Rockford University has been recognized for its advertising and creative excellence by the American Advertising Federation (AAF) of Northern Illinois and the 32^nd Annual Educational Advertising Awards sponsored by the Higher Education Marketing Report. Ten of 11 submitted entries were recognized between the two organizations.

The American Advertising Federation Northern Illinois ADDYs competition awarded all five Rockford University entries with bronze-level awards and includes the following: Catalyst Summer 2016 Issue (Printed Newsletter), Gala 2017 Save the Date (Special Event Material), Rock Solid Tollway Sign (Out of Home, Outdoor Billboard Supersized), Rock Solid BSMS Banner (Out of Home, Site Interior), and Development Direct Mail Campaign (Direct Mail, Flat).

Six entries were submitted into the 32nd annual Educational Advertising Awards sponsored by Higher Education Marketing Report. Entries are categorized by type of institution and enrollment size. In the 4-yr, under 2,000 enrollment, five of Rockford University entries placed: TV Single/Rock Solid BSMS Spot (Silver), Outdoor/Rock Solid Tollway (Silver), External Publication/Catalyst (Bronze), Other/Rock Solid BSMS Banner (Merit), and Student Viewbook/Undergraduate Viewbook (Merit).

The AAF Northern Illinois is the ad industry trade association serving advertising creatives, public relations, marketing, and other communications industry professionals in and around Rockford, Illinois, and represents the Rockford Chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF). Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AAF is the oldest advertising trade association representing over 50,000 professionals in the advertising industry in a national network of 200 ad clubs in communities across the country.

This year, the 32nd annual Educational Advertising Awards received more than 2,250 from over one-thousand colleges, universities and secondary schools from all fifty states and several foreign countries. 16 institutions were recognized by the judges as a “Best of Show” winner. Gold awards were granted to 319 institutions, silver awards were awarded to 224 and bronze awards were awarded to 155 institutions. Judges for the Educational Advertising Awards consisted of a national panel of higher education marketers, advertising creative directors, marketing and advertising professionals and the editorial board of Higher Education Marketing Report.

View the 2017 Rockford University Award Winner publications here.

To read more about the 2017 ADDY awards, visit www.niadfed.org/aaf-northern-illinois-presents-the-2017-american-advertising-awards/

Full list of the 32^nd Annual Educational Advertising Awards sponsored by the Higher Education Marketing Report winners: educationaladvertisingawards.com/winners-list/winners-list-2017/.

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

The Winter 2016-17 issue of Catalyst has arrived! You may also view this issue, along with previous issues of Catalyst in the Alumni section of our website. 

I‌‌nside this issue:

‘Under Good Omens’ – Celebrating the Inauguration of Dr. Fulcomer, 18th President – p4

Alumni Reunion – p6

Faculty & Student News – p8

A peek inside the University Archives – p12

Significant gifts continue momentum toward $17.3M goal – p14

Go Regents – p18

Class notes – p22

A Rockford University professor has partnered with a faculty member and student at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford to publish a review article on cutting-edge research involving alternative cancer treatments.

Collaborating with U of I College of Medicine at Rockford professor Dr. Gnanasekar Munirathinam and graduate student Taher Gheewala, Rockford University Associate Professor of Biology Troy Skwor, Ph.D., published “Photosensitizers in prostate cancer therapy” in the Feb. 18 edition of Oncotarget, a free-access, peer-reviewed cancer journal.

Current treatments for prostate cancer, the second most common cancer in men, are effective but invasive, while focal therapies like the use of photosensitizers can be organ-sparing for patients. The article reviews several options currently undergoing clinical trials, touting photodynamic therapy as a promising up-and-coming alternative to traditional medicine—both as a primary treatment during the early stages of cancer and a supplemental treatment following radiation.

 “We all know someone who has or is suffering through cancer and how toxic chemotherapy can be on their health. The amount of side effects alone makes the battle that much more difficult,” Prof. Skwor said. “The use of photodynamic therapy helps to target only the cancer cells with minimal side effects, which reflects a better quality of life.”

The article builds upon Skwor’s ongoing research at RU on the use of photodynamic therapy to kill both antibiotic-resistant bacteria and other types of cancer, including eye, skin and prostate cells. A novel chemical that gets excited in the presence of light, also known as a photosensitizer, is used to produce reactive oxygen species or byproducts that result in killing bacteria and cancer cells.

Skwor shared some of his work in a Feb. 6 seminar at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Pathology Grand Rounds, and presented with his colleagues last year at the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual conference. Last fall, he published earlier findings with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Matthew Bork, Ph.D., and several former and current RU students in the “Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology, B: Biology.”

Up next, Skwor has been asked to present in June at the International Photodynamic Association World Congress in Coimbra, Portugal. He is hopeful he will be joined by Prof. Bork, Rockford University alumnus Brandon Leviskas ’15 and undergraduate student Hailey Avery.

