Contact- Art Gallery Director, Molly Carter 815-226-4105‌

‌

Rockford, Ill. – Featuring three distinct artists, PULLED highlights the visionary styles of Chicago indie poster culture through a vibrant presentation of the artists’ screen prints and posters. The exhibition will present a look at the diversity of styles and the art and design aspects of the screen printed image. The exhibit features “Ground Up Press” by Dan Grzeca, “The Bird Machine” by Jay Ryan, and “Screwball Press” by Steve Walters.

‌The exhibit will open Friday, November 21 with an opening reception from 6 – 8 p.m. and will close December 12. The Rockford University art gallery is located in the Clark Arts Center at 5050 East State Street, Rockford. Gallery Hours are Monday, 12 – 3 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 3 – 6 p.m., and by appointment. The gallery will be closed November 26 and 27.

Prints included in the exhibit are all for sale. Prices range from $20 – $60 for an original work of art.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Clark Arts Center is wheelchair accessible. For more information, contact Molly Carter, gallery director, at 815-226-4105.

For more information about this exhibit and all upcoming Rockford University Art Gallery exhibits visit: https://www.rockford.edu/?ArtGallery.

Rockford, Ill., – Poetry works of English Professor Susan Azar Porterfield, Ph.D., are highlighted in an interview by Northern Public Radio’s WNIJ 89.5 FM. The interview aired November 13 and features two of Dr. Porterfield’s most recent poems that are included in the noted poetry publication Barrow Street Journal‘s December issue.

The poems are part of a larger collection that Dr. Porterfield is currently working for publication. Dr. Porterfield has edited for several publications and her

‌ work has been featured in literary magazines and journals, including two of her own compilations, In the Garden of our Spines (2004) and Kibbe (2012), both available on Amazon.com.

The complete interview may be accessed via the WNIJ website at: http://northernpublicradio.org/post/prestigious-journal-includes-rockford-u-poet.

Rockford, Ill., – Rockford University’s Rock Solid television advertising series has been recognized with a Gold Award for Best Video PSA or Commercial Spot by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), an international association of education advancement officers, who include alumni administrators, fund raisers, public relations managers, publications editors, and government relations officers. The Pride of CASE V Awards Program honors institutions and individuals who demonstrate outstanding achievement in the concept and execution of advancement programs and communications throughout District V, the Great Lakes District, which encompasses Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. CASE V includes 400-plus member institutions with more than 2,500 representatives. This year, the awards program generated 453 entries from 78 institutions.

The Best Video PSA or Commercial Spot category includes Video PSAs and commercial advertisements for institution-wide or specialized programs and must be 60 seconds or less. Entries were judged on the program’s success in meeting its stated goals, use of resources, creativity, and impact on communications and marketing program and institution.

‌Rockford University’s campaign consists of three different 30-second commercials that highlight the look and feel of the University’s current Rock Solid branding campaign, while featuring a variety of current students and alumni. Each spot focuses on a specific theme that uplifts the diverse programming options offered at the institution to include traditional undergraduate, adult accelerated, and graduate programs through a uniform, branded approach.

Other Gold category award recipients include: Gold – University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and Valparaiso University. Bronze – Northwestern University; Honorable Mention – Indiana University East. 

To view the Rockford University Rock Solid television commercials, visit the University’s YouTube Channel.

Rockford, Ill., — Rockford University faculty members routinely participate in a wide variety of academic and professional activities. Following is a summary of recent accomplishments.

