For sophomore Sarah Kimani, pursuing a nursing degree has been a long time in the making, starting with some solid examples to grow up around — her mother is a nurse and her father is a radiology technician.

The following students were named to the spring 2025 Dean's List at Rockhurst University.

Rockhurst University President Sandra Cassady, Ph.D., has been named one of Kansas City’s 2025 Women of Influence by the Kansas City Business Journal.

As the fall semester ended, so too did senior Molly Morris’ competitive cross country career.

Recognizing a need to provide opportunities for those affected by ongoing reductions in force at federal agencies, Rockhurst University officials have announced a new tuition discount program designed to provide retraining and educational opportunities for recently displaced members of the U.S. federal workforce.

More than 600 students earned their degrees from Rockhurst University at its annual commencement ceremony May 10. The culmination of those students’ academic lives to date in Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium is a chance for graduates to celebrate with each other and loved ones as their degrees are officially conferred.

Jingjing Pan, assistant professor of nursing, had already had a full nursing education by the time she began as a student at Saint Luke’s College of Health Sciences (before it became part of Rockhurst University in 2020).

More than 800 students will earn their degrees from Rockhurst University in front of loved ones during the annual commencement ceremony scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri.

U.S. News and World Report released its Best Grad Schools 2025 rankings Tuesday, with several programs in the College of Business and Technology ranked among the nation’s best, along with several of Rockhurst University’s health sciences programs.

Rockhurst University and Spring Hill College, located in Mobile, Alabama, are launching a strategic alliance that will create academic opportunities for students on both campuses.

Yu Liu, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, knows that organic chemistry has a bit of a reputation. It’s an innately difficult subject; a crucible for generations of science majors at Rockhurst. Despite being the face of what many consider Rockhurst’s most difficult class, Liu was named Faculty of the Year by students at the Festival of Student Achievement in April. How does he do it?

Rockhurst University has been recognized in several categories as among the best in the country by Colleges of Distinction.

Each spring, a handful of students in the University’s criminal justice program are invited to be part of the Innocence Project course. This small group spends their semester reviewing a case where an incarcerated person has raised questions of innocence. Their goal is to review the case and report to the Kansas City-based Midwest Innocence Project whether they believe a case for innocence exists.

Recommitting itself to its students, staff, faculty and alumni, and redefining its place in higher education, Rockhurst University has unveiled updated branding and messaging including its new tagline, “Lead with Courage. Live with Purpose.”

Rockhurst University has announced the dean’s list for the fall 2024 semester. This honor recognizes students who have achieved a grade-point average of 3.5 or above.

This week Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced $5 million in grant funding for 13 Missouri colleges and universities, providing additional resources for nursing education programs statewide. On the list is Rockhurst University, which will receive $630,000, the second-highest grant award for this round.

The world is about to get more Jesuit-educated health care, education and business professionals. That’s after a series of hooding and pinning ceremonies Saturday that marked the completion of studies for more than 200 students in several Rockhurst University’s graduate degree programs and its Bachelor of Science in nursing program.

For many years, lacrosse was life for Dominic Diaz, who is about to graduate with his Occupational Therapy Doctorate. He knows the history of the sport, its regional variations, and the strategy behind the game itself. He played at the collegiate level and coached at all levels up to high school.

Rockhurst University has received the NCAA Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence for achieving four-year Academic Success Rates of 90% or higher for the 14th consecutive year.

Jacob Scallorn, ’15, has a lot to be thankful for — and he’ll be the first to admit it. About 15 years ago, he was a deep in the cycle of addiction. He had lost seven jobs in eight months and wrecked his car twice. “God put me on the bench,” is how he puts it. But then something amazing happened — Scallorn said he entered rehab and it changed not just his physical health, but his mental wellbeing. He began to say “yes” to doing hard things and to devoting time and effort to accomplishing goals.

On Friday, leaders from Rockhurst University and Kansas City University signed a pivotal new agreement establishing and accelerated pathway for high school students and others to earn KCU’s medical and health care degrees.

In a recent study, two members of the Rockhurst University community — an alumna and a faculty member — sought to glean lessons from how one veterans service organization approached inspiring young vets to stay connected and continue to serve after their military careers were over.

Ben Winbinger had experience with robotics. But when it came time to look for a community work study position through Rockhurst University helping mentor younger students in robotics wasn’t an opportunity he knew existed. But he took a chance.

The Best Colleges 2025 list from U.S. News and World Report is out today, and in it, Rockhurst University has entered the top 10 on the list of best universities in the Midwest.

On Wednesday, 11 new Hawks joined Rockhurst University’s worldwide alumni network. And in receiving their associate of arts in liberal studies degrees, these students earned another distinction – they became the first graduates of the University’s Companions in Chillicothe program at Chillicothe Correctional Center, located about an hour and a half northeast of Kansas City.

What was on your summer to-do list? Beach time? Internship? Visiting friends? For an unprecedented number of Hawks in Rockhurst University’s graduate programs, the answer was “get started on my future.” A total of 1,023 students were enrolled in graduate programs at the University during the summer term.

Rockhurst University has announced the dean’s list for the spring 2024 semester. This honor recognizes students who have achieved a grade-point average of 3.5 or above.

Rockhurst University’s Saint Luke’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences will once again expand its specialized nursing certificate offerings with the launch of the Registered Nurse First Assistance program starting in fall 2024.

Close to 800 undergraduate and graduate students walked across the stage at Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium as part of Rockhurst University’s annual commencement ceremony on Saturday.

Representatives from Rockhurst University are part of a select delegation from higher education invited to the White House today to help unveil a national strategy to increase equity in the STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine).

Two specialty graduate business programs at Rockhurst University’s College Business and Technology are ranked among the top 30 in the nation, alongside rankings for occupational therapy, physical therapy and communication sciences and disorders, in the Best Grad Schools list released today by U.S. News & World Report.

On Saturday, hundreds of Rockhurst University students will receive their degrees in front of family members and friends during the spring commencement ceremony at Municipal Auditorium. Below, a few members of the Class of 2024 tell their stories.

A premier Kansas City educational institution with deep roots in whole-person learning, leadership and service and a local business are announcing an exciting new partnership to elevate their brand, tell their story and welcome more students.

Niche, one of the largest online college search resources for students, has ranked Rockhurst University’s nursing program as the best in Missouri in their Best Colleges 2025 rankings.

File Microsoft Excel under the same heading as public speaking — intimidating for many, life-giving for a few.

This week, Rockhurst University was one of 20 Missouri colleges and universities selected to receive competitive grand funding to enhance their nursing education program, part of an effort to build the state’s nursing workforce.

The University’s Saint Luke’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences will receive $450,000 from the state’s Nursing Education Incentive Program, part of a $5 million grant award cycle announced Monday, to fund nursing faculty positions and nursing faculty scholarships, according to Kristina Henry, DNP, associate dean of nursing.

Rockhurst University has received the NCAA Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence for achieving four-year Academic Success Rates of 90 percent or higher for the 13th consecutive year.

Forty-four Division II member schools are recipients of the Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence. Rockhurst is one of eight schools to have earned the recognition every year since the award was started in 2011.

Initial enrollment for the fall 2023 semester shows growth across nearly student group at Rockhurst University along with the highest student retention rate since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The University performs a census of its students after the eight day of the semester, and those initial counts for fall 2023 indicate growth in first-time college, transfer and graduate student enrollment at Rockhurst.

It’s been a while since first-year occupational therapy student Lindsey Fuentes sat down to really draw something.

The mother of three said she does scribble shapes by request for her children. But it’s been a while since she really focused on observing a person or object and translating what she sees onto paper.

“It was kind of intimidating at first,” she said.

Over the next six years, Rockhurst University will receive $1 million in Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics grant funding from the National Science Foundation as part of a holistic program to help cohorts of students with financial need complete their undergraduate degrees in the sciences.

Since 1548, Jesuit colleges and universities have marked the beginning of their academic year with a unique tradition.

At the Mass of the Holy Spirit, faculty, staff and students at Jesuit institutions pause in gratitude for the gifts of the Holy Spirit and recommit themselves to their work and to the Jesuit core values that guide it. In welcoming the more than 150 attendees, University President Sandra Cassady, Ph.D., said the Mass of the Holy Spirit is a chance at the beginning of the academic year to remember the shared purpose of the University community.

More than 97% of the May graduates from Rockhurst University’s Saint Luke’s College of Nursing and Health SciencesBachelor of Science in Nursing program who took the NCLEX — the National Council Licensure Examination — passed, according to new data from the Missouri State Board of Nursing.

Data science and analytics continues to be a growing field, but acquiring the specific skills required to thrive in the field can seem daunting.

It doesn’t have to be. On Aug. 5, faculty from Rockhurst University’s College of Business Influence and Information Analysis will host a one-day SQL Bootcamp on campus, giving those looking to bolster skills in business intelligence tools a boost in their career goals and pave the path toward a degree in the field.

This fall, Rockhurst University will become part of the Bloch Scholars Program, helping pave the way to a bachelor’s degree for highly qualified area students.

The program is sponsored by the Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation and the H&R Block Foundation and covers tuition and fees for promising students living in Kansas City’s urban core who demonstrate financial need and who want to earn a four-year degree but would not be considered for traditional scholarship programs.

On Saturday, May 13, hundreds of Rockhurst University students will become graduates as part of the annual spring commencement ceremony. In preparation for the ceremony, here are stories from a few of those who will be crossing the stage as part of the Class of 2023.

Each spring, students who distinguish themselves in what are considered the three main pillars of a Jesuit education — scholarship, leadership and service — are invited to become part of Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit honor society.

Rockhurst University has announced the dean’s list for the fall 2022 semester. This honor recognizes students who have achieved a grade-point average of 3.5 or above.

Students named to the list are:

Dati Abuladze

Courtney Adams

Nate Adamson

Mia Adkins

Peyton Aerni

Abbie Aguirre

Abdi Akil

Erica Akins

Le'Bonet Alfaro

Safiya Ali

Celeste Allen

Dakota Allen

Drew Altic

Litzy Alvarado Islas

Zoe Amstutz

Morgan Andersen

Ashley Anderson

Natalie Anderson

Almost 300 graduates earned degrees from Rockhurst University during its 105^th commencement ceremony Sunday afternoon.

The December commencement ceremony was the third since the University revived the tradition in 2020. In the historic Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland, graduates and the audience heard from two student speakers chosen from a list of nominations submitted by faculty and staff — a Rockhurst tradition.

If you are the first person in your family to go to college, congratulations!

Also, today is your day, as First-Generation College Celebration Day is celebrated nationally and will be recognized throughout the week here on the Rockhurst University campus.

A member of the Rockhurst University mathematics faculty has been honored alongside other local female leaders in STEM for work that seeks to inspire a love of math in young people, particularly girls and young women.

Zdenka Guadarrama, Ph.D., professor of mathematics, received the WiSTEMM Educator STEMMy Award from women’s leadership organization Central Exchange during its 9^th annual STEMMy awards ceremony Oct. 27, recognizing her contributions to STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine) disciplines through her Mathapalooza program.

Nearly every nurse has a story of why they got started in the profession, and almost all involve a nurse providing care and comfort to them or a loved one.

Today’s workplace is diverse in both its composition and responsibilities. Interdisciplinary classes, minors, and majors encourage students to think critically and creatively to properly prepare individuals for this evolving professional world.

Rockhurst’s College of Arts & Sciences built a multi-disciplinary approach and team-teaching into its 2020-2025 strategic plan to incorporate two or more areas of study to prepare students for the more varied careers in today’s global job market.

Just a few years ago, Hasina Lokhandwala Siraj was working as a senior human resources executive in her home country of India. Today, she’s a wife, mother and professional living in the U.S. as a Rockhurst MBA student.

In a life filled with big changes and important decisions, Lokhandwala calls her choice to pursue an MBA a Rockhurst after starting a family “one of the best decisions of my life.”

The NCAA reminds us that most collegiate student-athletes will turn professional in something other than sports.

Two Hawks, Tera Reberry (volleyball) and Parker Esparza (men’s soccer), are well on their way to living that dream as medical professionals, while still being key contributors to their respective teams.

The inauguration of Rockhurst University’s 15^th president, Sandra Cassady, Ph.D., is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 11, 2022. The afternoon of events will mark Cassady’s ceremonial installation as president and a milestone for Rockhurst as the first woman and first lay president of the institution.

Rockhurst business students are getting a head start as data scientists by doing everything from assisting sports and entertainment businesses with fan engagement to attempting to measure trust in order to reduce crime in Kansas City.

The projects are all through partnerships between RU’s Master of Science in Data Analytics program and organizations in the local community. Students use the partnerships to open doors for internships and career development.

In keeping with Rockhurst’s Catholic, Jesuit tradition, the University is debuting its Wisdom Core Curriculum this year. The updated curriculum helps create and reflect Rockhurst’s culture, mission and identity while keeping up with a changing world.

