Rockhurst University
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Rockhurst University |
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| Motto | Sapientia Aedificavit Sibi Domum (Wisdom has built herself a home) |
| Established | 1910 |
| Type | Private, Jesuit |
| President | Rev. Thomas Curran, O.S.F.S. |
| Undergraduates | 2,500 |
| Postgraduates | 500 |
| Location | Kansas City, Missouri, USA |
| Campus | Urban |
| Athletics | 12 varsity teams |
| Mascot | The Hawks |
| Website | www.rockhurst.edu |
Rockhurst University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in Kansas City, Missouri. The school prides itself on the motto etched into the stone of the campus belltower, "Learning, Leadership, and Service in the Jesuit Tradition".
Rockhurst was chartered by the state as Rockhurst College in August 1910. It included the Academy of Rockhurst College, an institution of secondary education which became Rockhurst High School in 1923, though the two remained under a single corporate umbrella until the high school moved onto its own campus in 1962.
In 1999, Rockhurst College officially changed its name to Rockhurst University.
Today, Rockhurst University offers over fifty graduate and undergraduate programs serving over 2,500 students annually. The university includes the College of Arts and Sciences, the Helzberg School of Management, the School of Graduate and Professional Studies, and Research College of Nursing. One in ten Rockhurst graduates are presidents, CEOs, or owners of their own business. It is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.
Rockhurst University is accredited by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Helzberg School of Management recently gained accreditation by AACSB, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
In October of 2006, Rockhurst officially installed its fourteenth president, Rev. Thomas Curran, O.S.F.S, a Catholic priest in the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales and the school's first non-Jesuit president.
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[edit] Service Education
Rockhurst University adheres to a traditional Ignatian philosophy of educating students not only in academics, but in leadership and service as well. The university prides itself in the fact that 85% of each undergraduate class participates in community service. Graduates from Rockhurst University receive two transcripts: one for academics and another for community service. The university stresses a values and ethics based education with an emphasis on lifelong learning.
[edit] Campus
Rockhurst sits on a 55 acre campus located in Kansas City's cultural district, a short distance from the popular shopping and dining center, Country Club Plaza. The campus is home to three residence halls and the Townhouse Village, offering housing for interested students, as well as university-owned houses on two streets adjacent to campus.
The main area of campus, including all classroom buildings, surrounds the quad with the monumental Rockhurst belltower and adjacent pergola flanking one end. The quad has been re-named the Kinerk Commons by the University, in honor of Fr. Edward Kinerk, the past President of the University, but the new name hasn't really impacted the venacular of the students. The recently-renovated Conway Hall is home to the regionally-recognized Helzberg School of Management, the university Public Relations department and university Computer Services. Sedgwick Hall contains many of the classes and departments in the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as the Mabee Theatre, where the University's Players put on four productions each year. The Greenlease Library holds the school's extensive volume of reference books and periodicals. The Richardson Science Center, built in 1996, holds the science classrooms and labs, as well as the graduate programs in Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy. VanAckeren Hall holds the Education department, the Learning Center (open to all students for free tutoring and writing help), and Career Services, which helps students find jobs and internships across the Midwest. Massman Hall is the center of the campus, both physically and organizationally. The Admissions, Business, Student Development, and Administrative offices are all in Massman, as well as the cafeteria, the student pub, a coffee shop, Mabee Chapel, a fully equipped fitness and workout facility, and the Rock Room, which is a 24-hour recreational lounge for students.
The campus has several athletic facilities, including the soccer stadium, recently renovated with new grass-like turf, a baseball stadium, softball field, and a tennis complex. Also, the Masin-Halpin Fieldhouse holds the basketball and volleyball court, and the adjacent Convocation Center contains a multipurpose court, racquetball courts, and a workout facility. Plans are in place for a new Health and Wellness Complex to be built connecting the Convocation Center and Fieldhouse to Massman Hall.
The Campus Ministry Center is located in a house adjacent to campus. The CMC is used by the many Campus Ministry programs for their weekly meetings and activities, including the Christian Life Communities (CLCs), student-led faith sharing and reflection groups. Across the street from campus is St. Francis Xavier Church, a Jesuit parish church, used by the university for student masses every Sunday evening.
The Community Center is located at 54th and Troost, where children's literacy programs, community programs, and the RU College Bound high school tutoring program all are held. It serves as a physical link between Rockhurst and the surrounding neighborhood.
