Two Rockhurst University Grads in Pursuit of One Common Goal

2011 President’s Report“Don’t look back, something might be gaining on you.” Satchel Paigeoffered this advice. Paige, who is buried just two miles from campus, wasthe first player to be inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame from the NegroLeagues. While I think there is some merit to his caution, I also believe thereis some value in “glancing in the rear view mirror” occasionally. Lookingback stirs up gratitude for what has been accomplished and experienced.It also positions one to embrace what lies ahead. So, as I look back on thepast year, here are a few things for which I am grateful:• Rockhurst’s citation by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching with its CommunityEngagement classification. This distinction is held by fewer than 10 percent of all colleges and universitiesin the United States. Rockhurst is the only institution in Kansas City to have earned this distinction.• Completing construction of a mixed-use facility on Troost Avenue. This “green project” will provide423 parking spaces as well as 12,000 square feet of commercial space. Included in this will be ahealth care clinic to provide medical treatment for our students and the surrounding community.• Providing more than 25,000 hours of community service. Service learning is an integral part of ourcurriculum and Jesuit way of proceeding. More than 80 percent of our students participate in serviceduring their Rockhurst education. In addition to the service, the process involves reflection upon theinjustices and using one’s gifts to help transform the world.• Athletic achievements, including Coach Tony Tocco’s 600th victory in men’s soccer, the men’s tennisand soccer teams reaching the Elite Eight of NCAA II National Championship, women’s basketballfinishing 13th in the nation with a team GPA of 3.51, and 162 (68 percent) of our student athletesachieving a GPA of 3.0 or higher• Working with Research College of Nursing, our partner, to design and begin construction of theBlessed Seelos Simulation Lab. It’s scheduled to open in Spring 2012.So, what’s ahead?• Preparing for our next five-year plan (2012-17), which will include the design and construction of anew academic building to replace Sedgwick Hall. This 96-year-old structure will become the centerfor our administrative and alumni efforts and then Massman Hall can become a student center.• Pursuing affirmation of our accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) ofthe North Central Association for another 10 years. Our self study will be submitted this spring inpreparation for our site visit in October 2012.As a Jesuit institution of higher learning, Rockhurst University focuses its attention upon six corevalues. In the current year, we decided to be very intentional about the value of Finding God in All Things.This involves engagement (experience), reflection and action. Simply put, we are unafraid to look backor ahead. Instead, we see all as gift. This is the essence of finding God in all things.Thank you for your support in the past. With your continued support and engagement, what liesahead promises to be just as rewarding as what we have already experienced.Sincerely,Thomas B. Curran, O.S.F.S.President18 Rockhurst u winter 2012