RU students will be challenged to discover the best version of themselves while learning to inspire others. Through its instructors, the curriculum connects with the students to promote the development of their intellectual, spiritual, moral, and imaginative capacities.

Emma Miller, ’22, came to Rockhurst prepared to pursue an undergraduate degree on her way to medical school.

But, like many, the COVID-19 pandemic led to soul-searching about whether that was the path for her. A biology major and career in medicine, she said, might not be her calling. But, still loving science, she wondered — what is?

Luke Spencer repeatedly refused to accept defeat when pursuing his dream of being a naval officer – until a severe car accident left him no other choice. Now the Rockhurst University junior has a new dream, and he’s once again overcoming obstacles and using hard lessons learned to make that happen.

When Spencer graduated high school his sole goal was to get into a service academy to become a naval officer. This was his career goal since he was a kid, aiming to follow in his father’s footsteps.

It’s not every day you can find a child who loves school so much they want to spend the rest of their lives in a classroom. Many count the minutes down until it’s time to leave.

Not so for Miranda Pollard and J.T. Cornelius. They knew a classroom is where they wanted to be.

Sedgwick Hall is a milestone – started in 1910, the members of the Society of Jesus who founded the University had to wait until 1914 to complete the project. Despite that initial delay, the building has stood tall ever since. Its use over the years reflects its status as both a milestone and a workhorse, serving as a residence for Jesuits, for students, as both classroom space and recreational space, and until 2015 when Arrupe Hall opened, as the site of approximately 45% of the University’s undergraduate contact hours (and for many years Rockhurst High School as well).

Sean Lenihan was in elementary school when Rockhurst University Professor Nancy Donaldson started the Physics of Medicine degree at Rockhurst.

It was 2008 and Donaldson wanted to broaden students’ understanding of physics with curriculum relevant to their interest in medicine and healthcare. She started the program with the specific intention to make physics accessible, applicable and relatable to students outside of a physics Ph.D. pathway.

Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium was buzzing Saturday with loved ones cheering on the almost 750 graduates at Rockhurst University’s commencement ceremony.

The ceremony was the first in Municipal Auditorium since 2019, as the 2020 commencement was held virtually and the 2021 event outside, at Children’s Mercy Park.

Choosing where to go to college can be stressful. Tucker is here to help.

A members of the Office of Admissions staff is lending his very unique set of skills to incoming students experiencing the maze of decisions, forms, tests and essays.

Craig Prentiss, Ph.D., professor of Religious Studies and Theology at Rockhurst, was recently granted a Fulbright Scholar Award to teach at the University of Bucharest in Romania in spring 2023. Fulbright Scholar Awards are prestigious and competitive fellowships that provide unique opportunities for scholars to teach and conduct research abroad. 

Sean Klippel is an educator and a member of the LGBTQ+ community who was recently honored for his research as part of Rockhurst's Doctorate in Education program. Klippel's project, "How K-12 Teachers Perceive a State Bill and LGBTQ+ Affirming Curriculum," earned him a Rockhurst Outstanding Research Award (RORA) as part of the University's Festival of Student Achievement. 

In the following Q & A, Klippel explains why he's passionate about the project, as well as why it's so important now:

Freshman nursing major Hope Daga has earned a spot in a leadership institute aimed at developing the next generation of leaders who can address disparities in the delivery of care.

The Bluford Healthcare Leadership Institute is a two-phase program — the first consisting primarily of education, the second an internship at one of a number of health care-related sites, from hospitals to insurance providers to the Centers for Disease Control.

Mathapalooza started a decade ago as exactly the sort of event that name would imply — an invitational, gleeful exploration of the sometimes-dreaded school subject.

That was the goal — to make mathematics approachable and even fun for young students. For Zdenka Guadarrama, Ph.D., professor of mathematics who founded Mathapalooza with a colleague, what started as a single-day event has turned into a program that has reached thousands of students in Kansas City and well beyond.

Startland News photo

Some students go to college undecided on a major, and that’s just fine. Others, like 2016 Rockhurst graduate Kaitlin Doyle, know exactly what they want to do.

Doyle’s mother grew up as a child of a deaf adult (CODA) and Kaitlin had an uncle who had cerebral palsy and spent a lot of time in therapy. She saw how her grandparents took care of him and guided him through everyday tasks.

As an 18-year-old high school graduate, Mariah Schneider made the decision to stay in her hometown of Kansas City and find a full-time job. She ended up at one of Rockhurst students’ favorite places to eat in nearby Brookside, Jalapenos Mexican Restaurant, for more than 10 years.

The student support network at Rockhurst is strong and is made stronger by student leaders who serve as tutors or supplemental instruction (SI) leaders in the Aylward-Dunn Learning Center.

You don’t need an astrophysicist father to understand the cosmos. But it doesn’t hurt.

Keith Brandt, Ph.D., professor of mathematics, and John C. Brandt, Ph.D., a retired astronomer, are the authors of an upcoming article in the AMATYC Educator titled “Andromeda’s Distance: An Activity in Exponential and Logarithmic Functions,” which explores the relatively simple mathematical principles that in 1923 allowed Edwin Hubble to determine that Andromeda actually lies outside the Milky Way Galaxy — something that, at the time, was a major scientific discovery.

Last Thursday, during a virtual panel discussion about Black-owned businesses in Kansas City, guests and members of the Black Student Union were subjected to racist hate speech and obscene images from individuals who hijacked the event.

As a young girl, Laura Forsberg’s father read her Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” thoroughly explaining the minutia of the era’s manners and etiquette. Her world of wonder was magnified through literature and now the Rockhurst Associate Professor of English, author, and new mom is providing a similar opportunity to others through her first book, published through the prestigious Yale University Press.

From the frenzy of the fans to the unpredictable weather to busted brackets, playoff football can be exhilarating.

Many in Kansas City now know the feeling well as fans. But as a member of the officiating crew for the recent College Football Playoff semifinal game between the University of Georgia and the University of Michigan on New Years Eve, Chris Tallent, ’01, can speak to the playoff atmosphere from a very different perspective.

“It was an incredible experience,” he said.

As most student-athletes can tell you, teamwork is just that — work. But it’s also rewarding.

That’s been the case for members of Rockhurst University’s men’s basketball team this year as they’ve continued a yearslong effort to foster relationships with third through sixth grade students at nearby Troost Elementary School. From helping them with their schoolwork to having impromptu arm wrestling competitions, the players build positive bonds with these younger students and encourage them as they grow.

Rockhurst University has received the NCAA Presidents’ Award for Academic Excellence for achieving four-year Academic Success Rates of 90 percent or higher among its student-athletes for the 11th consecutive year.

Forty-three Division II member schools are recipients of the Presidents’ Award for Academic Excellence. Rockhurst is one of 10 schools to have earned the recognition every year since the award was started in 2011.

Positive male role models have shaped the life of Rockhurst Master's of Education (M.Ed.) student Donnell Fletcher from a young age, and now the Raytown, Missouri, teacher is doing the same for future generations.

Before he started leading students at Raytown Middle School, Fletcher learned life lessons from influential figures in his family and through high school sports.

It’s been a while since Rockhurst University last hosted a December commencement ceremony in person, on campus.

Rockhurst prides itself in providing learning opportunities beyond the classroom, but now it can add Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, to the list of its educational environments.

This fall, six Rockhurst Honors Student Association E-Board members attended the National Collegiate Honors Council’s 54th Annual Conference after having to miss last year due to its COVID-19 cancellation. RU Honors Program Director Maureen Walsh accompanied the group to the site of this year’s event, Disney World.

Rockhurst University students working out in The MAC (Magis Activity Center) will regularly see individuals in yellow shirts asking if they’d like assistance. They’re not doctors, but they help students get a healthy dose of medicine.

A new pilot program at Saint Luke’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences is opening career doors as early as high school for some future Kansas City healthcare heroes.

The work Rockhurst students do in the classroom often doesn’t stay in the classroom, and instead makes a true impact in the real world.

A Rockhurst MBA team completed a capstone project that led Pediatric Associates Kansas City to open a new clinic in Overland Park.

Mike Paar, Dr. Saba Siddiqi, Matt Seifert, Nick Timmons, Amin Wakas, Alexander Wegener and Brian White were all part of a Rockhurst team that helped determine if there was enough demand for a new PA medical clinic – and if so, where?

A campus leadership and professional development program is growing exponentially thanks to the competitive advantage it gives Rockhurst University grads entering their careers.

Like a lot of college students, Maddie Dierkes, ’19, ’21 M.S., said she came to Rockhurst University not knowing exactly what she wanted to do.

She arrived planning to major in computer science, but it didn’t quite fit. She took mathematics courses, too, and “floated around” while looking for what clicked with her.

