served from 2002 to 2016 as associate director of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute, a congressionally mandated institute in New Mexico.

Forum Series Lectures and performances take place on the Rockford University campus, 5050 E. State St., Rockford. Tickets are required for all events and can be obtained by contacting the Box Office at 815-226-4100 or boxoffice@rockford.edu.

Congratulations to our ROCK SOLID REGENT for the week, Lauren Johnson from Belvidere, IL. She is a senior biochemistry major and was nominated by Dr. Kyle Stedman and Dr. Gidget Tay. Dr. Stedman shared that Lauren is a master of perception. In class and in the Writing Center, she reads a piece of writing and instantly gets what’s going on, with an ability to suggest complex areas for growth in just the way the writer needs to hear it. Additionally, her own writing is powerful and starkly gorgeous.
According to Dr. Tay, Lauren has an amazing thirst for knowledge. She doesn’t just want to know the facts but also why they occur the way they do. The questions she asks in class are insightful and thought provoking. Lauren works in the organic synthesis research lab where she continues to learn new lab techniques and grow as a chemist and scientist.
In addition to serving in the research lab and as a Writing Center Consultant, Lauren also plays the ukulele and enjoys rowing as well as poetry. For Lauren RU has been a great place to study. She enjoys the beautiful landscape our campus offers with lots of old trees that remind her that someday she will be old and wise. Additionally, Lauren proudly shares, “the Starr Science building is my home”. Everyone struggling with material can gather and the professors are available to guide the students through the struggle that is real: the dissolution of ignorance and birth of knowledge. After graduation she plans to move on to graduate school. Congratulations Lauren on being a ROCK SOLID REGENT!

ROCKFORD, Ill. — Rockford University President Eric W. Fulcomer, Ph.D., has announced the appointment of Michael P. Mihalyo, Jr., D.M.A., as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, effective this summer. Dr. Mihalyo will succeed Belinda Wholeben, Ed.D., who will retire after 23 years with the University at the end of the 2016-17 academic year, serving the last two years as provost.

Mihalyo has more than two decades of experience in higher education, and previously has filled the role of provost at two liberal arts colleges in West Virginia: Bethany College and Davis & Elkins College, where he was appointed president. Most recently, he served as president of the Kentucky-based Appalachian College Association. Dr. Mihalyo possesses a comprehensive understanding of both the academic and operational aspects of higher education institutions, with experience in direct oversight of academic divisions, college faculty/staff committees, office of the registrar, information technology, library services, academic services, student advising and student services.

“During the search process, I learned a great deal about Rockford University, especially during the campus interviews. I so enjoyed the time that I spent with students. I was quite impressed with the strong commitment of the faculty and staff to student learning and I deeply value their holistic approach to private liberal arts education,” Dr. Mihalyo said. “I was honored and delighted by President Fulcomer’s invitation to join the Rockford University community. I look forward to working with the faculty and staff to preserve Rockford’s many historic strengths and to become part of the team that continues the forward momentum to become the school of choice.” 

An accomplished musician, Dr. Mihalyo enjoyed an active career in chamber and church music prior to his faculty work. Of particular note, he conducted the St. Peter Festival Choir of Pittsburgh, Penn., for a series of services and concerts in Italy including Vatican City, Rome and the surrounding area. Dr. Mihalyo holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from West Virginia University and his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Duquesne University, all in piano performance.

President Fulcomer notes Dr. Mihalyo’s valuable leadership experiences will complement Rockford University’s strategic goals.

“This search attracted a number of highly qualified candidates, and Dr. Mihalyo rose to the top of the pool. We are pleased to have someone with Michael’s extensive background in academic administration to serve as our next Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs,” Dr. Fulcomer said. “His experience in curriculum design, accreditation work, and significant involvement in national and regional organizations will serve Rockford University well. The University will not be the only beneficiary of Michael’s talents; I expect that he will quickly become an asset to the Rockford community, as well.”

A search committee vetted more than 80 applicants received from a national search before eventually narrowing their options down to three finalists. Campus visits for all candidates were conducted in late February.

Rockford University is a four-year, co-educational 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), Master of Urban Education. 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 also named by The Princeton Review as a Best Midwestern College. Rockford University currently serves approximately 1,300 full-and part-time students.

ROCKFORD — Held the first weekend of spring, Meltfest aims to bring people together in celebrating community and saying “so long” to the cold and snow.

The four-year-old fest, already a Rockford favorite, has grown every year because of a dedicated group of Rockford University faculty and staff leading the annual charge in organizing the event. This year’s Meltfest is slated for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 25, with many activities taking place in and around the Prairie Street Brewhouse, 200 Prairie St. in downtown Rockford.

“This weekend, we will have more than 500 runners in a 5K, 20-plus vendors on display, and an overall event that we estimate will touch at least 5,000 people,” says Brian Huels, Assistant Professor of Accounting at Rockford University and a leader of Meltfest’s organizing committee.

And those are just a few of the highlights this weekend. Meltfest will offer plenty of free, family-friendly fun like a group bike ride, ice skating, and pool kayaking. Kids will love the roving entertainers, science and magic shows, games and crafts.

Hop on the trolley to ride among the event’s locations (weather permitting), and explore a thawed Rockford to the beat of live music. You’ll find something for everyone at Meltfest, which benefits the Cosmopolitan Club of Rockford this year and is sponsored by the brewhouse and university along BMO Harris Bank.

“It is an honor to be a member of the group that has made this happen,” adds Huels.