[edit] Academics
Certificates:
- American Humanics
- Pre-medical Post-Baccalaureate
- Writing
Bachelor Degrees:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Science
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing
- Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
Masters Degrees:
- Master of Education
- Master of Business Administration
- Executive Master of Business Administration
- Master of Science for Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Master of Occupational Therapy
- Master of Science in Nursing through Research College of Nursing
Doctoral Degrees:
Major Programs:
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Minor and Certificate Programs:
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Graduate Programs:
Communication Sciences and Disorders, Education, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Business Administration, Healthcare Leadership, Nursing, and Pre-medical Post-Baccalaureate
[edit] Campus Ministry
Rockhurst University's Campus Ministry offers many oppurtunities for students and staff to live out the school's Catholic, Jesuit tradition. They offer daily mass in the Mabee Chapel every weekday at Noon, as well as a student mass every Sunday night at 6:00 at St. Francis Xavier Parish. Campus Ministry also offers RCIA to any interested students.
Campus Minsitry runs several different retreat programs during the academic year. The Frosh Getaway, offered annually on a September weekend, is an oppurtunity for freshmen, led by sophomore leaders, to get to know their new classmates and to adjust to college life with a fun stress-free weekend. The Retreat on the Rock is designed as a college adaptation of Kairos-style retreats, an great oppurtunity to grow closer to God and His love. The Fifth Week Retreat is intended as a follow-up to Kairos, Search, TEC, Retreat on the Rock, or similar style retreats, offering ample time for personal reflection and group discussion. The Busy Persons Retreat, offered annually in the spring, is an oppurtunity for spiritual guidance and reflection within the context and schedule demands of daily college life. The SuperNatural Christian's retreat is a six-day backpacking retreat in upper Michigan's Sylvania Wilderness Tract.
Christian Life Communities (CLC's) are student-led faith-sharing and reflection groups that meet for an hour each week as small groups. Unity, a gay-straight alliance that meets weekly for prayer, support and service, is open to students of all faith traditions and sexual orientations. VOICES for JUSTICE is a student-led social justice group that explores the justice implications of Christianity and raises awareness of social justice issues on campus and beyond. People for People is a group of students exploring issues relating to the respect for life.
The Campus Ministry Center (CMC) is a house located just off-campus across Rockhurst Road from Conway Hall. Christian Life Communities, VOICES for JUSTICE, Unity, Students for Life all hold their meetings in the CMC and Campus Minsitry offers several social activities in the CMC during the school year.
[edit] Athletics
Rockhurst University is home to the Hawks, the university's athletic program. After a generation in the NAIA, Rockhurst University joined NCAA Division II in 1999, as a founder of the Heartland Conference. It is a popular joke around campus that the Rockhurst University football team has remained undefeated since 1949 (since the team has not existed since then).
Rockhurst has eleven varsity athletic teams, including men's and women's basketball, soccer, golf, and tennis, men's baseball, women's softball, and women's volleyball. The school also offers three club sports: lacrosse, rugby, and the Spirit Squad, composed of the Dance Team and the co-ed cheerleading squad.
[edit] Student Activities
Rockhurst students participate in many diverse activities throughout the school year both on campus and within the wider community. Some general campus organizations include:
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Rockhurst has several academic honorary societies (membership by invitation only):
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Rockhurst's Greek life consists of four fraternities and four sororities (totaling over 30% of the undergraduate population):
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Fraternities
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Sororities
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[edit] Notable Alumni
- Tom Dempsey, a restauranteur, current Republican State Representative, and Majority Floor Leader of the Missouri House of Representatives
- Scott and Kathleen Hummel '86, co-founders of the non-for-profit Our Little Haven organization in St. Louis, MO, a home for children born to parents with drug addictions
- Mark Lamping, B.A., President of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team
- Walter Ong, S.J., B.A. '33 -- world-renowned philosopher
- Joseph P. Teasdale, former Governor of Missouri
- Joseph J. Urusemal '76, President of the Federated States of Micronesia
- George Wendt, B.A. -- actor best known for his portrayal of "Norm" on the sitcom Cheers
- Harry Wiggins, longest-serving Missouri State Senator
[edit] External links
- University website
- Historical highlights
- Undergraduate Admissions
- GLVC Communication
- The Rockhurst Sentinel student newspaper
Categories: Great Lakes Valley Conference | Educational institutions established in 1910 | Jesuit universities and colleges in the United States | Roman Catholic universities and colleges in the United States | Jesuit education | Rockhurst University | Kansas City metropolitan area | Universities and colleges in Missouri
