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The Marketing and Communications department works with our colleagues across campus to aggregate, curate, and steward the Rockford University brand and elevate the contributions of our campus community to both internal and external audiences, including students, faculty and staff, trustees, donors, the media and the general public.
As your strategic marketing partner, we provide our campus community with a variety of services. Our in-house team of creative professionals will work with you to tailor our services to help you in the most cost-effective, efficient, and convenient manner.
Submit your events at the link below to publish them on the public-facing campus events calendar.
Marketing and Communications is here to promote your events and news to the local media via press releases. Please send your press release request up to four weeks in advance. Press releases will be sent 1-2 times and posted on the website before the event.
All media relations, except for athletic media relations, must go through the Marketing and Communications department. If local media reaches out to you personally, please loop Marketing and Communications in on the conversation via communications@rockford.edu.
Rockford University has official social media accounts on the following platforms: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube. If you would like to submit something to be added to the social media calendar, please send all information to keddy@rockford.edu up to four weeks in advance. The social media calendar is typically created a month in advance. Want to collaborate on content? Email keddy@rockford.edu.
Clubs and departments are welcome to create their own social media pages on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok. Before creating a page you must reach out to Marketing and Communications at keddy@rockford.edu for approval. The log-in information must be stored by Marketing and Communications to avoid the account being lost when students graduate or faculty/staff retire.
Want Reggie to personally visit your upcoming event? Email RU Marketing and Communications at communications@rockford.edu.
Merit is a media platform that helps RU publish online news about student accomplishments through students’ hometown newspapers and via social media. News can also be shared with students’ high schools and elected officials. RU proudly shares their good news on our Rockford University Merit page and our Student Achievements- Merit page.
Marketing & Communications
Rockford University
5050 E. State Street
Rockford, IL 61108
Communications@rockford.eduKayla Eddy, Marketing Coordinator
keddy@rockford.edu
815-394-5041
Per the Rockford University Brand Standards Guide, any marketing projects intended for off-campus audiences must be reviewed and approved by the Marketing department before distribution. Please note, the Marketing/Communications staff in this guide is now incorrect. You can find a list of our current team here.
Dear Members of the Rockford University Community, Due to the anticipated severe cold weather on Monday, March 16, 2026, Rockford University will be closed. All classes, including evening classes, will transition to virtual learning. Academic Instruction Faculty are...
While I never had the privilege of working directly with Sunil at Rockford University, he was always a presence on campus. Sunil believed deeply in the power of education to transform lives, and his vision and commitment played an important role in helping guide...
Rockford University is pleased to announce a $7,500 contribution by Midland States Bank. The grant, provided by the Midland States Bank Foundation, will support Rockford University’s new Community CPR and First Aid Certification Program. “Rockford University is...
RPS 205 Students commit to attend Education Pathway program03/21/2018 10:18 am
The Rockford Public School District 205 School Board recognized 20 seniors at last night’s board meeting who have committed to participation in the Education Pathway program at Rockford University. The students come from high schools East, Jefferson, Auburn and Guilford.
First introduced in the spring of 2016, Education Pathway students could first began enrolling in the program in the fall of 2017. The Education Pathway program’s goal is to attract RPS 205 students to the teaching profession specifically to stay and work in RPS 205. The program begins in the middle school with seventh and eighth graders discussing a teaching career. It continues in high school with an education pathway, then transitions into a college degree program through Rockford University at a significantly reduced cost. If hired in RPS 205, program graduates can also receive a master’s degree in urban education cost-free from 
Rockford University.
Rockford University congratulates the incoming Education Pathway students and commends them on their decision to pursue a career in education.
Read more in Rockford Register Star’s article – Rockford Public Schools celebrates first full class of future teachers
01/10/2017 2:52 pm
RU students are actively engaged and involved in a variety of high achieving scholastic, co-curricular and athletic activities. RU proudly shares their good news on our Rockford University Merit page. Merit is a media platform that helps RU publish online news about student accomplishments through students’ hometown newspapers and via social media. News can also be shared with students’ high schools and elected officials.
These achievements will appear on personalized Merit page that students are encouraged to claim and share! Pages can be customized by adding pictures and listing academic and extracurricular activities, including any experience gained at work or from being involved in the community. Students can also add any associations, memberships or additional honors earned outside of RU.
Having a collection of college achievements in one place is a benefit to students as they progress through their academic career. It serves as a great repository of valuable information that can be shared with potential employers and businesses, and by graduate school admissions representatives.
Faculty or staff members notify the University Communications office of an exceptional achievement or news (and if applicable, a list of those who have earned the accomplishment). The office will then write a brief article and awards a “badge,” which is published on the Merit profile. In some cases, the information is sent to one’s hometown newspaper as a news release. Learn more by watching this video.
Your Merit page helps people who make decisions about internships, grad school and jobs find the “good stuff” about you and get a better picture of what you’ve done and what you’ve been recognized for. Because your Merit page is updated by Wisconsin Lutheran College, it’s got credibility that a resume alone can’t match. And better yet, it’s updated for you! It’s like a resume or a LinkedIn profile that builds itself and that you don’t have to remember to update. The Office of Marketing and Communication writes and publishes the stories; you just have to share them!
Merit makes it easy for parents to share your accomplishments. With a simple “like” or “share” your parents can spread the word to coworkers, grandparents, neighbors, and friends.
Merit can help you succeed in the next stage of your life journey. Since Merit profiles are public and can be linked to your LinkedIn profile, it can help you stand out!
Students can claim their page using email, Facebook or Twitter. When a student clicks on the link to view their Merit page from an email notification or recently granted achievement, they will enter a claim workflow.
