Campus News

By Sara Myers, Digital Media & Communications Specialist RU Student Faith Gomez was mentored by Dr. Filiz Dik, Dr. Deepshikha Shukla, and others in the SMN (Science, Math & Nursing) College and was awarded a $2,500 grant to create a STEM camp for middle school girls called “InnovateHer.”  The event will be held tentatively this…

By Sara Myers-Hogshead, Digital Media & Communications Specialist  Though she grew up in San Diego, California, RU Alumni Emily Hartzog’s mother convinced her to look at a small, private school in Illinois when Hartzog was looking at colleges.  Her mother grew up in Rockford and suggested she look at Rockford University while Hartzog was originally…

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,…

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…

by Kayla Eddy, Social Media & Web Coordinator On Saturday, April 28th, the Rockford University Performing Arts Department and Friends of the Performing Arts (FOPA) hosted A Celebration of 41 Years of Costume Design. The fashion show honored former RU professor and designer, Jeff Hendry, showcasing 41 of the costumes he designed for shows on…

By Sara Myers-Hogshead, Digital Media & Communications Specialist  Some may say that Ari Norris was born to be an artist, having been raised by two artists. Norris’ parents taught art classes at Muskegon Community College in Muskegon, Michigan, where he grew up.  However, Norris differentiates from his parents regarding medium. His parents are painters, whereas…

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…

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…

Rockford, Ill. (Sept. 4, 2024)– The students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Rockford University — the region’s leading private four-year institution — will spend Wednesday, September 11, 2024, giving back to the Rockford community during its annual Day of Service. In celebration of Rockford University’s most famous alumna, Jane Addams — and her September birthday…

ROCKFORD, Ill. – [Aug. 29, 2024] – Rockford University and the International Women’s Baseball Center (IWBC) are proud to partner and host the traveling Women in Baseball Exhibit called: “Chasing a Dream,” The exhibit will be on display at the Howard Colman Library at Rockford University from August to December 2024. The exhibit was curated…