Campus News

On Saturday, May 9, Rockford University celebrated its 172nd Commencement Ceremony at the Coronado Performing Arts Center. A recording of the livestream is available here. 

Dr. Kristoffer J. Tumilowicz provided this year’s Commencement Address. Dr. Tumilowicz is a longtime Rockford-area dentist and community leader with a distinguished career spanning more than four decades. Born in London, England in 1953 and naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1971, he grew up in the Chicago suburbs and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from MacMurray College in 1975, followed by his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 1977. Dr. Tumilowicz began his career as an associate dentist in DeKalb, Illinois, before establishing his own practice in Rockford, where he served the community from 1980 to 2023. 

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Tumilowicz has been deeply engaged in community and civic leadership. He has served on the Board of the American Red Cross, and as President of both the Cosmopolitan Club of Rockford and Rotary Club, where he is also a Paul Harris Fellow. He has been selected to serve as District Governor for Rotary International (2027-2028), representing Northwest Illinois. Dr. Tumilowicz is an Eagle Scout and is a Board Member and Past-President of the Blackhawk Area Council of Scouting America. 

He has been married to Rockford University trustee and alumna Patricia Tumilowicz ’87 for 43 years. 

To our most recent graduates: commencement is not the end of your Rockford University story. It’s the beginning of your next chapter as a member of our alumni community. We hope you’ll stay connected, return to campus often, and continue to celebrate the friendships, traditions, and experiences that make Rockford University special. 

Congratulations on this incredible achievement. We’re proud to call you alumni.