“It has been an amazing experience mentoring Brandon and Hailey and watching them develop as researchers,” Prof. Skwor said. “They both have presented our findings at conferences, and professors as well as students have commended them on their breadth of knowledge, hands-on experience and passion with the project. We are trying our best to have the whole research team present this summer in Portugal.”

You’ll want to sing along with “The Great American Trailer Park Musical,” a naughty, bawdy, mischievous and dysfunctional Florida community set to music.

Rockford University’s first play of the Spring 2017 semester starts its run Thursday, with 7:30 p.m. performances set for Feb. 23-25 and a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Feb. 26. Performances will take place in Clark Arts Center’s Maddox Theatre on campus.

Professor of Performing Arts Jeff Hendry, who has been awarded Best Costume Design from Broadwayworld.com the past two years in a row, is directing the PG-13 production.

The musical is one of two plays on the lineup this semester for Rockford University’s public Forum Series. The other, raucous Feydeau farce “A Flea in Her Ear,” runs April 27-30.

Tickets for both plays are $9 for students and senior citizens, or $12 for general admission. Contact the Rockford University Box Office at 815-226-4100 or boxoffice@rockford.edu, or buy tickets online.

ROCKFORD, Ill. — Rockford University is celebrating 170 years since the signing of its charter with a nod to its shared legacy with Beloit College, established just one year prior to the university’s 1847 founding.

Beloit College President Scott Bierman, Ph.D., will keynote Rockford University’s Charter Day Convocation, set for Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, at 4 p.m. in Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center, on the university’s campus at 5050 E. State St. in Rockford.

The schools’ shared origins date back to 1844, when community leaders made the decision to organize men’s and women’s learning institutions of the “highest order” in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Beloit College received its state charter on Feb. 2, 1846, and Rockford University followed as its sister institution a year later. Rockford Female Seminary was chartered on Feb. 25, 1847.

Dr. Bierman, who became the 11^th president of Beloit College in 2009, has more than three decades of experience in higher education and previously served as a professor, department chair and dean at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn. In addition to Dr. Bierman’s address, the Charter Day Convocation includes an academic procession of faculty in traditional robes depicting their rank, with stoles representing their respective alma maters and degrees.

Tickets are required for this free event, part of the university’s public Forum Series. For more information, contact the Rockford University Box Office at 815-226-4100 or boxoffice@rockford.edu.

Rockford University is a four-year, co-educational institution offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in traditional liberal arts and professional fields. The university offers about 80 majors, minors and concentrations of study, and serves approximately 1,280 full- and part-time students.

Congratulations to our first ROCK SOLID REGENTS for the fall semester, Amber Dargel and Emma Reidner. Amber and Emma received a joint nomination from Dr. Lydia Gerzel-Short, Assistant Professor of Education. They are both special education majors. Amber is in her senior year at RU and Emma is classified as a junior. Dr. Gerzel-Short shared that she nominated these students because of their commitment to special education and their recent team presentation at the annual conference for the Illinois Council for Exceptional Children. They collaborated with Dr. Gerzel-Short to co-present a 90-minute training titled, Engaging Hard to Reach Students. The presentation focused on how to support students with significant behavioral challenges such as self-injurious behavior and stereotypic behavior. Their work and dedication to this project was evidenced in the quality of their presentation and their delivery of the materials. Their conference session was so well attended that there was standing room only in the room!

Amber is from Winnebago, Illinois and is currently completing her student teaching internship. Her internship responsibilities includes providing instruction to students with moderate to severe disabilities. After graduation from RU she looks forward to obtaining a job in her area of passion and expertise, special education.

Emma is from Princeton, Illinois. Emma shares that RU has been a great place for her to study because of all the opportunities it has offered her. She is thankful that all of her professors have been so supportive and have gone above and beyond to help her be successful. After graduation Emma plans to fulfill her Golden Apple Scholarship teaching requirement by teaching in an Illinois school of need.

Dr. Lydia Gerzel-Short is very proud of these two teacher candidates. Congratulations Amber and Emma, you are each a true representation of what it means to be a ROCK SOLID REGENT!

Rockford, Ill., – Rockford University is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of a $200,000 pledge from Woodward, Inc.’s Charitable Trust in support of the University’s plans to modernize the Starr Science Building. The modernization project has a $1.2 million price tag and is part of the $17.3 million Rock Solid and Ready comprehensive campaign to enhance the student experience through programmatic and capital improvements.

