Campus News

Rockford, Ill. (Sept. 8, 2021) – The students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Rockford University, the region’s leading private four-year institution, will spend Friday, September 10, 2021, 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 — the campus is joining together as a community to celebrate her legacy and our institutional commitment to her values. The 2021 Day of Service will benefit local organizations, including Kids Around the World, Miss Carly’s, Ellis Elementary School, the Rockford Rescue Mission, the Ethnic Heritage Museum, the Washington Park Community Center, the Discovery Center, and the Forrest Preserve of Winnebago County. Volunteer work will range from sorting donations and packaging food to landscaping and mentorship. Approximately 260 students, faculty, staff, and alumni will be working at 10 different locations around Rockford.

Regents can also get involved on campus. A group of volunteers will be embarking on a translation project for the International Women’s Baseball Center (IWBC), which is currently operating out of the university’s 5100 Building. By translating content from English to Spanish, volunteers will help IWBC reach a broader number of people, both in the local community and internationally. Current RU students will also have the opportunity to attend an on-campus volunteer fair to learn about opportunities to give back throughout the year.

 “Jane Addams Day of Service recognizes the birthday and the enduring legacy of Addams and her commitment to working for the common good,” said Mary Weaks-Baxter, Ph.D., Director of the Jane Addams Center for Civic Engagement at Rockford University. “Our tagline for the day’s events is based on the words of Jane Addams – ‘we stand today united.’ With that focus, our hope is that this Day of Service can be an opportunity for us to consider ways we can reach out to communities in need and recognize how community engagement and activism can unite us in the common goal of working for the betterment of our society and world.”   

ABOUT ROCKFORD UNIVERSITY

Rockford University is a private four-year, co-educational institution founded in 1847 offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in traditional liberal arts and professional fields. The University offers more than 80 majors, minors and concentrations, including the bachelor’s 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 Master of Education in Urban Education, (M.Ed.). 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. Named by The Princeton Review as a Best Midwestern College and is a U.S. News & World Report Best Midwest Regional University, Rockford University currently serves approximately 1,250 full-and part-time students.