Enrollment Management

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

Nov. 3, 2023

University officials hosted a press conference on campus 

Rockford University, the region’s leading private four-year educational institution, held a press conference Friday, Nov. 3, to officially announce the news that new students who enroll at Rockford University for the 2024-2025 academic year will lock in their tuition for four years at a rate of $37,230.

The press conference featured two speakers: Rebecca Epperson, Chair of the Board of Trustees at Rockford University; and Megan Frankfother, Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management at Rockford University.

The University also broadcasted the press conference live on their Facebook. 

Epperson spoke about higher education costs being a concern to families across the U.S. 

“Rockford University is taking a proactive approach to make the college experience more affordable and more transparent,” Epperson said, during the press conference. “The decision to lock in tuition for Fall 2024 for incoming students means that students and their families and the parents who stand alongside them can plan their educational experience with much greater confidence than they had in the past.”

Frankfother spoke next and added more details and context to how the University can grant students financial aid, and more.

“Rockford University has put in countless hours, crunching numbers and budgeting so that we can ensure that we are able to offer that locked-in tuition rate of 37,230 for our incoming fall 2024 class,” Frankfother said, during the press conference. “In addition to locking in that rate and creating that sense of financial security, the university offers significant institutional aid. Students can be recipients of federal and state grants to also assist in helping that education be more affordable.”

Frankfother added: “We are on track currently to be able to award $14 million dollars in institutional aid for the current year. We are also on track to award $6.5 million in federal grants as well as $4.8 million in state grants.”

For more information on this new locked-in tuition, please feel free to reach out to RU’s Admission Department by calling 815-226-4050 or by emailing admissions@rockford.edu.

More information on how to apply to RU can be found here: rockford.edu/admission. 

Contact:

Sara Myers

RU Marketing/Communications

smyers@rockford.edu

communications@rockford.edu 

President Eric W. Fulcomer, Ph.D., has named Matthew D. Phillips as Vice President for Enrollment Management, effective immediately. In this role Phillips will oversee Undergraduate Admission, Student Administrative Services, Global Affairs, Student Success and Retention, and Athletics. Phillips was previously serving as Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management, filling the position previously held by Dr. Fulcomer.

Dr. Fulcomer says, “Since Matt’s appointment as Interim Vice President on June 1, 2016, he has proven himself to be a capable enrollment manager who is passionate about serving the institution he loves. Matt is eager to take on new challenges and to continue to move our recruitment and retention efforts forward.”

Phillips has served as a member of Rockford University’s Enrollment Management Leadership Team since his appointment as Associate Vice President for Global Affairs in October of 2012. In this role, he was responsible for guiding the University’s globalization efforts to both increase the international student population on campus and to enhance opportunities for students traveling abroad for short and long-term study. Of taking on the Vice President for Enrollment Management position permanently, Phillips adds, “I’m honored to have the opportunity to continue to advance the enrollment at Rockford University.  It is exciting, challenging, and rewarding work.  Our collective efforts are realized on my two favorite days each year; meeting students on their first day on campus and watching those same students walk across the stage as graduates, not just reaching their goals of earning a degree but having become engaged and productive citizens in the process.”

Phillips has been associated with Rockford University for more than a decade. He received his undergraduate degree from Rockford in 2004 and his MBA in 2006. He’s served in a variety of positions including graduate assistant, Special Assistant to the President, Director of Operations, Contracts, and Services; Associate Vice President of Operations; and Associate Vice President for Global Affairs and Operations.

Contact Rita Elliott, Director of Communications, 815.226.3374