Rockhurst University

Rockhurst University

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Rockhurst University

Rockhurst University, entrance at Troost Avenue.

Greenlease Gallery holds the VanAckeren Collection of Religious Art and changing contemporary exhibits.

The Belltower and Pergola sit at one end of the quad in the heart of campus.

Rockhurst University is a private, coeducational Jesuit university located in Kansas City, Missouri, founded in 1910 as Rockhurst College. The school adheres to the motto etched into the stone of the campus bell tower: "Learning, Leadership, and Service in the Jesuit Tradition." 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 the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Rockhurst was ranked as number 14 in the 2007 U.S. News & World Report rankings of the Best Universities - Masters Midwest category, and Rockhurst has consistently appeared in the top fifteen universities in this category. http://www.rockhurst.edu/news/events/rankings.asp,http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t1univmas_mw_brief.php

History
Service education
Campus

Housing
Around the quad
Athletic facilities
Religious worship facilities
Community Center

Academics
Campus ministry

Retreats

Athletics
Student activities

Greek life

Notable alumni
External links

History

In 1909, Reverend Michael Dowling, S.J., the founder of Rockhurst, purchased of land at 53rd Street and Troost Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri for $50,000. 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.

Sedgwick Hall was constructed in 1914, allowing the opening of high school classes, and college classes began in 1917, all held within the same building. The first Rockhurst University students were all taught by the Rev. Alphonse Schwitalla, S.J. The first class graduated in 1921. In 1939, Rockhurst was granted accreditation by the North Central Association. In 1969 all divisions of Rockhurst became coeducational. In 1999, Rockhurst College officially changed its name to Rockhurst University. In October 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.

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 stresses a values and ethics based education with an emphasis on lifelong learning. Graduates from Rockhurst University receive two transcripts: one for academics and another for community service. 80% of all students participate in community service, and every year students complete over 25,000 hours of service to the Kansas City area and worldwide community.http://www.rockhurst.edu/services/service/index.asp Before classes even begin in the fall, the freshmen class joins together with upperclassmen and university Regents for the Finucane Service Project as part of the Orientation program. Over 550 people participated in the Finucane project last fall, logging over 1,200 hours of service in a two hour period.http://www.rockhurst.edu/services/service/finuc.asp The university sponsors numerous annual service trips within the United States, as well as in Guatemala, Belize, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador, and other developing countries.

In recognition of its dedication to community service programs, including the number of people who participate in service and the number of service-learning courses, in 2008 Rockhurst was named on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, among only 127 schools in the country and one of nine Jesuit schools to receive that honor.http://www.rockhurst.edu/news/events/servicehonor.asp

Campus

Rockhurst sits on a campus located in Kansas City's cultural district, a short distance from the popular shopping and dining center, Country Club Plaza.

Housing

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. McGee Hall houses only freshmen girls, while Corcoran Hall houses mostly freshmen boys with one floor of girls. Xavier-Loyola Hall is a co-ed dorm for mostly sophomore and junior students. The Townhouse Village houses upperclassmen students in apartment-style living, with a full kitchen, dining room, living room, and either two or three bedrooms. Upperclassmen students can also apply to live in university-owned houses on residential streets adjacent to campus, giving them the opportunity to live more independently. These houses are deemed "on-campus" and hold groups of 3 to 6 residents.

Around the quad

The main area of campus, including all classroom buildings, surrounds the quad with the monumental Rockhurst bell tower and adjacent pergola flanking one end. In 2007 the quad has been re-named the Kinerk Commons by the University, in honor of Fr. Edward Kinerk, the thirteenth President of the University. The recently-renovated Conway Hall is home to the Helzberg School of Management, the university finance office, 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 volumes of reference books and periodicals. The Science Center, built in 1996, holds the science classrooms and labs, as well as the doctoral program in Physical Therapy and master program in 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.

Athletic facilities

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 Mason-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.

Religious worship facilities

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. Within Massman Hall is the Mabee Chapel, where daily mass is held each school day, and where student devotional prayer and praise-and-worship groups meet weekly. Across the street from campus is St. Francis Xavier Church, a Jesuit parish church, used by the university for student masses every Sunday evening.

Community Center

The Rockhurst University 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. The Community Center serves as a physical link between the university and the surrounding neighborhood.

Academics

Rockhurst University offers over fifty graduate and undergraduate programs serving over 3,000 students annually.

The university includes:

College of Arts and Sciences
Helzberg School of Management

School of Graduate and Professional Studies
Research College of Nursing

Certificates:

Bachelor Degrees:

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:

Doctor of Physical Therapy

Major Programs:

Minor and Certificate Programs:

Graduate Programs:

Campus ministry

Rockhurst University's Campus Ministry offers many opportunities 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.

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, People for People all hold their meetings in the CMC, and Campus Ministry offers several social activities in the CMC during the school year.

Retreats

Campus Ministry runs several different retreat programs during the academic year. The Frosh Getaway, offered annually on a September weekend, is an opportunity 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, a great opportunity 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 opportunity 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.

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 (the year that the team was dissolved).

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 four club sports: ice hockey, lacrosse, rugby, and the Spirit Squad, composed of the Dance Team and the co-ed cheerleading squad.

There is also a strong intramurals program on campus, with many students participating in a 30-event program throughout the school year.

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: