The Psychology Department at Rockhurst University aspires to demonstrate to people the utility of psychological science as a foundation for their personal and professional lives. This basic goal directs the ways in which the department's faculty works with students. Both in the classroom and out, students are encouraged to participate in activities designed to promote the development of the following abilities:

• Critical thinking and reasoning
• Identifying and evaluating sources of information
• Asking questions from a psychological perspective and developing methods for answering those questions
• Communicating with others the benefits of knowing about Psychology

To find out more about our program, including information about our courses and faculty, explore our pages.

Kathy Kennedy
May 2005
BA - Psychology/Theology

Accomplishments since graduating:

Educational:  I plan to begin work on my master’s degree in autumn 2008.  Since graduating from Rockhurst University, I have found a wonderful career path as a survey analyst for a consulting firm.  I assisted in writing the 2006 Industry Trend Report for MSA|Clark Consulting – Healthcare Group.  This Trend Report was distributed to potential clients at a national seminar for Healthcare Human Resource executives.

Personal:  Immediately following graduation, I got a puppy!  His name is Merlin and he’s adorable.  Merlin is now two years old and a momma’s boy.  He won’t do anything without me! 

Last summer (in 2006) I went on a safari to Africa with my boyfriend and his family.  It was wonderful and I even learned some Swahili.  “Hibari Acho?”  (I have no idea if that’s spelled right) means “How are you?” 
           
Shortly after Kevin and I returned from Africa, we got engaged.  Our wedding will be in June of 2008 here in Kansas City.  Kevin is a musician and he is currently working on getting his degree in audio engineering. 

All in all, life is pretty darn good right now!

Current Position:
Survey Analyst for MSA|Clark Consulting – Healthcare Group

MSA|Clark Consulting – Healthcare Group is a consulting firm located on The Plaza in Kansas City.  We specialize in improving the operations of healthcare organizations around the country.  One of the ways we achieve this is through surveying employees of these organizations to find where the organization excels and where it has opportunities for improvement.  As a survey analyst, I work closely with the consultant to create a survey to fit the organization’s unique goals.   Once the survey has been created and administered, I analyze the results and provide them to the consultant for feedback to the client.  I also assist in developing our industry trend reports which highlight current trends within healthcare.

Personal Statement:
My psychology degree has been immeasurably helpful in the past couple years as I have developed my reputation in my field.  Rockhurst’s professors strive to get their students to think critically.  Their focus on research has given me the ability to think critically about both the research I do and read.  This key quality, coupled with the excellent education I received has helped me to excel.

If you have questions please contact me at: Kennedy_KA@hotmail.com

Laura Schudel
Graduation Date: May 2001
Degree: B. A. in Psychology

Educational

After graduating from Rockhurst with a bachelor's degree in psychology (in May 2001), I entered the Couinseling Psychology program at the University of Kansas and received a master's degree (in May 2003).  Following that, I worked briefly as a counselor at a residential clinic for eating disorders until I got full-time employment as an educational diagnostician for a school district.  Whild working for the school district, I enrolled at the University of Missouri-St. Louis where I received an educational specialist degree (Ed.S.) in School Psychology (in May 2006). Currently, I am a certified School Psychologist. I work for a cooperative in Belleville, IL.

Personal:

The most exciting thing in my life right now is that I am engaged and will be getting married on June 21, 2008! My fiance Kevin proposed on the beach in Destin, Florida...it was just perfect.
Also, I bought a brand new condo in March 2006. I watched it being built from scratch and got to pick everything out myself (i.e. countertops, paint color, carpet, etc) which was a lot of fun! My free time is spent with family and friends including my three nieces who are my pride & joy. And I have a nephew on the way!!!

Current Position:

School Psychologist for Belleville Area Special Services Cooperative (BASSC)

Belleville Area Special Services Cooperative (BASSC) is located in Belleville, IL and works collaboratively with 23 local school districts.

I am employed by BASSC and then assigned to 2 of those 23 school districts. My primary role right now as a school psychologist is conducting psycho-educational evaluations in order to determine if students qualify for special education services. However, the field of school psychology is moving (slowly) towards a model which would expand our roles so that we spend more time working with teachers in order to assist them in implementing research-based interventions with "at-risk" students before we evaluate them for special education. If interested, you can learn more about this model by googling "Response to Intervention." This career is a great fit for me and I am really enjoying it! If you like working with kids/students, enjoy assessment and research, value education, possess strong organizational and time-management skills, and possess good social skills, then you might want to consider this career. Also, a HUGE perk (in my opinion) to this career is the work schedule. My work day is from 8am - 3:30pm with a 30 minute lunch Monday through Friday. And I never take work home with me. Not to mention that I get summers off, spring break, and two weeks off for Christmas!!

Personal Statement:

My psychology degree from Rockhurst has provided the foundation for my career. The value of research and the ability to think critically (which are taught by the psychology professors at Rockhurst) are extremely important if you are interested in pursuing a career in the field of psychology.

If you have questions for me, please contact me at: lauraschudel@hotmail.com