ROCKFORD — Faculty at Rockford University’s Clark Arts Center taught some younger-than-average students Tuesday morning, March 21, hosting 20 lively first-graders from Rock Cut Elementary School in Loves Park.

Leonard Pink, a longtime classroom volunteer at Rock Cut Elementary, spearheaded this special field trip through his membership on the board for Friends of the Performing Arts at Rockford University, and helped organize the event through RU Professor of Performing Arts and Department Chair Deborah Mogford.

“In one of my meetings with Ms. Mogford, I said, ‘We would like to bring students here,’” said Pink, a retired social worker. “And she said, ‘Great!’”

The highlight of the morning was a ride on Maddox Theatre’s stage lift with RU mascot Reggie the Regent, and students also got lessons on lighting, measurement and movement, had lunch and finished the day learning a dance. Teachers from Rock Cut created a unique mash-up of left- and right-brain learning with Tuesday’s performing arts experience, rotating the 6- and 7-year-olds through three behind-the-scenes stations.

“There’s nothing specifically that we’re focusing on,” said Brittany Schmidt, one of the first-grade teachers from Rock Cut whose class participated. “But they’re being exposed to science and math, which is great.”

Another first-grade group of about two dozen students from Rock Cut Elementary will visit Rockford University on Thursday morning, March 23, to complete the field trip.

ROCKFORD, Ill. — Rockford University was notified that two international students, Mohammed Mufti and Amjad Balkhair, were found dead in their off-campus Rockford apartment on March 18. Both men are from Saudi Arabia and were enrolled in their first year of studies at the university. Police and the Winnebago County Coroner are investigating, but no criminal activity is suspected. *See report included below from the Rockford Police Department released 3/21/17.

“We were deeply saddened to learn of the death of these two young men, and express our condolences and prayers to the families of Mohammed and Amjad,” said Rockford University President Eric Fulcomer. “It is a tragic loss that is not easy to understand and affects the entire campus, particularly our international students who face unique circumstances in studying far away from their homes and families. A dedicated team is working closely with our students and broader campus community to offer help and resources to all who need assistance during this difficult time.”

The Winnebago County Coroner has released a preliminary statement that says according to the Rockford Fire Department, carbon monoxide (CO) levels were elevated in the garage.  Both men were found in the garage along with their car. View the full release from the coroner’s office.

*Update, 3:00 p.m., March 20 – Winnebago County Coroner releases official cause of death.

*Update, 4:02 p.m., March 21 – Rockford Police Department Release of Information.

Contact: Director of Communications Rita Elliott, 815-226-3374

As part of observing Rockford University’s 170th year, the community is invited to “Location Location Location,” a brown-bag lunch-and-learn providing an in-depth look at Rockford University’s location history, on Thursday, March 23, at noon. Bring a lunch and join us in Regents Hall at the Burpee Student Center.

Tracing back to 1928, Bern Sundstedt, Vice President for Institutional Advancement and unofficial Rockford University historian, will chronicle the events and personalities surrounding the little-known, yet remarkable 32-year story of the University’s relocation from its original home along the eastern shores of the Rock River to its current park-like campus.

In 1847, the university was chartered by the Illinois legislature as Rockford Female Seminary, initially holding classes in the courthouse of downtown Rockford, then a town of 2,500 people. The university moved to its current home on East State Street in the 1960s, after more than a century on its original campus between the Rock River and Seminary Street.

ROCKFORD, Ill. — Former FBI agent Robert Wittman will lead audiences through notorious art heists and incredibly daring undercover recoveries in “Priceless,” on Monday, March 20, at 7 p.m. at Clark Arts Center, Maddox Theatre.

The free event is part of Rockford University’s Spring 2017 Forum Series, which will also include a presentation from NASA Astrobiology Institute Director Penelope J. Boston on April 6, and farcical play A Flea in Her Ear from April 27-30.

Called “the most famous art detective in the world,” Robert Wittman founded the FBI’s National Art Crime Team and served for 20 years as the FBI’s investigative expert in this field. He is responsible for recovering more than $300 million in stolen art and cultural property around the world.

Since retiring from the FBI in 2008, he authored The New York Times best-seller “Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue The World’s Stolen Treasures.” 

The forum series is open to the public and, with the exception of plays, are free of charge. Lectures and performances will take place on the Rockford University campus, 5050 E. State St., Rockford. Tickets are required for all events and can be obtained by contacting the Box Office at 815-226-4100 or boxoffice@rockford.edu.

Mercedes Sanchez from Elgin, Illinois is our ROCK SOLID REGENT for the week. She is a junior psychology major and was nominated by Maria Diemer, Assistant Director for Global Affairs. Maria shares that Mercedes is an extremely hard worker who consistently performs her duties above and beyond what is expected. She is punctual, detail oriented and able to manage large events very well. For the past two years she has assisted the Office of Global Affairs (OGA) with welcoming and organizing twenty-five students from Mexico for one month of study. She set up a centralized communication system for all of the new international students and the OGA staff. She serves diligently as a Campus Liaison to our international students.
In addition to her work in OGA Mercedes also serves as a Spanish Tutor, Vice President of the Multicultural Club, Vice President of Spanish Club, Treasurer of Craft Club and an Orientation Leader. RU has been great place for Mercedes to study due to the diversity of students we have. She feels that everyone connects in a deeper level that allows her to grow personally and academically. Also, she appreciates the great family like atmosphere that is cultivated by access to great guidance and support from professors and staff. After graduation, Mercedes plans to attend graduate school with a continued focus in psychology. Congratulations Mercedes Sanchez, on being a ROCK SOLID REGENT!