Rockhurst News

Sedgwick Hall has been a lot of things over the years. But it’s been a while since it’s been under construction.

Anyone who has been on campus since December (or looked at the University’s social media pages) will probably have seen what Sedgwick Hall now looks like from the outside, with construction having kicked off on a $23 million renovation that will see the 1914 building transformed into the home of the Saint Luke’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences, the centerpiece of the For the Greater campaign.

This week, Rockhurst University will celebrate the life and legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in a whole new way.

Normally, the University schedules its MLK Day celebration in January to honor King’s birthday. However, COVID-19 means things look a little different this year as a result of the later start to the spring semester.

Instead of honoring King’s birth, the week’s activities will instead be in recognition of one of King’s most famous pieces of writing, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” written on April 16, 1963.

Rockhurst University has named Laura Horne-Popp as the next director of the Greenlease Library, effective June 1.

Horne-Popp comes to Rockhurst from the University of Central Missouri, where she serves as assistant university librarian of the James C. Kirkpatrick Library. She brings to her new role extensive experience in all aspects of library operations and information services. Her instruction and research consultation experience have assisted students, faculty and nonprofits in increasing their information literacy.

On March 12, 2020, students, faculty and staff alike were notified that campus would be shut down for two weeks, a precautionary measure meant to prevent further spread of coronavirus/COVID-19. They would not be back for the remainder of the spring semester.

That announcement came shortly after the World Health Organization called the crisis a global pandemic and the same day Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas would issue his first state of emergency order related to the virus.

This Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills will face off in the AFC Championship game. And the presidents of the two Jesuit universities in those respective cities have decided to make it interesting.

Rockhurst University Companions,

January 6, 2021, was marked by the loss of life, the exposure of public servants to great harm, the destruction of property we considered “a temple of democracy,” and a rupture to principles we thought were cherished by all. Nonetheless, we can be consoled and encouraged with the psalmist who tells us that while the night might have left us in tears, the dawn brings the promise of joy. (30, 6)

Rockhurst University will begin the search for a new athletics director after the first of the year, allowing the current AD, Gary Burns, to focus on his role as head baseball coach and to assist the university’s advancement division with relationship building and fundraising. He will continue to serve as AD until June 30, 2021.

On Saturday, the Rockhurst University community celebrated those students who completed their coursework in December. It not only marked the return of an older tradition, as the last time the University hosted a December commencement was in 2005. But it did so in a very 2020 way — virtually.

Approximately 200 students were eligible for degrees at the first of what is expected to become an ongoing tradition for those students who complete their coursework at the close of the fall semester.

Rockhurst University is one of a few bucking the trend of many Missouri colleges and universities facing enrollment headwinds as a result of COVID-19 and demographic changes, according to a new report from the state coordinating board for higher education.

A fall enrollment report recently issued by that body indicated that most Missouri institutions of higher education, both public and private, saw drops in headcount enrollment in the fall of 2020 compared to the previous year, with an overall decline of 5.9%.

Some Rockhurst University offices will amend their hours during the coming holiday season. The following hours will be observed.

Rockhurst University

University offices will be closed Nov. 23-27 for Thanksgiving break.

University offices will be closed Dec. 24 through Jan. 1, 2021, for Christmas break.

Greenlease Library

Greenlease Library will be closed Nov. 21 through Nov. 29 for the Thanksgiving break.