Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Five Senior Gold Medalists !!!!!

Every year Rockhurst University awards the Senior Gold Medal to the student who has had the highest GPA for four years, including the graduating semester. This year was a first: we had five, yes FIVE students who tied for the Medal by earning a cumulative GPA of 4.0. The honorees are (pictured from left to right) Andrea Therese Essner, B.A., Megan Nickels Rogge, B.S., Liam Alexander Higgins, B.A., Amanda Allyn Ross, B.S. in Business Administration, and Nicholas Andrew Schneider, B.S. Totally awesome, guys!!!

I’m particularly proud of Andrea Essner and Liam Higgins who are both Theology and Religious Studies majors. Andrea will be spending the next two years in Nicaragua as a part of the Jesuit Volunteer International Program working with children and adults who have disabilities. Then she plans to go on for a Masters in Theology. Liam will be pursuing a Masters of Theological Studies at Harvard having been awarded a full scholarship. Kudos!

Not only does a Jesuit education set high standards for academic achievement and development of the whole person, the experience at Rockhurst University empowers people to be transformed and strive to reach their fullest potential. These five gold medalists are living proof that Rockhurst provides the environment in which students can excel. Not everyone can be a gold medalist, but every student at Rockhurst is given the opportunity to be the best that they can be. Kudos to all of our graduates for having attained their goals and now following the rest of their dreams!!!

And finally, even though we had ten Theology & Religious Studies majors in all—each outstanding in his or her own way--I have to mention another Theology Major: Christopher Shaver who was the class Valedictorian. Chris graduated with a triple major: B.A. in Theology, B.S. in Mathematics, and a B.S. in Business Administration. He will teach math and theology at Regis High School in Denver as part of the Alum Service Corps.

It was an awesome class of 2009; I’ll miss them. Check Rockhurst out and become part of the awesome class of 2014!

http://www.rockhurst.edu/

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Rockhurst University Nationally Recognized

One of the goals of Rockhurst is Excellence in Education. Though not always appreciated, technology in its many forms is essential for education. Well our very own Rockhurst University Computer Services has been nationally recognized as a Laureate by the Computerworld Honors Program. For over twenty years Computerworld Honors has awarded people and institutions for using information technology to benefit society.

Well this year Rockhurst is being acknowledged for its implementation of the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure which is efficient, green, and cost effective. Computer Services will also receive this award for other green technology it has integrated. Rockhurst’s motto to “make God’s good world better,” inspired by our Jesuit ideals, can be lived out in all sectors of the university.

Kudos Computer Services for applying Jesuit social justice to technology in the classroom and campuswide! Your rock! Thanks for being part of the transformational experience and modeling our mission and vision.

For more on this Global Information Technology Award click here http://help.rockhurst.edu/node/139