Campus News

Rockford, IL—Rockford University is thrilled to announce that tickets are now on sale for the 2025 Pathways to Possibility Gala. This year, all fundraising efforts will support the Student Opportunity Fund at Rockford University. 

This year’s Gala will be held on Saturday, February 8, 2025, at 6 p.m. in the Clark Arts Center on Rockford University’s campus. The campus is located at 5050 E. State St. in Rockford, Illinois. 

This unique event is an opportunity to invest in the bright futures of our students while enjoying an elegant night filled with engaging stories, fine dining, and entertainment. 

The Student Opportunity Fund helps Rockford University students turn aspirations into achievements by providing financial support for transformative experiences like research projects, international trips, conferences, etc. 

A donor’s generosity ensures that every student has access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. 

In addition to culinary delights and entertainment, the Gala will feature a social hour and a Silent Auction with an array of beautiful baskets for sale.

RU students will speak about how trips and experiences supported by the Student Opportunity Fund have impacted them. The event dress code is business formal, or you may come dressed as your favorite explorer or adventurer. 

For tickets and more information on the event, head to rockford.edu/gala.

To be a Gala sponsor, please contact Stewardship & Project Manager Lauren Prchal at LPrchal@rockford.edu or 815.394.5190. 

For other Gala information please contact Senior Advancement Officer Tanner Elliott at TElliott@rockford.edu or 815.394.5029. 

For media inquiries, please contact Rockford University Communications at communications@rockford.edu. 

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About Rockford University:

Rockford University, formerly Rockford College, is a four-year, co-educational institution founded in 1847 offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in traditional liberal arts and professional fields. The undergraduate program offers approximately 80 majors, minors, and concentrations, including three 100% online majors through the RU Online program. Five master’s degrees are offered through the graduate program, including a Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Master of Education (M.Ed.), Master of Arts in Sport Management & Leadership (MASM), and Masters of Science in Exercise Physiology (MSEP).

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 proud to hold the prestigious Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement, an elective classification that highlights our dedication to meaningful and impactful partnerships within our local and regional communities. Named by The Princeton Review as a Best Midwestern College and a U.S. News & World Report Best Midwest Regional University, Rockford University currently serves approximately 1,200 full- and part-time students.

By Sara Myers-Hogshead, Digital Media & Communications Specialist 

Rockford University MBA (Master of Business Administration) Alumnus Quentin Hernandez came to the U.S. to get his bachelor’s degree first in 2018.

Hernandez was recruited to attend RU by a former basketball coach. The opportunity was very appealing to him because, in his home country of France, he could not attend college and play basketball simultaneously. Hernandez studied Computer Science Management with a minor in Business Administration 

“I really got to experience the honeymoon phase when I first came in 2018,” he said. “Everything is amazing, you love the food and it’s a dream coming true. A few months later, you get to notice the differences and you get to see that it’s not as perfect as you wish it was.”

He adds that he was able to make great friends and get lots of support through this time. He ended up sticking it out, and realizing that there are a lot of differences but that they aren’t good or bad, he said. 

After graduating with his bachelor’s in fall 2021, Hernandez returned home to France and worked briefly with Airbus Helicopter as a data analyst. In the fall of 2022, he returned to RU to get his MBA in Finance.

“I came back for my master’s for multiple reasons. I was working in France after graduating with my bachelor’s degree. I moved back and found a job. I wanted to get a master’s degree, and I liked my experience of moving to a new country. I got the chance when I was contacted by the Office of Global Affairs. RU offered me a graduate assistantship.”

When Hernandez came back to RU to get his MBA, he learned about the complex admission process for international students as he worked alongside Executive Director of Global Affairs Maria Diemer, Associate Director of Global Affairs Julie Griffith, Coordinator of Global Affairs/ English as a Second Language Maggie Kasicki and more. 

“Global Affairs was an amazing experience,” he said. “First of all, it’s an amazing team. Maria Diemer is a great leader, and working with Maggie, Julie, and Fred was amazing. It was an amazing thing to go to every day. It was a positive office where things were getting done and we were all helping each other out.”

One of the most memorable events for Hernandez that he helped put together was Saudi National Day. He said it was great to see Saudi students getting more involved after the COVID-19 crisis, and he loved getting to dress in traditional Saudi Arabian clothes with his friends from Saudi Arabia and the whole Global Affairs office. 

During his time studying for his MBA, Hernandez had a great time getting to know his professors like Dr. Luis Romero, Chair of the PURI School of Business, Associate Professor of Economics, Business, and Accounting; and Director of the MBA Program; and Professor of Economics, Business & Accounting, and Ludwig Von Mises Chair of Economics, Masoud Moallem. 

“I feel like we have such diversity among the teachers that you can more or less connect with all of them as long as you’re interested in what they teach,” he said. 

Hernandez’s favorite class was the MBA capstone class, the final class he took to get his MBA. 

“It was a group project and I got to have amazing people on my team, who were all from different backgrounds,” he said. “One person had experience teaching in college when he worked as an accountant. Another was an international student like me.”

