By Sara Myers-Hogshead, Digital Media & Communications Specialist 

Rockford University MBA (Master of Business Administration) Alumnus Quentin Hernandez came to the U.S. to get his bachelor’s degree first in 2018.

Hernandez was recruited to attend RU by a former basketball coach. The opportunity was very appealing to him because, in his home country of France, he could not attend college and play basketball simultaneously. Hernandez studied Computer Science Management with a minor in Business Administration 

“I really got to experience the honeymoon phase when I first came in 2018,” he said. “Everything is amazing, you love the food and it’s a dream coming true. A few months later, you get to notice the differences and you get to see that it’s not as perfect as you wish it was.”

He adds that he was able to make great friends and get lots of support through this time. He ended up sticking it out, and realizing that there are a lot of differences but that they aren’t good or bad, he said. 

After graduating with his bachelor’s in fall 2021, Hernandez returned home to France and worked briefly with Airbus Helicopter as a data analyst. In the fall of 2022, he returned to RU to get his MBA in Finance.

“I came back for my master’s for multiple reasons. I was working in France after graduating with my bachelor’s degree. I moved back and found a job. I wanted to get a master’s degree, and I liked my experience of moving to a new country. I got the chance when I was contacted by the Office of Global Affairs. RU offered me a graduate assistantship.”

When Hernandez came back to RU to get his MBA, he learned about the complex admission process for international students as he worked alongside Executive Director of Global Affairs Maria Diemer, Associate Director of Global Affairs Julie Griffith, Coordinator of Global Affairs/ English as a Second Language Maggie Kasicki and more. 

“Global Affairs was an amazing experience,” he said. “First of all, it’s an amazing team. Maria Diemer is a great leader, and working with Maggie, Julie, and Fred was amazing. It was an amazing thing to go to every day. It was a positive office where things were getting done and we were all helping each other out.”

One of the most memorable events for Hernandez that he helped put together was Saudi National Day. He said it was great to see Saudi students getting more involved after the COVID-19 crisis, and he loved getting to dress in traditional Saudi Arabian clothes with his friends from Saudi Arabia and the whole Global Affairs office. 

During his time studying for his MBA, Hernandez had a great time getting to know his professors like Dr. Luis Romero, Chair of the PURI School of Business, Associate Professor of Economics, Business, and Accounting; and Director of the MBA Program; and Professor of Economics, Business & Accounting, and Ludwig Von Mises Chair of Economics, Masoud Moallem. 

“I feel like we have such diversity among the teachers that you can more or less connect with all of them as long as you’re interested in what they teach,” he said. 

Hernandez’s favorite class was the MBA capstone class, the final class he took to get his MBA. 

“It was a group project and I got to have amazing people on my team, who were all from different backgrounds,” he said. “One person had experience teaching in college when he worked as an accountant. Another was an international student like me.”

His favorite moment at RU was when he graduated alongside his MBA classmates. For Hernandez, walking on the stage to receive his diploma was the final check in the box for him. Hernandez’s family came to Rockford from overseas to see him graduate which meant a lot for him, he said.

“I was working within our Office of Global Affairs, doing a good job, getting my MBA with a 4.0,” he said. “I had expected myself to accomplish all these things. Doing it with my close family and friends was something I cherish forever.”

Hernandez now works as a Data Governance Manager at Airbus Helicopter in Grand Prairie, Texas.

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This article is part of the 2023-2024 issue of Catalyst. 

by Sara Myers-Hogshead, Digital Media & Communications Specialist 

Rockford-born and raised graphic design graduate Geniss Scharnweber ‘24 was described by some as a “nontraditional student.”

Scharnweber did not decide to attend college until she was in her late 30s. She said she married young and had four children during her 20s.

Before attending Rock Valley College for her associate’s degree, Scharnweber worked as a chef for 8 years. During that time she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, psoriatic arthritis. She could not work long hours on her feet anymore and went to study at RVC.

She graduated with her associate’s in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She spent the next year and a half homeschooling her children. She realized during that time that she wanted to continue her education and pursue a bachelor’s degree. 

“I realized that I need to be able to do something more than just work in an office,” she said. “I looked at the opportunities around us, and RU was such a good fit, and it’s a great university.”

