Retiring Faculty Honored for Decades of Service

With more than 200 years of service between them, the eight retiring members of the Rockhurst University faculty have earned a round of applause.

Normally recognized at the April faculty awards dinner, because of the campus shutdown as a result of COVID-19 these longtime members of the University community were instead congratulated for their decades of service virtually in a video and an email sent by Doug Dunham, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

“Join me in thanking these members of the Rockhurst University faculty for their decades of service and their contributions to student learning,” he said. “Their example as companions in our mission as an institution is an inspiration. Let us also congratulate them as they enter a new phase of their lives.”

The faculty retiring are:

• Amy Foley, DPT, associate professor of physical therapy, who joined the Rockhurst faculty in 1997. She has contributed to numerous textbooks and interdisciplinary research projects.
• Bill Haefele, Ph.D., professor of psychology, a member of the University community since 1985. During his tenure at the University, he has also served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and vice president for academic affairs.
• Jean Hiebert, Ph.D., professor of physical therapy, joined Rockhurst in 1983 as one of three professors picked to build the University’s physical therapy program.
• Laura Janusik, Ph.D., professor and McGee Chair of communication, has been at Rockhurst since 2004, during which time she has also served as president of the International Listening Association, in 2010.
• Randy Schwering, Ph.D., associate professor of management, joined the University in 1988 and has served as the coordinator for the MBA capstone program, in which groups of students help solve real life challenges faced by local businesses and organizations.
• Bill Stancil, Ph.D., professor of theology and religious studies, who joined the Rockhurst faculty in 1995 and whose published work includes more than 100 articles.
• Bill Sturgill, Ph.D., professor of psychology, who has taught at Rockhurst since 1989 and whose work, often with students, has examined topics within neuroscience, including perception and language.
• Turner White, MBA, executive assistant professor of management, joined Rockhurst in 2005 and has led efforts in innovation on campus and served as advisor for Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity.