Rockhurst University to Honor Catholic Education Leader With Honorary Degree

Rockhurst University’s annual spring commencement activities are scheduled for May 8 and 9, highlighted by the commencement ceremony at 1 p.m. Saturday at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.

During commencement, hundreds of students will earn their undergraduate and graduate degrees during the ceremony, followed by Hawk Walk, during which graduates will be led by bagpipe and drums from Municipal Auditorium to the Power and Light District’s KCLive Block for a celebration with family and friends.

As part of the ceremony, the University will also award an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree to Donna Carroll, Ed.D., president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and president emerita of Dominican University in Illinois. After receiving this honorary degree, Carroll will address the graduates.

Carroll’s career in higher education began in student affairs. Several moves and promotions later, including appointments as an academic dean and a chief advancement officer, Carroll returned to her home city of New York to work at Fordham University. In 1994, she became the 10th president of Dominican University in Illinois, the institution’s first lay leader and one of the youngest presidents in the country. In 2021, she joined the ACCU as executive director. In 2024, she was named president of the organization founded in 1899. 

Carroll’s leadership legacy is punctuated by multiple accomplishments, strategic and financial, including the successful name change of Rosary College to Dominican University. Her outspoken advocacy for marginalized students has defined her career and brought her national recognition — she received the Strangers No Longer Award from the Archdiocese of Chicago, the Moral Courage Award from Faith in Public Life, and the Dominican Veritas Award, among others. In 2022, ACCU honored her with the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, CSC Award for outstanding contributions to Catholic higher education. 

Throughout her career, Carroll has balanced institutional responsibilities with active civic, association, and educational leadership. She has served on the boards of Interfaith America, Chicago Catholic Schools, Fordham and Scranton Universities, The HistoryMakers and Abraham Lincoln Library, to name just a few, as well many regional and national higher education association boards. She is currently a trustee of Dominican Veritas Ministries, the sponsoring board for Dominican elementary and secondary education. 

Carroll received her bachelor’s degree in English from Wellesley College and her master’s and doctoral degrees in higher education administration and counseling from the University of Cincinnati. She has received honorary degrees from Edgewood College, Fordham University, and Albertus Magnus College.

For more on Rockhurst University’s commencement weekend activities, visit the graduation page.