His favorite moment at RU was when he graduated alongside his MBA classmates. For Hernandez, walking on the stage to receive his diploma was the final check in the box for him. Hernandez’s family came to Rockford from overseas to see him graduate which meant a lot for him, he said.

“I was working within our Office of Global Affairs, doing a good job, getting my MBA with a 4.0,” he said. “I had expected myself to accomplish all these things. Doing it with my close family and friends was something I cherish forever.”

Hernandez now works as a Data Governance Manager at Airbus Helicopter in Grand Prairie, Texas.

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This article is part of the 2023-2024 issue of Catalyst. 

by Sara Myers-Hogshead, Digital Media & Communications Specialist 

Rockford-born and raised graphic design graduate Geniss Scharnweber ‘24 was described by some as a “nontraditional student.”

Scharnweber did not decide to attend college until she was in her late 30s. She said she married young and had four children during her 20s.

Before attending Rock Valley College for her associate’s degree, Scharnweber worked as a chef for 8 years. During that time she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, psoriatic arthritis. She could not work long hours on her feet anymore and went to study at RVC.

She graduated with her associate’s in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She spent the next year and a half homeschooling her children. She realized during that time that she wanted to continue her education and pursue a bachelor’s degree. 

“I realized that I need to be able to do something more than just work in an office,” she said. “I looked at the opportunities around us, and RU was such a good fit, and it’s a great university.”

During her time at RU, she discovered she enjoys working with ink and can usually be found working on ink painting, printmaking, or sewing. During our interview, Scharnweber motioned to her purse, which had an original design she created on it. She adds that she enjoys multimedia projects and figuring out ways to make her art “useful.”

She also said she has not had a professor she did not love. Scharnweber has thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Bethany Twitty’s Abnormal Sociology, and art history classes taught by Dr. Jennifer Langworthy.

“Professor (Christopher) Sisson taught me so much about just hierarchy and how to lay my stuff out,” she said. “I had all the tools and ways to use them, but now he’s teaching me to make it the best can with those tools. Professor (Dave) Menard is just great all the time; he’s hilarious. I love them; it’s been a really good experience.” a half homeschooling her children. She realized during that time that she wanted to continue her education and pursue a bachelor’s degree.

Scharnweber does not yet have a plan for after graduation but she is hoping to find a remote job so she can work from home in a setup she’s comfortable in. Scharnweber graduated in May 2024 as a MacLeish Scholar with a BFA in Studio Art and Graphic Design.

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This article is part of the 2023-2024 issue of Catalyst. 

by Sara Myers-Hogshead, Digital Media & Communications Specialist 

For alumna Lisa Blakeley-Snyder (‘17), traveling far from home was not in the cards for college. She did not want to go too far from Rockford, her home since middle school. She looked at schools in Wisconsin and near Chicago, but she also knew she wanted to continue playing softball.

It was her Winnebago High School softball coach, Annie Getschel, who told her about Rockford University, where Getschel was coaching softball at the time. 

“She didn’t persuade me by any means, but it had the best financial aid package of any of the schools that I toured,” Blakeley-Snyder said. “Which was important because throughout my time at the university, I never took out any student loans and I just paid as I was going.”

Blakeley-Snyder received her B.S. in psychology and a minor in business from RU in 2017. She said that earlier in life, she wanted to “change the world” and help people, so she originally planned to pursue a career in counseling or social work. 

Some of her favorite classes at RU were taught by Dr. Joel Lynch in the Psychology Department. In those classes, she realized she could help people be happier in their careers if she worked in the human resources (HR) realm and decided to pursue a minor in business.

Though she did not live on campus, she made sure to be involved during her undergrad years. One of Blakeley-Snyder’s good friends was an RA (Resident Advisor) who hosted many dorm events that Blakeley-Snyder would attend and help coordinate. 

“One of my favorite ones was when she had a luau-themed spring event,” she said. “I helped her set up the punch bowl. Then we made sure to decorate a little gathering space in the dorm room with Hawaiian decorations, and we had our Hawaiian shirts on.”

She also participated in intramurals, like basketball and dodgeball, and attended student life events like Casino Night and Bingo. In addition, she played on the softball team while she pursued her bachelor’s degree. 

She decided to further her education and received her Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 2020. During that time she worked in the RU’s Office of Admissions and coached softball. Blakeley-Snyder had multiple roles in the admissions office including Undergraduate Admissions Office Aide, Adult & Graduate Admission Specialist, and Adult & Graduate Admission Recruiter. 

She left RU in 2020 to pursue a career at Road Ranger where she still works today.

At Road Ranger, she started as an HR representative. She had known for a while that she wanted to get into the HR field, but she was having trouble finding a company that would hire her due to her lack of HR experience. She explained that Road Ranger was the company that gave her a chance.

Blakeley-Snyder soon moved into a recruiting manager role. She knew that with her recruiting background, it would be something that she could excel in.

“One of my favorite parts of my job is I have a lot of autonomy and I make a lot of important decisions for the company. I’m interested in doing that, and I travel almost once a month.”

She’s been able to meet and train people for in-person, entry-level jobs like a cashier for one of the local truck stops. She adds that her MBA program helped her grow confidence in herself for the position she’s in now.

“The MBA program helped me—not that I was super reserved— but it helped get me more elevated and out of my comfort zone,” she said. “To the point where I said, ‘We’re a bulk-hiring group, I have no problem doing group presentations in front of 40 people or directing different big top items, including partnering with people in a much higher position, and then also knowing my voice has a reason.’”

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This article is part of the 2023-2024 issue of Catalyst. 

By Sara Myers-Hogshead, Digital Media & Communications Specialist 

David M. Koch always tells his friends and anyone curious that he didn’t mean to end up in the restaurant business, he found himself there by accident. Koch obtained an accounting degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1970 and later in 1986, received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Rockford University. 

By 1992, he became CFO at the plastic manufacturing company the Nordic Group in Baraboo, Wisconsin. He was there for 10 years and through that position got to know a man named Craig Culver. Craig Culver started the now-popular restaurant Culver’s in Wisconsin. 

Culver is from Sauk City, the town next door to Baraboo. Culver and Koch became friends and Koch watched as Culver’s restaurant became successful. In 1999, Koch thought starting a Culvers store in the Rockford area would be a good investment.

“I did not intend to go into the restaurant business,” Koch said. “My oldest son (David K. Koch) started the store that was on Harrison Avenue. That was in 1999. We started the business. We built the second one and the third one. Pretty soon it’s this business that’s arrived and it’s growing.”

The investment was a big success. Koch and his son own the Culvers in Rockford and Roscoe, one in Lombard, Illinois. He’s currently working on building four more Culvers in Sarasota, Florida, and Parish, Florida. In total, there will be 10 Culvers stores that the Kochs own.

Around nine years ago, he purchased Mary’s Market in Rockford. Koch had known the previous owners from doing shows and events together like the Rockford Airfest that previously happened at the Chicago Rockford International Airport. When the previous owners wanted to sell the restaurant, they immediately thought of the Koch family.

Koch also owns a small tool manufacturing company in Rockford called TECm. 

“Being a CPA, I do the business,” Koch said. “We have a little corporate headquarters on 4343 State Street next to Mary’s (Market) there. I have a small group of professionals there who really do all of the staff work there. We have 500 employees when you look at all the locations combined and they do the payroll for 500 employees every two weeks.”

Koch, who now lives in Sarasota with his wife (also an RU grad), adds that both of his sons, David and Aaron, are his business partners and managers who update him constantly on the day-to-day aspects of the stores. 

“I’ll be honest with you, I don’t work that many hours anymore,” he said. “I just am involved in the key decisions. Then I still get a paycheck. The second thing is, I’m building a business to pass along to the family.” 

Koch said he’s fortunate to have a good brand like Culvers that has done well. 

“I learned from Craig Culver along the way and he started the same way, his family was always in the restaurant business,” Koch said. “He had an idea. It really didn’t go well at first, the first couple of stores just kind of bumped along. The key to business success is persistence. Now, he’s got 900 stores.”

Koch adds that his family tries to bring good products to our customers with both brands, Culvers and Mary’s Market.

“I think it’s true of anybody whatever opportunities become available to you, analyze those and take advantage,” he said. 

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This article is part of the 2023-2024 issue of Catalyst. 

Rockford University is hosting its second annual Dog Days of Summer event. RU Alumni and the general public are invited to pack up their pup and join us for a walk around RU’s beautiful campus.

What: Rockford University’s Dog Days of Summer event 

When: Saturday, July 27, 2024, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Where: RU Nelson Alumni Center Parking Lot, Rockford University, 5050 E. State St, Rockford, IL, 61108

Who: Rockford University Alumni and the general public

ROCKFORD, Ill. —Rockford University’s Advancement Office will host its second annual Dog Days of Summer event on Saturday, July 27. RU Alumni and the general public are invited to bring their dog and guests for a walk around our beautiful campus. 

Attendees will check in at the Nelson Alumni Center, 5050 E. State St. in Rockford, where they can pick up some goodies, pick up a campus map, and stroll around our scenic campus.

We’re excited to announce that The Canine Crunchery, Inc. will join us as a vendor this year. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to spoil your pup with wholesome treats and delights!

All dogs must be leashed and be updated on all vaccines. Don’t have a dog? All are still welcome to join us and enjoy a walk around campus. 

 For more information: Email alumni@rockford.edu or call 815-226-4007.

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Media-related questions or interview requests can be sent to Communications@Rockford.edu. We ask the media to RSVP by emailing us by 8:30 a.m. on July 26, 2024. 

Press Contact: 

Sara Myers-Hogshead

Rockford University Marketing & Communications

SHogshead@rockford.edu

815.394.5052