	Department Chair and Assistant Professor of Nursing Nola Addante, B.S.N., M.S.N., along with several Rockford University nursing students from the “Community Health Nursing” course participated in a free flu shot clinic at Shelter Care Ministries in Rockford on October 23. Professor Addante and students administered flu shots and blood pressure screenings.
	Associate Professor of Philosophy Matthew Flamm, Ph.D., attended the annual meeting of the Society for Intellectual US History from October 9-12 in Indianapolis, Ind.
	Assistant Professor of education Lydia Gertzel-Short, Ed.D., presented a paper titled “Families Are Knocking at The Door, Will You Let Them In?” at the Leadership, Learning, and Practice: Educating Global Citizens international conference October 2-4 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
	Assistant Professor of Education Jacob Hardesty, Ph.D., will be presenting a paper titled “Learning To Listen: Conflicts Between Youth and Adults Regarding the Phonograph in the Early 20th Century” at the History of Education Society Conference from November 6-9 in Indianapolis, Ind.
	Jason Hunter, Ph.D., assistant professor of Physical Education, presented a talk entitled “Marketing Implications of Playing Regular Season Games in International Markets” at the Sports Marketing National Conference from Oct. 22-24 in Philadelphia, Pa.
	Assistant Professor of Economics, Business, and Accounting Stanley Klatka, Ph.D., attended the Marketing Management Association Educator’s conference from September 17-19 in San Antonio, Texas.
	Assistant Professor of Philosophy Shawn Klein, Ph.D., published a review of The Fantasy Sport Industry: Games within Games for the Nordic Sport Science Forum. The book is an in-depth study of the industry that has built up around fantasy sports. Professor Klein was also interviewed by Bloomberg News for the October 27 article, “PGA President Ouster in Growing Effort on Sexist Comments” and for its September 14 article, “NFL Back as Abuse, Concussions Grab Top U.S. Sport Headlines” concerning recent domestic violence issues in the NFL.
	Assistant Professor of Biology James Marshall, Ph.D., presented a paper “Role of Resident and Migrant Birds in the Spread of Invasive Honeysuckle” at the American Ornithologist’s Union Annual Meeting in Estes Park, Colo. from September 24-27.
	Rockford University Associate Professor of English Michael A. Perry, Ph.D., and Patrick McAleer, Ph.D., (Inver Hills Community College) have published a new book titled Stephen King’s Modern Macabre: Essays on the Later Works that focuses on some of the recent works of writer Stephen King. The publication is currently available for purchase on Amazon.
	Assistant Professor of Biology Troy Skwor, Ph.D., traveled over this past summer to Spain and France where he gave a seminar entitled, “ Identifying and combating “superbugs” in the Rock River and within human wastewater” at the University of Santiago de Compostela in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. He also gave a talk on his ongoing noted research “Aeromonas veronii and A. hydrophila predominate among multi-drug resistant, cytotoxic isolates from human wastewater effluents and local riverine ecosystems” at the 11th International Symposium on Aeromonas and Plesiomonas in Montpellier, France at the University of Montpellier School of Medicine. Additionally, Dr. Skwor’s research continues to be recognized internationally in leading scientific journals, Applied and Environmental Microbiology Journal and in BioMed Central Microbiology. His most recent work, “Aeromonas hydrophila and Aeromonas veroniipredominate among potentially pathogenic ciprofloxacin and tetracycline resistant isolates of Aeromonas in Lake Erie” has been published in the Applied and Environmental Microbiology journal.
	Associate Professor of Education Lynn Stafford, M.S., presented “Reading Strategies in a Co-Teaching Model” at the Illinois Reading Council conference from October 2-4. Professor Stafford will also be giving two presentations at the Illinois Council for Exceptional Children, “Reading Strategies in a Co-Teaching Model” and “Brain Research and How It Influences Learning” from November 7-9.
	Assistant Professor of English Kyle Stedman, Ph.D. recently published two different projects, both of which involve sound (his disciplinary focus in the field of rhetoric and composition). First, in the online academic journal Composition Forum, he co-published a review of the scholarly book “Ambient Rhetoric: The Attunements of Rhetorical Being.” He also published the first episode of his new monthly podcast “Plugs, Play, Pedagogy.” Dr. Stedman also will be presenting a paper titled “Composing Audiences, Influences, and Classical Music”, at the Conference on College Composition and Communication in March 2015 in Tampa, Fla.
	Assistant Professor of education Karen P. Walker, Ed.D., attended the Illinois Reading Conference from October 1-3, 2014. Dr. Walker presented two sessions at the conference. Her first session, “WANTED: Effective Literacy Leadership to Support Independent Student Reading Among Adolescents,” focused on her recent publication in the International Reading Association Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. Additionally, Professor Walker co-presented a session titled, “Great Literature for Struggling and Reluctant Adolescent Readers.”
	Kimberlee Wagner, M.A.T., assistant professor of education, presented a talk entitled “Supporting Comprehension for ESL Students” at the Illinois Reading Council from Oct. 2-4.
	Assistant Professor of English Tara Wood, Ph.D., will also be presenting at the Conference on College Composition and Communication Conference with her paper titled “Risk Management in the College Classroom: Student Strategies for Disclosing Disability” in March 2015. Dr. Wood also has an essay published this fall in an edited collection titled “Signature Wounds: Marking and Medicalizing Post 9/11 Veterans,” Generation Vet: Composition, Student-Veterans, and the Post 9/11 University.

Rockford, Ill., –  Students interested in attending Rockford University are invited to attend the University’s Visit Day on Saturday, November 1 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Rockford University, 5050 East State Street, Rockford.

