Rockhurst University Board Extends President’s Contract Following Initial Success

At a time when the average tenure of a university president is less than six years, the Rockhurst University Board of Trustees announces that it has extended the contract of President Sandra Cassady, Ph.D., an additional five years following an initial three-year period of growth and success for the University.

Cassady joined Rockhurst in 2022 after a nationwide search that resulted in her appointment as the first female and lay president of the Catholic, Jesuit university founded in 1910. The contract extension is the result of Cassady’s efforts to lead the University on an upward trajectory through a variety of fruitful initiatives, said Gary Belske, chair of the Rockhurst University Board of Trustees. 
“Sandra Cassady is the right leader to help Rockhurst navigate the dynamic and challenging environment that higher learning institutions are seeing,” Belske said. “In her relatively short time at Rockhurst she has assembled a very talented team, led the development of our new strategic plan, focused on the addition of new academic programs that are in high demand and align with our mission, and expanded our athletic program. We are also seeing enrollment growth in large part due to the refocus of Dr. Cassady and her team on admission strategy and marketing efforts.”
A record number of new students, 1,030, joined Rockhurst University during the summer and fall 2025 semesters. Over the last three years, nursing and health sciences programs have grown, with more than 900 students in nursing programs this fall. New programs have been added in business and technology, and the Doctor of Education program has added new start dates to accommodate growing demand.

In addition to growing in headcount, under Cassady’s leadership Rockhurst has increased its athletics programs by seven new sports and expanded its academic offerings at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Many of these are the result of establishing and growing partnerships with institutions that have similar missions.
“Higher education is ever changing and Dr. Cassady is building a future for Rockhurst University by leveraging partnerships to provide even more opportunities for RU students and future students,” said Nancy Creasy, who was vice chair of the Rockhurst University Board of Trustees at the time of Cassady’s appointment, board chair for the last two years and currently serves as immediate past chair. “I’m impressed with her involvement in the Kansas City community and the broader higher education community. She truly leads by example and has built a strong cabinet to assist her in moving Rockhurst forward.”

Cassady led the establishment of a partnership with Kansas City University that opened an accelerated path to medical degrees for Rockhurst students, entered into a strategic alliance with sister Jesuit institution Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, that benefits students at both institutions, and has overseen an increased emphasis on strategy and innovation resulting in a number of new academic offerings, including a Master of Science in information systems, a Master of Science in industrial organizational psychology (coming in fall 2026 pending approval by the Higher Learning Commission) and the expansion of the Master of Science in speech-language pathology to Denver and Phoenix.

“I’m honored to lead the University during such an exciting period of growth and change,” said Cassady. “I’m also proud of our leadership team and the fantastic work they have done together with other leaders in their areas to raise the bar for every aspect of University operations, which has paid off in terms of elevated rankings.”

Rockhurst University rose 19 spots on the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Regional Universities list, released in September 2024, to break into the top 10 at No. 7.

Cassady holds a Ph.D. and serves on the boards Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, KC Common Good, and the Kansas City Civic Council.  Recently, she was named to the 2025 class of Women of Influence by the Kansas City Business Journal.