Rockhurst University
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about Rockhurst University. For Rockhurst High School, see Rockhurst High School.
- This article is about Rockhurst University. For the Rockhurst mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, see Rockhurst (Rhode Island).
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| Motto | Sapientia Aedificavit Sibi Domum (Wisdom has built herself a home) |
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| 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. Soon a new Health and Wellness Complex will 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. Across the street from campus is St. Francis Xavier Church, a Jesuit parish church, used by the university for student masses every Sunday evening.
[edit] Academics
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] 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] Notable Alumni
- Tom Dempsey, a restauranteur, current Republican U.S. Representative, and Majority Floor Leader of the 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
- 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