Rockford University President Dr. Eric Fulcomer explains, “Enrollments and interest in the Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, Psychology, Mathematics and Nursing programs at Rockford University are growing and nationally these fields are projected to continue this trajectory. At the same time, the needs of students and faculty in these fields are continually evolving as technology changes. In order to meet this demand and better complement the excellent instruction provided by our faculty, modernization to our teaching spaces are increasingly needed. We are extremely grateful for this generous gift from the Woodward Charitable Trust; it will help us to improve our students’ learning environment as we prepare them for careers in these important and dynamic disciplines.”

The Starr Science Building, constructed in 1967, consists of several teaching and research laboratories, large and small lecture halls, and a suite of five primary classrooms, with each of those primary classrooms seating up to 30 students. Monies from the Woodward Charitable Trust pledge will subsidize enhancements to integrate technology that is responsive and supports current industry standards into these spaces, as well as help to acquire select scientific equipment for laboratories.

“Woodward is committed to educating our future science and technology workforce right here in the Rockford region,” says Sagar Patel, President of Aircraft Turbine Systems for Woodward. “Ensuring that students have a state-of-the-art learning environment to support this effort is essential to remain competitive in the growing science, math, and technology field.”

Along with $1.2 million in modernizations to Starr Science Center, The $17. 3 million Rock Solid and Ready capital campaign includes $6 million for an Athletic and Event Center to be built adjacent to the existing Seaver Physical Education Center; $6.1 million dedicated to enhancing the student experience through academic program enhancements and the support of a dedicated Student Opportunity Fund; and $4 million to support current needs through the University’s annual fund. To date, the University has raised $13 million against the $17.3 million goal. Rock Solid and Ready – The Campaign for Rockford University concludes in 2018.

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.

Woodward is an independent designer, manufacturer, and service provider of control system solutions and components for the aerospace and industrial markets. The company’s innovative fluid, combustion, electrical, and motion control systems help customers offer cleaner, more reliable, and more efficient equipment. Our customers include leading original equipment manufacturers and end users of their products. Woodward is a global company headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. Visit our website at www.woodward.com, and connect with us at www.facebook.com/woodwardinc.

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

Rockford University Associate Professor of Biology Troy Skwor, Ph.D., will present a seminar on the use of light to kill cancer cells and antibiotic-resistant bacteria Monday, Feb. 6, at a leading research university in Chicago.

University of Illinois at Chicago will host “Photodynamic therapy: Targeting multi-drug resistant bacteria and cancer with metalloporphyrins and portable LEDs” on Feb. 6 during its Pathology Grand Rounds from 11 a.m. to noon at the College of Medicine East Tower, room 268. The findings are based on Skwor’s ongoing research in Rockford University labs in collaboration with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Matthew Bork, Ph.D., undergraduate student Hailey Avery, and alumni Stephanie Klemm ’16, Brandon Leviskas ’15, Brianna Schardt ’14, and Stephanie Blaszczyk ’13.

Skwor’s presentation will highlight the use of a novel chemical, also known as a photosensitizer, that gets excited in the presence of blue light. During this excited state, it produces reactive oxygen species or byproducts that result in killing bacteria and cancer cells.

Skwor’s team was able to kill 100 million methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria within 44 seconds with antibiotics using the light and chemical. The group’s findings were published in October 2016 in the “Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology, B: Biology,” a noted, peer-reviewed research journal.

“This technology would have minimal side effects and help to provide an alternative treatment against the growing epidemic of antibiotic-resistant bacteria,” said Skwor.

Most recently, Skwor has been collaborating with U of I at Chicago Research Associate Professor Klara Valyi-Nagy, M.D., on the potential of using photodynamic therapy for treating uveal melanoma. He says the light and photosensitizer killed a variety of cancer cells grown in Rockford University labs, including eye, prostate and skin melanoma cells.

“The clinical application, if it works, will be localized and have minimal side effects compared to chemotherapy or surgical removal,” said Skwor. “Skin cancer cases have doubled in the USA in the past 30 years, so this epidemic needs new methods that kill the cells and are cosmetically less impairing.”

Rockford, Ill., – Students interested in attending, or who would like to learn more about Rockford University, are invited to attend Future Regent Visit Day on Saturday, February 25, beginning with check-in at 10 a.m. Rockford University’s campus is located at 5050 East State Street, Rockford. The Future Regent Visit Day takes place from 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

These special visit days provide prospective students and their families an in-depth look at Rockford University including visits with admission representatives, financial aid staff, faculty and current students. The day also includes a tour of the campus, located in the heart of Rockford on 150 wooded acres, and an academic fair where visitors can talk one-on-one with faculty from various departments to learn more about the University’s academic programs. A complimentary lunch will also be served in the University’s dining hall.

Guests are also welcome to stay to attend the 7:30 p.m. performance of “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” which is running Feb. 23 -26, in the University’s Maddox Theatre.

To learn more about the February Future Regent Visit Day and to register, visit www.rockford.edu/admission/visit/day/.