Campus News

By Sara Myers, Digital Media & Communications Specialist 

Former U.S. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor died this past Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, according to CNN. 

O’Connor was the first woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. According to CNN, the former U.S. Justice died from “complications related to advanced dementia.” She was 93. 

According to the Rockford Register Star, the Hon. Sandra Day O’Connor delivered the commencement address at Rockford University on May 14, 1989. O’Conner was also a recipient of the Jane Addams Medal in 1987. 

In the CNN article, President Joe Biden called her “an American icon” and also said, “I did not agree with all of her opinions, but I admired her decency and unwavering devotion to the facts, to our country, to active citizenship and the common good.”

ROCKFORD, IL.- Rockford University is thrilled to announce its upcoming December Recognition Ceremony, a momentous occasion to honor the achievements of our dedicated students. The ceremony is scheduled to commence at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 9th at Rockford University in the Clark Arts building at Maddox Theatre located at 5050 E. State St., Rockford, IL, 61108. This event promises to be a celebration of academic excellence and a culmination of hard work and commitment.

The ceremony will include remarks from Rockford University President Patricia Lynott, the Board of Trustees Chair Rebecca Epperson, Provost Dr. Elizabeth Davies, Trustee Kristin Smith, and student speaker Cecilia Hartstock.

As part of the day’s festivities, the university will host a nurse pinning ceremony, recognizing the accomplishments of our nursing graduates. The nurse pinning ceremony is set to take place at 9:00 a.m., preceding the main recognition event. This special occasion highlights the dedication and expertise of our nursing students as they embark on their professional journeys.

Rockford University extends a warm invitation to families, friends, faculty, and the community to join us in celebrating the outstanding accomplishments of our graduates. The December Recognition Day is a time-honored tradition, and we look forward to sharing this momentous occasion with everyone.

As this is not an official commencement event, faculty members will not enter in procession or wear academic dress. We will have a reserved seating section for faculty and staff members. 

The ceremony starts at 11 a.m. in Maddox. Rockford University is located at 5050 E. State St. in Rockford, Illinois. 

Media is invited to attend the ceremony and take pictures or film B-roll. Please come at 10:45 a.m. before the start of the commencement ceremony. 

About Rockford University:

Rockford University, a private four-year institution in Rockford, Illinois, is dedicated to providing a quality education rooted in liberal arts and professional studies. With a rich history dating back to 1847, RU is committed to preparing students for rewarding careers, responsible citizenship, and lifelong learning. To learn more about Rockford University, visit our website at www.rockford.edu.

Contact:

RU Marketing & Communications

communications@rockford.edu 

Commencement held at the football stadium for the first time in university’s history.

Rockford, IL (May 14, 2021) – Rockford University will hold its 167^th Commencement on Saturday, May 15, 2021. The university will award undergraduate and graduate degrees to approximately 370 students from 15 states and 13 countries.

For the first time in the university’s history, commencement exercises will be held at Rockford University’s Sam Greeley Field (football stadium) to allow for social distancing and health and safety protocols amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. To safely accommodate students and their guests, two ceremonies will be held, 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Providing this year’s keynote address to the graduates is Molly Barker, Founder of Girls on the Run.

An accomplished triathlete, Barker encourages others to run—toward hope, passion, and self-discovery to solve problems and overcome adversity. With a background in social work, counseling, and teaching, she is the founder of two rapidly growing nonprofit organizations. Since 1996, Girls on the Run has helped more than one million girls across the country unleash their potential, and since 2014, The Red Boot Coalition has provided a space for honest sharing and compassionate listening that changes how we see and engage with our world.  

Barker shares life-changing lessons from her personal journey of self-discovery, inspiring listeners to recognize the power of one person to make a significant difference. Authentic, candid, and relatable on stage, she leaves audiences with a deeper awareness of the world, as well as creative strategies for channeling passions into innovative solutions for your team, organization, or community.

Tickets are required to attend the commencement ceremonies and have been limited to degree candidates and their guests. Both ceremonies are currently at capacity limits and tickets are no longer able to be reserved. No tickets will be available at the door on May 15.

About Rockford University: 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), and a Master of Education in Urban Education (ME.d). 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 University’s will hold its 165th commencement on Sunday, May 19, 2 p.m. at the Coronado Performing Arts Center, 314 N. Main St. in downtown Rockford. Approximately 350 students from 22 states and 12 countries will be awarded degrees and recognized for their significant achievements.

Speaker update:

The University is pleased to welcome Bern Sundstedt, alumnus from the class of 1977, former Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Rockford University to address the 2019 class of graduates. Through his more than four decades relationship with the University, Sundstedt has been an integral connector to individuals who represent 11 decades of University life.

Sundstedt holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in acting from Rockford University and went on to attend Yale University’s Drama School, from which he graduated in 1981 with a Master of Fine Arts degree. Upon graduation he set off on a national tour of Othello which culminated in a four month run on Broadway. The years following, led to stints off-off-Broadway and in regional theatre and television.

Returning to Rockford in the early 90s, Sundstedt joined his alma mater in 1994 as Director of Grants, while also periodically teaching the advanced acting sequence as an adjunct instructor. Having taken on positions of increasing responsibility in Alumni and Development he served as Vice President for Institutional Advancement and most recently as Senior Project Specialist. In this, his 25th year working at the University, he is retiring in June.

Due to an unforeseen and unavoidable scheduling conflict, originally scheduled speaker Heather Nauert is no longer able to attend.

Honorary Degree Recipient:

Rockford University will also award world-renowned cardiologist, pioneer in the pathophysiology of heart failure, and special friend of the University, Eugene Braunwald, M.D., with an Honorary Doctor of Science. Dr. Braunwald is the distinguished Hersey Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and the founding Chair of the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction Study Group (TIMI) at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

Dr. Braunwald trained at New York University School of Medicine. At the age of 25 he gained recognition through his published works; six years later he was named Chief of Cardiology and Clinical Director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. He soon became founding Chair of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. From 1972 to 1996 he was Chairman of the Department of Medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

As chairman of TIMI, Dr. Braunwald joined with Rockford University alumni from the class of 1969, Drs. Marc and Janice Pfeffer to provide significant insight into the treatment of patients who suffer from acute myocardial infarction and unstable angina.

Tickets are required to attend the ceremony and are limited to degree candidates and their guests. Tickets must be secured in advance are not be available at the door of the Coronado.