Visit Days provide prospective students and their families the opportunity to gain an in-depth look at Rockford University’s campus, faculty, student life and services. During the day there will be chances to meet with faculty, talk to admission counselors and tour the campus, located in the heart of Rockford on 150 wooded acres. A complimentary lunch will also be served in the University’s cafeteria from its on-campus dining service. Prospective students are also invited to stay overnight in one of the University’s residence halls or at one of the area’s hotels.

To arrange for your reservation at Visit Day, register online through Oct. 31, e-mail admissions@rockford.edu, or call the Office of Admission at 815-226-4050 or 800-892-2984. The next visit day will be held on Saturday, February 7, 2015.

Rockford, Ill., – Nationally recognized governance expert Susan Whealler Johnston, Ph.D., will lead an interactive and practical board development workshop to help board members understand how to move beyond legal and oversight responsibilities to become true partners in leadership with the CEO. The workshop, entitled “True Partners in Leadership: Developing Engaged & Purposeful Boards” takes place on Saturday, November 8, 2014 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., on the Rockford University campus, 5050 East State Street, Rockford. Dr. Whealler Johnston is currently the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges in Washington, D.C.

Director of the Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence at Rockford University Pam Clark Reidenbach notes, “Effective oversight by nonprofits boards is simply not enough.Today, board members must function as strategic assets of the organizations they have been asked to serve. They need to know the most critical challenges facing their organization and how they can contribute to addressing them. This specialized training will help help participants learn how becoming a true partner in leadership can shape the organization’s future and how an organization can achieve so much more if the board is more engaged and purposeful.”

For more information about this workshop and to register, visit Rockford University’s Calendar of Events or contact Karen Ream at kream@rockford.edu or 815-394-4384. Reservations are requested by November 1.

*As of January 1, 2015, to reflect NICNE’s expansive programming and home within the Rockford University College of Social Sciences, Commerce and Education, NICNE will become Rockford University Center for Nonprofit Excellence (RUCNE).

Rockford, Ill., – The Rockford College Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences and by the Alpha Helix student organization are hosting a series of presentations from the 2010 Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Holiday Lectures. The lectures are free and open to the public.

All presentations will be held at 5 p.m. in the Starr Science building, Rm. 207, 5050 East State Street. Rockford College Professors will introduce each lecture and provide additional context on the subject. The lectures will focus on several aspects of research, including: epidemiology, virus identification, viral treatment and control, and combating new and unidentified viruses. It delves into the social, cultural, and biological aspects of viruses and outbreaks.

Lecture dates and topics are:

Tuesday, October 23 – “Dengue Fever: Breaking Epidemic Cycles”
Tuesday, October 30 – “The Virus Hunter’s Toolkit,” an exploration of what actually goes into viral research,
Tuesday, November 6 – “Fighting Viruses in the Lab and Beyond”
Tuesday, November 13 – “Solving SARS and Other Viral Mysteries”

Rockford, Ill., –Rockford University Associate Professor of English Michael A. Perry, Ph.D., and Patrick McAleer, Ph.D., (Inver Hills Community College) have published a new book titled Stephen King’s Modern Macabre: Essays on the Later Works that focuses on some of the recent works of writer Stephen King. The publication is currently available for purchase on Amazon.
Dr. Perry has long been a student of King’s writings. In 2006, at the National Popular Culture and American Culture Conference in Atlanta, he presented his first paper on Stephen King in which he paired King with Toni Morrison in order to disrupt the boundaries between popular and literary fiction. Over the next several years, Dr. Perry presented several more papers on Stephen King, including one pairing him with Mark Twain. Out of those presentations came one of the book’s chapters, “King Me: Inviting New Perceptions and Purposes of the Popular and Horrific into the College Classroom.”

‌From the back cover: “As Stephen King has continued to publish numerous works beyond the many high points of his career, in the 1980s, scholarship has not always kept up with his output.  This volume presents 13 essays on many of King’s recent writings that have not received the critical attention of his earlier works. This collection is grouped into three categories – ‘King in the World Around Us,’ ‘Spotlight on The Dark Tower,’ and ‘Writing into the Millennium’; each examines an aspect of King’s contemporary canon that has yet to be analyzed.”

Dr. Perry has taught at Rockford University since 2008 and is currently Associate Professor of English and chair of the department. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Augustana College (Sioux Falls, S.D.), his master’s degree from University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN), and his doctoral degree from Arizona State University. Dr. Perry’s teaching interests include African American literature, American literature, popular culture studies, creative writing and composition. Dr. Perry also hosts the annual “Read Aloud of Black American Voices” each February.  He is currently at work on a science fiction/fantasy novel and continues to present at the Popular Culture and American Culture Association National Convention.

