READY.ROCK SOLIDT H E C A M PA I G N F O R

R O C K F O R D U N I V E R S I T Y

T H E C A M P A I G N F O R R O C K F O R D U N I V E R S I T Y

We are rock solid. Rockford University delivers an education grounded in the liberal arts, providing students

with the best possible foundation for a broad range of lives, careers, and meaningful

citizenship; it’s been that way since 1847.

Over the past several years, with strong core support, we have completed the hard

work, demonstrated our enduring value, and are now taking strategic steps to

strengthen our position.

Looking ahead, we aspire to be a beacon for this region and beyond as an

institution that is increasingly nimble, adaptive, and accessible.

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Now we need you to believe in and invest in our future. Through participation

in Rock Solid & Ready: The Campaign for Rockford University, you will

help launch an era of progress. You will see just how much your leadership

support will enhance our campus environment and the student experience.

We are rock solid and we are ready. Join us.

Investing in Students Exciting changes are already under way.

As prelude to this campaign, we leveraged internal resources to complete two essential

facility renovations that will positively impact student recruitment and retention.

By spring 2015, Burpee Center will regain its original footprint as a vibrant center for

student life. Seaver Physical Education

Center will sport new bleachers, and the pool area will be transformed into

a hard-surface space for intramural competition, athletic team practice,

and classroom activities.

But we can’t stop there. We must maintain our momentum.

We are ready. 03

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First PlaceBiology professor Troy Skwor loves to mentor students

in his lab while they conduct research. “We’re studying photodynamic therapies, using light to battle organisms

like E. coli and MRSA,” he says. Over the past three years, nine of his students have earned awards at research conferences, including Brianna Schardt

’14, who captured two first-place ribbons. “Dr. Skwor has helped me grow, pushing me to extend

my knowledge,” she says. Schardt is now active in her pursuit of a career in optometry.

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. . .TO compete.By providing modern centers for learning, both in and out of the classroom,

we will rise above the rest, serve our students’ needs, and continue to attract

the best and brightest students and faculty.

Enhanced classrooms and lecture halls in Starr Science Center, along with

the acquisition of select scientific instrumentation, will advance learning

for all students, particularly those in the College of Science, Mathematics,

and Nursing.

In addition, constructing an Athletic and Event Center adjacent to the Seaver

Physical Education Center is essential. It will support general student fitness

and intramural competition, provide classroom space for our burgeoning

Physical Education and Sports Management programs, and serve as a much

needed year-round training facility for our student-athletes.

Shaping Modern Facilities$7.2 million

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Opening Doors

“Studying abroad in Spain was an incredibly amazing experience,” says Carla Ramirez ’15.

“I grew as a person and as a student.” She credits Spanish professor Dr. John Burns with encouraging her to take the

leap. “Opportunities like study abroad are transforming for students,” Burns says.

“The biggest barrier is often institutional support—so many issues come into play. A Student Opportunity Fund will open doors

for more students.”

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A hallmark of Rockford University is our focus on

individual relationships: faculty members working

one-on-one with students to craft opportunities

for high-impact learning, or students reaching out

on their own to make a difference. Our campaign

will create both endowed and expendable funds to

support these student-centered opportunities.

A university is only as strong as the value and

reputation of its academic programs. Through this

campaign we will also work to secure leadership

contributions that will create transformational

programmatic and capital advances for our academic

disciplines. In this way, we will support and honor the

outstanding work of our faculty while deepening our

commitment to student learning.

enhancing the student experience $6.1 Million

. . .TOcreate.

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Giving Back “As a Jane Addams Fellow, I completed 120 hours of

community service,” explains Mayra Rodriguez ’16. “Volunteering was a great way to open doors, open

my eyes, and get involved.”

“Rockford University prepares students to step out and change the world,” says Professor Mary Weaks-Baxter, faculty coordinator of the Community-Based Learning Program. “Our work stems from a legacy

of service. Today, 50 percent of our students complete at least one course of study that

includes a community-based learning element.”

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. . .TO commit.For more than 167 years, our alumni have made their mark. Supported with rich academic opportunities,

practical experiences, and global perspectives, our students have always left Rockford University with the

knowledge, values, and skills to inform their lives and change the world.

The University is also a key contributor to the local economy. According to a study conducted by Economic

Modeling Specialists Inc., Rockford University, through direct and indirect stimuli, generates a $118 million

impact on the region’s economy each year; it’s a mutually beneficial relationship.

That’s why, as part of our campaign, we can’t lose sight of the Charter

Fund, the University’s annual fund. The Charter Fund helps fuel everything

that is essential to the Rockford University experience—from teaching to

technology to scholarships.

Bolstering the Charter Fund will create a stronger University. A stronger

University, in turn, will strengthen the region and the world.

Providing for Current Needs$4 Million

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. . .TO ASK.

Message from the Campaign ChairRockford University has a compelling story that

sets it apart. As a University trustee and lifelong Rockford resident, I have great optimism for both

our University and our region and am confident that our graduates will provide the leadership

needed for the future. This optimism fuels my energy to fully realize the campaign objectives.

I hope that you are similarly inclined, that you see yourself reflected in the aspirations of this campaign and, to put it simply, that

you contribute generously. It is a noble and worthy endeavor to advance our mission

while nurturing the kinds of thoughtful and productive citizen-leaders that our region,

and our country, need most.

James W. Keeling, Esq.Campaign Chair

There’s a buzz on campus. The renovations of the Burpee and Seaver Centers

signal the start of a new era. The timing is right. Rock Solid & Ready: The Campaign for Rockford University will extend our positive momentum,

with strategic projects that strengthen the student experience and advance a

culture of success.

We are rock solid and ready, reaching out to you, alumni and friends of this

remarkable university, asking for your support.

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Message from the President

As President of Rockford University, I am ever mindful

of my guardian-duty to protect our institution’s rich

legacy, while advancing its future.

We live that legacy through the accomplishments of

our alumni, whose lives are well chronicled and have

been enriched through their experience as students.

To them we are eternally grateful.

However, it is the present and the future that most

occupy my mind. I hold dear my responsibility to

make clear a path for our current students to

follow their dreams. And, it is you who can help

make those dreams a reality.

We have created a solid foundation on

which to build. Our enrollments are

growing in a time when others are not. Our

support, both emotional and financial, is

approaching a zenith.

Your generosity, delivered now to this

campaign, will help Rockford University

remain vital and relevant as a force in

higher education. I humbly seek your

support and gratefully acknowledge

your commitment.

Robert L. Head, Ph.D.

President

READY.ROCK SOLIDT H E C A M PA I G N F O R

R O C K F O R D U N I V E R S I T Y

T H E C A M P A I G N F O R R O C K F O R D U N I V E R S I T Y

Shaping Modern Facilities $7.2 million

ATHLETIC and Event Center $6 millionScience Center Modernizations $1.2 million

Enhancing the Student Experience $6.1 million

Student Opportunity Fund (endowed) $1 millionStudent Opportunity Fund (expendable) $1 million

Academic Program Enhancements $4.1 million

Providing for Ongoing Needs $4 million

Charter Fund

BACK COVER

Office of Development5050 East State Street

Rockford, IL 61108815-226-3371

ready@rockford.edurockford.edu