The Rockhurst University Board of Trustees has selected Sandra Cassady, Ph.D., to become the 15th president of Rockhurst University, effective July 1, 2022. Cassady will make history as the first female and first lay president of Rockhurst, which is a Catholic, Jesuit university founded in 1910 by the Society of Jesus, a religious order of Roman Catholic priests known as...

You don’t need an astrophysicist father to understand the cosmos. But it doesn’t hurt. Keith Brandt, Ph.D., professor of mathematics, and John C. Brandt, Ph.D., a retired astronomer, are the authors of an upcoming article in the AMATYC Educator titled “Andromeda’s Distance: An Activity in Exponential and Logarithmic Functions,” which explores the relatively simple mathematical principles that in 1923 allowed...

They met through a mutual connection, hit it off, a first date on a hay ride on a crisp fall night. It seems like one of those “happily ever after” stories. Eventually, though, Tony LaRusso, ’02, and Kristin (Suter) LaRusso, ’03, went their separate ways, Tony said. But it wasn’t the end of their story. Twenty-one years later, they said,...

Last Thursday, during a virtual panel discussion about Black-owned businesses in Kansas City, guests and members of the Black Student Union were subjected to racist hate speech and obscene images from individuals who hijacked the event. In the aftermath of that intentional disruption, one of a number scheduled by BSU in recognition of Black History Month , organizers say they...

Rockhurst University conferred degrees to approximately 200 students during its December commencement ceremony Dec. 11, 2021, in Mason-Halpin Fieldhouse. Students Berkley Hays and Nancy Miller delivered remarks on behalf of undergraduate and graduate students, respectively. The following students received degrees: Nadifo Abdi Hawo Abukar Joseph Alvey LaToya Anderson Louis Angles Tyler Arthur Katie Baer Gabi Bagunu Kali Bailey Alexander Baldwin...

From the frenzy of the fans to the unpredictable weather to busted brackets, playoff football can be exhilarating. Many in Kansas City now know the feeling well as fans. But as a member of the officiating crew for the recent College Football Playoff semifinal game between the University of Georgia and the University of Michigan on New Years Eve, Chris...

There’s a phrase used in Costa Rica that means pure life: “Pura Vida.” It can mean hello and good-bye, much like “Aloha” in Hawai’i, but it also means being centered in mind, body and spirit. The phrase meant so much to new Rockhurst University professor and frequent Costa Rica visitor Missy Ling that she had it tattooed on her inner wrist years ago. Every year Ling traveled to Costa Rica to live “Pura Vida,” but inevitably and understandably returned to her corporate job and reality in Kansas City. She was a Chief Financial Officer in her later days in the business world, so she’d cover up her Pura Vida tattoo with a Band-Aid so it wouldn’t be seen in the boardroom.

Rockhurst University has announced the dean’s list for the fall 2021 semester. This honor recognizes students who have achieved a grade-point average of 3.5 or above. The following students earned a place on the list: Ashley Abbott Yasmeen Abutineh Aracely Acuna Trejo Courtney Adams Lauryn Adams Nate Adamson Peyton Aerni Oscar Ahumada Erica Akins Mehdi Al-Amood Shereen Al-Saoudi Balem Alamerew...

As most student-athletes can tell you, teamwork is just that — work. But it’s also rewarding. That’s been the case for members of Rockhurst University’s men’s basketball team this year as they’ve continued a yearslong effort to foster relationships with third through sixth grade students at nearby Troost Elementary School. From helping them with their schoolwork to having impromptu arm...