In 2019, Rockhurst began a service-learning partnership with Operation Breakthrough, the largest early learning center in the Kansas City region.

Under the agreement, Rockhurst occupational therapy and speech-language pathology students work with some of the hundreds of kids at Operation Breakthrough, learning how to properly evaluate children and provide intervention.

Rockhurst asks students to challenge themselves, inspire others, and impact our world. For the University’s first Peace and International Studies (PAI) students, who walked with the Class of 2021 in May, they truly do aim to “impact our world.”

Like many other veterans, the last two weeks have brought a lot of old feelings to the fore for Ellen Stephenson, DNP, assistant professor of nursing.

The images of the evacuation of Afghans who helped American and NATO forces in the country has, for Stephenson and others, brought to mind their own experiences in the country, and inescapable feelings of grief and anger at the thought of leaving people behind. As well as the American casualties in the 20 years since the fighting began.

Another year, another incoming class at Rockhurst University.

In the fall of 2017, Saint Luke’s College of Health Sciences opened its doors to a first cohort of 26 students attending the Pathways to Health and Science Education program. Pathways was conceived as a bridge program designed to introduce diverse students to careers in healthcare professions.

In 2020, the program transitioned with the College to Rockhurst University and was renamed the Early College Pathways Program.

While Commencement marks the finish line for many students, others have miles and miles to go.

For pre-med students at Rockhurst, they have exhausted the University’s opportunities and resources, earned a bachelor’s degree, and are off to medical school as official RU alumni.

These graduates have made their mark on RU. Now they make their mark on the world.

As the sun sets on the Rockhurst University campus’ tulips for the spring, some new plants are getting a chance to shine.

On Friday, members of the biology faculty and students planted an assortment of pollinator plants in a small plot north of the Ignatius Science Center.  

Around a central redbud tree are now rows of coneflower, butterfly flower and coreopsis, among others.

Kat Dolan, ’20, came to Rockhurst University having already had what some might consider a lifetime of experiences. And they’ve all played a part in a new piece in the latest issue of America, the national Jesuit magazine.

Last year, senior biomedical physics of medicine major Bella Salerno was looking forward to her summer vacation for reasons other than getting out of town.

Salerno had been accepted to the Purdy Summer Research Fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine’s department of radiation oncology and was looking forward to the experience of delving deeper into a subject she’s grown to love.

“One of the reasons for choosing my major has been my love for both math and science,” she said. “I found that physics really encompasses both the how and why aspect of science.”

The U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate School list for 2022 is out, and several programs within Rockhurst University’s College of Business, Influence and Information Analysis earned recognition among the best in the nation.

The management programs in the Helzberg School of Management, which is part of the University’s College of Business, Influence, and Information Analysis, were ranked No. 24 in the nation. The school’s graduate business analytics programs were ranked No. 39, the only such program ranked in the state of Missouri.

For 2020 senior men’s lacrosse players Jason Zabel (pictured) and Jake Bastien, life in early March 2020 was good. The seniors had helped the team to a No. 8 national ranking and they were two short months away from graduating.

Rockhurst University Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) students were named Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Scholars recently, making them among the first in Missouri to participate in the nationally recognized program.

Rockhurst University leaders announced Monday the Saint Luke’s College of Health Sciences and the College of Health and Human Services will be merging and renamed to The Saint Luke’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences. 

The process of giving the first building on the Rockhurst University campus another life has already begun, but on Thursday University leaders gave those performing that work a blessing as they proceed in their labor.

With the midway point of the spring semester in view, Rockhurst University is announcing plans for its summer and fall 2021.

COVID-19 has meant many changes to daily life on campus — since returning to campus in summer 2020, students, faculty and staff have adjusted to following guidelines such as mask-wearing, meetings conducted over Zoom, remote learning, and social distancing.

Rockhurst University awarded 217 degrees at its December commencement ceremony, held virtually Dec. 12, 2020.

The program featured student speaker Marc Kerby, who received a Master of Education, elementary education certification track.

Alad Aguirre

Mara Akers, honors program, magna cum laude

Akeem Akinola

Celeste Allen

Ana Amaya

Kristen Anderson

Anatali Aquino-Rodriguez

Sam Archer

Baylee Arcuri

Charity Arnold

Alexus Atchison

Corey Austen

Matt Baker

Peter Baker, summa cum laude

Rockhurst University has announced the dean’s list for the fall 2020 semester. This honor recognizes students who have achieved a grade-point average of 3.5 or above.

The following students were named to the dean’s list:

Lauryn Adams

Macee Adams

Nate Adamson

Peyton Aerni

Mara Akers

Shereen Al-Saoudi

Kassie Albers

Xenia Alegria Martinez

Alexandra Allen

Michael Allen

Jennifer Alonso

Anthony Altobella

Litzy Alvarado Islas

Joseph Alvey

Ashley Anderson

Of all the activities that have been curtailed as a result of the pandemic, live performances have continued to prove among the most vexing for many arts organizations.

Projecting one’s voice without a mask, through singing or as a stage actor, is unfortunately exactly the kind of activity that can put people at risk for contracting the virus. Add an audience indoors, and it’s a recipe for potential spread.

The beginning of December brings more than one milestone this year — it marks the end of the fall semester, but it also means Rockhurst University completed its fall semester with COVID-19 restrictions in place and without needing to shut down.

The work at every level that went into making that possible was recognized with a resolution passed by the University’s Board of Trustees during its December meeting, which thanked every member of the campus community for the sacrifices made to resume in-person classes:

Pain is a fact of life. It’s a lesson many of us learn early on, with tears the stimulus response accompanying a scrape or a bump on the head.

But for many, pain is not simply temporary but a chronic or constant reality. And whatever form it takes, managing pain with medications often carries its own risks in the form of addiction.

As a Computational Chemist, Dr. Bobadova uses mathematics to predict the properties of molecules, creating a detailed “virtual reality” for molecules. She has worked on a collaborative project on fluorescent molecules with a Louisiana State University faculty member, where she is able to connect to a supercomputer cluster necessary for her work.

Mark Cuban of ABC’s hit reality show “Shark Tank” tells potential entrepreneurs to “Find something you are good at and do what it takes to be great at it. We all have something special about us. The hard and exciting part is figuring out what it is."

All of Rockhurst University’s Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) students are good at what they do. It’s how they earned positions at some of the most successful businesses in the Kansas City area like Honeywell, Bayer, H&R Block and Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

A longtime member of the Helzberg School of Management's faculty and administrative leadership has been named the new dean of the College of Business, Influence, and Information Analysis at Rockhurst University.

Before coming to Rockhurst University, Carrie Spanton was at a crossroads — having grown up in the hospitality business, she went straight from high school to the workforce, eventually working her way to restaurant management in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Bentonville, Arkansas.

Rockhurst University earned a spot as one of the Best Universities in the Midwest Region and one of the Best Values, among other categories, in the 2021 Best Colleges rankings released Monday by U.S. News & World Report.

The University was ranked No. 13 among Midwest regional universities for the second straight year, once again making it the highest-ranked institution in the Kansas City area.

This week, we welcome approximately 440 new students to Rockhurst University. For these students, arriving for their first semester of college is a milestone, and for both new and returning students, there’s plenty to be excited about.

With her new internship, senior Kate Ludwig has an opportunity to help make the lives of Kansas Citians better.

The world’s experience fighting the COVID-19 pandemic offers a host of lessons.

But for Myles Gartland, Ph.D., dean of the College of Business, Influence and Information Analysis at Rockhurst University, the pandemic also illustrates the importance of data literacy, and why it’s so important to understand where data comes from, what it means, and how it’s shaping our understanding of the world around us.

“I think for years, a lot of us have conflated data literacy and math,” he said. “Any time we say a number, we say ‘that’s math, and I’m not good at math.’”

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.

From the moment the academic year began, it was bound to be unique. The commencement ceremony in the year 2020 will be Rockhurst University’s 100th, a milestone worth celebrating.

Each April, students at Rockhurst University vote for the staff member and faculty member who have had an outsized impact that year on their campus and academic lives. As part of the Festival of Student Achievement, the Faculty of the Year and Staff Member of the Year are typically recognized before a full Arrupe Hall auditorium.

Because of COVID-19, this year’s winners won’t get that live round of applause (a virtual Festival of Student Achievement is currently being planned). But they did get some in-person appreciation last Friday (at a safe distance, of course).

For most health care providers, staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic is simply not an option.

To help meet the growing demand for cybersecurity professionals, Rockhurst University is joining forces with Saint Louis University to offer a Bachelor of Science in cybersecurity.

This interdisciplinary program, beginning in August, combines elements of computer science, analytics, criminal justice, intelligence gathering, and risk planning.