Rockhurst News

Rockhurst University student-athletes are at the top of their conference and in the top 10 nationally among all NCAA Division II schools in a new report measuring academic success.

Almost 300 graduates earned degrees from Rockhurst University during its 105^th commencement ceremony Sunday afternoon.

The December commencement ceremony was the third since the University revived the tradition in 2020. In the historic Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland, graduates and the audience heard from two student speakers chosen from a list of nominations submitted by faculty and staff — a Rockhurst tradition.

Diego Gutierrez, DBA, assistant professor of management and marketing, is no stranger to the excitement of soccer on the big stage. The Rockhurst University graduate was a member of the Hawks soccer team during his time here, then had a long career in Major League Soccer with both the Chicago Fire and the Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting KC) and was part of the U.S. Men's National Team before becoming a soccer broadcaster with Fox Sports 1.

“Why me, oh Lord?”

It’s a question Alvin Brooks said he has asked himself at different points throughout his life — in trying times and in moments of triumph. And it was one, he said, that he found himself asking again on Friday as Rockhurst University broke ground on a faith-justice center named in his honor. It was only recently that Brooks said he got an answer to the question, coming down the escalator after receiving the 2022 Henry W. Bloch Human Relations Award with his close friend, U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II.

“Go Hawks.”

Sandra Cassady, Ph.D., closed her inaugural speech Friday with a cheer, marking her official appointment into the 15^th president of Rockhurst University.

Cassady — who assumed duties of the presidency in June following the departure of the Rev. Thomas B. Curran, S.J. — was officially installed Friday, Nov. 11, in a series of afternoon events on campus.

Andrews McMeel Universal (AMU) will launch a new award for students at Rockhurst University to execute multimedia creative projects centered around diversity, equity and inclusion in honor of John P. McMeel, co-founder of AMU.

If you are the first person in your family to go to college, congratulations!

Also, today is your day, as First-Generation College Celebration Day is celebrated nationally and will be recognized throughout the week here on the Rockhurst University campus.

This is it, folks.

This Friday, Nov. 11, Sandra Cassady, Ph.D., will be inaugurated as president of Rockhurst University in what is shaping up to be a joyous, celebratory afternoon.

Presidential transitions in higher education are usually historic moments — in Rockhurst’s 112-year history, there have only been 15 presidents (counting Cassady). But this one will have its own distinction in our history books — Cassady is the first lay person and first woman to be inaugurated as president of Rockhurst.

A member of the Rockhurst University mathematics faculty has been honored alongside other local female leaders in STEM for work that seeks to inspire a love of math in young people, particularly girls and young women.

Zdenka Guadarrama, Ph.D., professor of mathematics, received the WiSTEMM Educator STEMMy Award from women’s leadership organization Central Exchange during its 9^th annual STEMMy awards ceremony Oct. 27, recognizing her contributions to STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine) disciplines through her Mathapalooza program.

Over the next two years, Rockhurst University will expand its athletics program with the addition of seven teams. Men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field will join the Hawks lineup as varsity sports for the 2023-24 academic year.

Men’s volleyball will also be added as a varsity sport beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. The addition of the seven programs will increase the university’s total number of varsity sports to 22. The teams will compete at the NCAA Division II level and in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.