If a student opts to claim their Merit page by connecting through email, they will be asked to create a password, at least six characters in length, then click “Sign In” to connect to their Merit page.
If a student opts to claim their Merit page by connecting through Facebook, the student will need to click “Okay” when meritpages.com asks to access their public profile. A second popup will appear asking if the student would like meritpages.com to post to friends on their behalf. Students can click “Okay” or “Skip.”
If a student opts to claim their Merit page by connecting through Twitter, the student will be asked to sign in to their Twitter account and connect meritpages.com. Once a student clicks “Sign In,” their Merit page will be connected and they will be redirected to a page where they can customize their Merit page.
We believe that Merit is a beneficial tool for our students, but we also value your privacy. If for any reason you wish to opt-out of Merit, you can click the “opt-out” link on your claimed Merit page. Once a student opts out of Merit they will never receive another achievement notification.
Our Merit Contribution Form allows faculty and staff an opportunity to share student accomplishments on our Merit page. As a contributor, your goal is to share stories about the students and programs that you’re involved with at RU. These stories are vital to painting a picture of each student’s college career.
11/08/2016 12:27 pm
Brand Standards Guide – This brand standards guide was developed by the Marketing department as a helpful tool and resource for our campus community. The purpose of this guide is to establish and convey guidelines for how RU positions and expresses itself as an institution.
Media Policy – Please reference this policy for information on news media access and the use of photo/video equipment on campus.
Media Requests Policy – All engagements with media representatives on behalf of RU are to be coordinated by the Communications Office in order to promote and protect the public image of the University, build openness and accountability, and respect the media’s legitimate and useful role. This policy provides guidance on official media spokesperson roles within the University and on working with various outlets.
Social Media Policy – To assist in best practices, this policy outlines steps to enhance, clarify, and protect any reputations involved when participating in social media platforms on behalf of the University.
Communications exists to elevate the contributions of our campus community to both internal and external audiences, including students, faculty and staff, trustees, donors, the media and the general public. Do you have a story that needs to be told? Let us help you share it!
Get the word out to the campus community by posting your news items to the Portal’s announcements section. It’s the best way to spread internal RU news!
Have an event, deadline or other important information the campus community should know about? Ask us to design a Portal banner for you, or request the specifications and submit your own graphic!
Please submit your events to the online calendar so our campus community will know all the great activities and other happenings they need to attend!
Faculty and staff, please consider filling out our GET TO KNOW ME FORM to appear as a bio with your directory listing on Rockford.edu. The information you provide will help the campus community learn more about you and provide the public with information about your expertise. Students also are encouraged to fill out the Get to Know Me form for a chance at being featured in Rockford University’s promotional materials!
Still trying to get the hang of the new Portal interface? We’d love to meet with you, talk through your ideas for page content and help you implement them. Our new Web platform is highly customizable, and we encourage you to take ownership of your department’s page! Jeniece (Smith) Packard and/or website administrator Gale Wallace (gwallace@rockford.edu) can even set up one-on-one training with you.
Know of something headline-worthy or someone making news around campus? The RU community does amazing things every day, and if you have an extraordinary story about a student, professor or other campus topic, we may be able to help you tell it with an internal newsletter or Portal announcement, a press release to local media or article for Rockford.edu, feature in Catalyst magazine or other campus publications, and more!
Fill out our SHARE YOUR STORIES FORM with the “who, what, where, when and why” and tell us how you see your idea being distributed, and someone from our office will follow up to confirm your submission and its potential uses.
Announcements submitted to the Portal automatically are included in the Regent Weekly newsletters twice a week, but if you have a specific request for your content, please contact us! In some instances, we may be able to help you distribute a separate campus-wide message to all students and/or faculty and staff.
If you need help promoting an event or have important information relevant to RU’s main social media audience on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and more, we may be able to share it with a following of more than 10,000 people. See our social media policy and guidelines to the right for more information, or set up a time to talk about best practices with us!
Students interested in being featured in Rockford University’s promotional materials are welcome to fill our our GET TO KNOW ME or SHARE YOUR STORIES forms.
If you make the dean’s or distinguished scholars list, receive an athletic recognition or are named to a performing arts cast list, we will share your good news through Merit, a digital platform just for student achievements. Recognized students can edit their Merit pages like a LinkedIn profile, and all accomplishments are easily shareable on social media. We can distribute the recognitions students receive to their hometown news outlets, former high schools and even elected officials.
Do you know of a student achievement that should be recognized through Merit? Reach out and let us know!
Want to form a group for walking or disc golfing, invite others to a club or event, or maybe just sell some stuff? Post your items to Student News and Happenings on the Portal! Anyone can submit material for review.
The University Communications Department is part of the Institutional Advancement division and manages internal and external communications for the University. The department leads the development and implementation of integrated communications strategies and tactics to advance the University’s strategic goals, visibility and reputation. Also housed within the Communications Department is the Scheduling Services office.
Rita Elliott, Director of University Marketing & Communications
815.226.3374
relliott@rockford.edu
Shanna Zonta, Advancement Communications Specialist
815.394.5041
szonta@rockford.edu
Min Taber, Scheduling Services Coordinator
815.226.4039
mtaber@rockford.edu
Char Scamihorn, Scheduling Services Assistant
815.395.5192
cscamihorn@rockford.edu
Developed in FY15 and formalized in FY16, the Strategic Communications and Marketing Plan guides the priorities and efforts of our university-wide strategic initiatives. Below is a presentation encapsulating our progress to date and future priorities:
