Rockhurst News

In keeping with Rockhurst’s Catholic, Jesuit tradition, the University is debuting its Wisdom Core Curriculum this year. The updated curriculum helps create and reflect Rockhurst’s culture, mission and identity while keeping up with a changing world.

RU students will be challenged to discover the best version of themselves while learning to inspire others. Through its instructors, the curriculum connects with the students to promote the development of their intellectual, spiritual, moral, and imaginative capacities.

It’s completely normal for a college student to see something they want and decide it’s too expensive – especially shoes. And especially Nike Air Jordans, which can run into six figures depending on what you’re looking for… unless you can make them yourself and sell them to musicians and athletes.

Luke Spencer repeatedly refused to accept defeat when pursuing his dream of being a naval officer – until a severe car accident left him no other choice. Now the Rockhurst University junior has a new dream, and he’s once again overcoming obstacles and using hard lessons learned to make that happen.

When Spencer graduated high school his sole goal was to get into a service academy to become a naval officer. This was his career goal since he was a kid, aiming to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Emma Miller, ’22, came to Rockhurst prepared to pursue an undergraduate degree on her way to medical school.

But, like many, the COVID-19 pandemic led to soul-searching about whether that was the path for her. A biology major and career in medicine, she said, might not be her calling. But, still loving science, she wondered — what is?

It’s not every day you can find a child who loves school so much they want to spend the rest of their lives in a classroom. Many count the minutes down until it’s time to leave.

Not so for Miranda Pollard and J.T. Cornelius. They knew a classroom is where they wanted to be.

When Greg Nicholas ('97, '00) and Amy Essner ('98, '01) met at Rockhurst as undergrads, little did they know how their lives would change…and how many kids’ lives around the world they’d change together.

After completing their undergraduate degrees, the two finished physical therapy school at Rockhurst and got married. They've spent a life in service ever since, though selflessness has always been a part of who they are.

“That’s why we chose RU,” Amy said. “The values we got from Rockhurst deepened that need for service.”

Don’t call it a comeback — when Caroline Campbell took over the position of director of alumni relations at Rockhurst University in May, it marked a return to more than just Jesuit education (she’s a graduate of Marquette University) — it’s also a chance to come back to an institution with which she is very familiar.

Meet the Expert

Patrick Mitchell, SHRM-SCP, ’05, ’09 MBA, is vice president for human resources, diversity, equity and inclusion at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. He is an enthusiastic people and culture leader with a passion for helping others become the very best version of themselves.

There was a unique addition to the Thomas More Dining Hall that may have caught your eye this year. Renovations to the dining hall during the summer of 2021 brought with it the introduction of a hydroponics grow room offering an alternative to soil gardening.

Hydroponic gardens produce more plants quickly with less space and less water than soil gardening. This system utilizes nutrient-rich water and recycled soda bottles as a mesh-type medium that serves as the soil alternative to support the roots of the plants in grow towers.

From performing in a film for the first time to starting a podcast from scratch to jumping at leadership opportunities, freshman Chidera Okafor has embraced what Rockhurst University has to offer.

But it could have gone another way — Okafor said she came to Rockhurst to be a nursing student after being waitlisted for medical school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She decided not to wait — instead choosing Rockhurst’s nursing program — but it has been anything but a backup plan.