This fall, students will notice some changes to the Thomas More Dining Room in Massman Hall. Emphasis on the “More.”
The campus dining hall is getting a complete remodel this summer, aimed not only at expanding the space to accommodate more diners during peak times, but to expand the available options for students, faculty and staff.
"In our time, when day by day humanity is being drawn closer together, and the ties between different peoples are becoming stronger the Church examines more closely her relationship to non-Christian religions.
Diego Gutierrez, Assistant Professor of Management and Marketing, credits his time as a student at Rockhurst for much of the success he's had in his life and career. With his son about to begin his freshman year as a Hawk, we caught up with Diego to reflect on his time at Rockhurst as the next RU journey is his family is about to being.
Rockhurst University has announced the dean’s list for the spring 2021 semester. This honor recognizes students who have achieved a grade-point average of 3.5 or above.
The following students earned a spot on the list:
Ashley Abbott
Macee Adams
Peyton Aerni
Erica Akins
Shereen Al-Saoudi
Balem Alamerew
Le'Bonet Alfaro
Alexandra Allen
Michael Allen
Heba Alsousi
Litzy Alvarado Islas
Joseph Alvey
David Anderson
Kathleen Anderson
Madelyn Anderson
Marianna Anderson
Capping an academic year unlike any other, Rockhurst University graduates were able to walk across the stage in person to receive their degrees in a commencement ceremony Friday afternoon at Children’s Mercy Park.
Last year’s ceremony was held virtually because of the pandemic, and as the masks and spaces between families at the ceremony could attest, concerns about COVID-19 haven’t disappeared completely. But the fact that there was an in-person ceremony at all is a testament to where these graduates have been and how far they’ve come.
The small gesture, moving the tassel from left to right, officially marks the passage from student to graduate.
It’s a moment that Niki Sanchez waited a long time for. Not just because she, like so many others, had worked very hard to complete her college coursework. But because she had to wait, withstand a pandemic, and travel nearly 2,500 miles to take part in it.
Sanchez has been at home in Belize City, Belize, since campus was shut down in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, completing the work for her accounting degree from afar.
While Commencement marks the finish line for many students, others have miles and miles to go.
For pre-med students at Rockhurst, they have exhausted the University’s opportunities and resources, earned a bachelor’s degree, and are off to medical school as official RU alumni.
These graduates have made their mark on RU. Now they make their mark on the world.
Hyoyoung Wells
At age 40, Hyoyoung Wells said she feels like she’s starting over.
It wasn’t easy. Coming to America from South Korea at age 20, Wells raised her two children, but otherwise felt she had little purpose or drive. She didn’t speak English, either, furthering a feeling of isolation.
It’s been quite a year for all health care professionals, and certainly in the nursing profession.
That makes this past week’s Nursing Appreciation Week, which concludes today with International Nurses Day, especially important as a way to look back and thank those who have sacrificed so much to take care of others over the past 12 months.
The class of 2020 at Rockhurst University is noteworthy for so many reasons.
For one, their commencement was the 100th in the school’s history. But to most, this group will most likely be remembered for how profoundly the COVID-19 pandemic affected their college experience, eventually causing their in-person commencement to first be postponed, then moved completely online.
