Rockhurst News

Pat Mosher, ’04 EMBA, was honored April 9 with the St. Ignatius Alumni Award by Rockhurst University in a ceremony honoring her 30-year career with HNTB in Kansas City, Missouri.

Jim McKelvey — the artist-turned innovator who was the featured speaker at the Rockhurst University Leadership Series event Wednesday — had to jump into the unknown on his way in to Kansas City. That crucible served as a fitting metaphor for McKelvey’s views on innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership. Sometimes, it pays to be a wildcard, to drive into the storm and hope for the best.

For nearly 20 years Brian Hesse, ’93, ’96 MBA, has welcomed adorable puppies into his home, loved them, showed them the world and then said goodbye to them after about a year and a half. Hesse doesn’t have attachment issues, he’s a volunteer puppy raiser for KSDS Assistance Dogs Inc.

Kimberly Reynolds, ’24 M.S. in speech-language pathology, traveled to Uganda to advocate for children with disabilities, completing her clinical fellowship with Hope Speaks in Kampala and serving with Imprint Hope in Jinja.

Innovator and entrepreneur Jim McKelvey, co-founder of Block, Inc. (formerly Square), and former chair of the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, will headline the 2026 Rockhurst University Leadership Series event, scheduled for 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 1, at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108.

Rockhurst University will honor members of the Dunn family with its Rashford-Lyon Award for Leadership and Ethics, recognizing the family’s impact on the Kansas City community through its century-old business, JE Dunn Construction, and their philanthropic and civic leadership.

Kelly Domkoski Meiners, Ph.D., ’97, will bring “Inner Lines," an exhibition of paintings capturing her transformation from sudden, debilitating post-COVID illness to a resilient, evolving artistic voice, to the Greenlease Gallery on campus.

Rockhurst University has received the NCAA Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence for achieving four-year Academic Success Rates of 90% or higher for the 15th consecutive year.

It’s all about problem solving, according to Phillip Wrigley, ’12 M.Ed., who recently earned a nomination as Kansas Teacher of the Year and a national honor — one of three recipients of the American Civic Education Teacher Award (ACETA).

It’s here — Family and Alumni Weekend will be from Sept. 25-28 on campus, the annual opportunity for Hawks and Hawk families to come back to the nest to reconnect with both classmates and with campus.