Rockford, Ill. – Curated by Jason Judd, co-director of the Chicago art and contemporary practices site Make-Space.net, Ultra-Deep Field is a group exhibition that considers the inadequacy of representing desire, time, and scale by way of hand. The exhibit will feature art by Adam Farcus, Bill Conger, Sarah and Joseph Belknap, Erin Washington, Katie Bell, Holly Murkerson, Daniel Baird, Bob Jones, and Laura Davis. Through their art, each artist has worked to develop pieces that are self-evident which will allow the literal to be experienced as poetic. Ultra-Deep Field suggests possibilities of how to reorient one’s body with the everyday world that acts upon it.

The exhibit will open Monday, October 20. A reception for the artists will be held Friday, October 24 from 6 – 8 p.m. The exhibit closes November 14. The Rockford University art gallery is located in the Clark Arts Center at 5050 East State Street, Rockford. Gallery Hours are Tuesday – Friday, 3 – 6 p.m. and by appointment.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. Clark Arts Center is wheelchair accessible. For more information, contact Molly Carter, gallery director, at 815-226-4105.

For more information about this exhibit and all upcoming fall 2014 Rockford University Art Gallery exhibits visit: https://www.rockford.edu/artslectures/artgallery/.

Rockford, Ill., –Rockford University is pleased to announce the creation of the Puri Business School, in recognition of a $5 million contribution to the University by First Rockford Group Founder and President Sunil Puri, 1982 alumnus and 2013 recipient of an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University. The Puri Business School (PBS) commemorates Mr. Puri’s lifetime commitment to Rockford University. It is the first named school at the University and will include the Economics, Business and Accounting (EBA) programs, along with ancillary business related activities of the University. Mr. Puri is also noted for donating the 28,ooo square foot building located just to the east of the main campus entrance (5100 East State Street) which will serve as the hub for all related PBS programming at both the undergraduate and graduate level. The Puri Business School will be housed under the University’s College of Social Sciences, Commerce and Education, led by Dean Debra Dew, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Economics, Business and Accounting Bob Evans serves as Department Chair.

Mr. Puri was born in Bombay, India and immigrated to the United States in 1979 to attend what was then called Rockford College, where he graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. Mr. Puri takes pride in the fact that he can give back to the school to which he attributes much of his success. “From the minute he stepped on this campus as an undergrad more than 35 years ago, a fire sparked inside him that still burns bright,” stated President Robert L. Head. “As a dedicated Trustee and tireless advocate for Rockford University, he has had occasion to and has proudly promoted and protected the interests of our university; for that we are most grateful.”

The establishment of a named school is not only an important milestone for the University; it is a monumental achievement for Mr. Puri as well. He notes that this goes deeper than the act of a donation; it’s about creating a program for students in the region that goes above and beyond standard curriculum.

President also adds, “Sunil’s is a shared vision with the University to establish a school of business that will not only be envied but provide our students with a superior educational experience that prepares them for success.”

The students enrolled in the Puri Business School will benefit from expanded academic and practical application experiences that incorporate opportunities like student experiential learning, internships, travel courses, service learning and conference presentations. Mr. Puri sees the Puri Business School not just graduating accountants and business managers; he sees it producing entrepreneurs and business leaders that assist in the economic revival of his region.

“It is important to my family and me, that the Puri Business School offers not only an exemplary space where students, faculty and the community can interact and innovate, but where significant programmatic and curricular advances that will deepen the University’s commitment to advance the university and partner in the economic revival of this region,” says Mr. Puri. “The liberal arts education I received at Rockford College significantly contributed to my success and the Puri Business School is my way of paying it forward.”

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) was able to make a special appearance for the formal announcement of the school at a reception held on Oct. 3, 2014. He adds, “I am pleased to honor my friend Sunil Puri for his commitment to Rockford University as we dedicate the Puri Business School. In 1979, Sunil came to Rockford University with virtually no money or proper transcripts, but he did come with hope and tenacity. Rockford University gave him a chance and today—on his birthday no less—he’s made it clear that he hasn’t forgotten the role the school played in his success.”

Represented within the EBA curriculum that will make up the Puri Business School are several majors, minors and areas of concentration that include: Accounting, Economics, Business, Public Policy and Finance, Business, Management, Marketing, General Management, Human Resource Management, Public and not-for-profit management, Entrepreneurship and Project Management. The Northern Illinois Center for Non-profit Excellence, Leadership Development and the Adult Accelerated Degree Completion programs are also currently housed within the EBA curriculum.