During her time at RU, she discovered she enjoys working with ink and can usually be found working on ink painting, printmaking, or sewing. During our interview, Scharnweber motioned to her purse, which had an original design she created on it. She adds that she enjoys multimedia projects and figuring out ways to make her art “useful.”

She also said she has not had a professor she did not love. Scharnweber has thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Bethany Twitty’s Abnormal Sociology, and art history classes taught by Dr. Jennifer Langworthy.

“Professor (Christopher) Sisson taught me so much about just hierarchy and how to lay my stuff out,” she said. “I had all the tools and ways to use them, but now he’s teaching me to make it the best can with those tools. Professor (Dave) Menard is just great all the time; he’s hilarious. I love them; it’s been a really good experience.” a half homeschooling her children. She realized during that time that she wanted to continue her education and pursue a bachelor’s degree.

Scharnweber does not yet have a plan for after graduation but she is hoping to find a remote job so she can work from home in a setup she’s comfortable in. Scharnweber graduated in May 2024 as a MacLeish Scholar with a BFA in Studio Art and Graphic Design.

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This article is part of the 2023-2024 issue of Catalyst. 

by Kayla Eddy, Social Media & Web Coordinator

On Saturday, April 28th, the Rockford University Performing Arts Department and Friends of the Performing Arts (FOPA) hosted

A Celebration of 41 Years of Costume Design. The fashion show honored former RU professor and designer, Jeff Hendry, showcasing 41 of the costumes he designed for shows on campus and beyond.

The show also served as a fundraiser for the performing arts trip to Scotland in which students performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August. While FOPA set a goal of $5,000 for the event, the Rockford community came together and raised $7,500!

Notable models included Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara, State Representative Dave Vella, and State Senator Steve Stadelman, who walked the runway alongside students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members! 

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This article is part of the 2023-2024 issue of Catalyst. 

By Sara Myers-Hogshead, Digital Media & Communications Specialist 

Some may say that Ari Norris was born to be an artist, having been raised by two artists. Norris’ parents taught art classes at Muskegon Community College in Muskegon, Michigan, where he grew up. 

However, Norris differentiates from his parents regarding medium. His parents are painters, whereas Norris found his love of sculpting during his first year at Muskegon Community College. 

That’s where Norris took a class on the history of the Civil War, which included a field trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

“I just thought it was a trip to Gettysburg for a weekend,” Norris said. “I just thought it was a great way to see something new. I met Gary there, and I wrote (to) him later. That was just an attempt at finding an opportunity.”

Gary Casteel is a nationally recognized sculptor and the last living artist to produce a monument in the Gettysburg National Military Park. Casteel presented his sculpture of General James Longstreet during Norris’ class trip. 

Norris was inspired by Casteel’s work and wrote to him to ask if he needed an apprentice. Casteel agreed, and Norris spent two summers in Pennsylvania working with him. Toward the end of his second summer, Norris started to work on his sculpture “The Doris Rucks Memorial Sculpture,” located at Muskegon Community College.

“He instructed me through it and showed me not just the sculpting process but also how to invoice a client, and manage those tasks as a 21-year-old.”

Norris’ piece was sculpted in clay during the summer of 2017 and dedicated in 2018 once the bronze cast was done. 

He met Professor Frank Trankina at a portfolio review day at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. That interaction convinced him to attend Northern Illinois University. In 2018, he transferred to NIU in DeKalb, where he received a BFA in sculpture and an MA in metalwork, jewelry design, and digital fabrication. 

Once he graduated with his master’s, Norris became an artist-in-residence for 18 months at the Art Casting of Illinois, Inc. in Oregon, Illinois. He used the foundry to cast his sculptures. 

It was in August 2022, when he had a conversation with a friend who was leaving their job as Art Gallery Director at Rockford University. Norris’ friend asked him if he would be interested in the job. It was part-time, which was perfect for Norris as he wanted to spend the rest of his time working on another sculpture of his that would eventually become “Band Together” at Rowan Park in Muskegon Heights, Michigan. 

Norris took the job and has been Art Gallery Director at RU ever since. As the director, his main job is to curate shows. He searches for two artists that work well together and asks the artists around 6 to 12 months in advance if they would be interested, and if they say yes, that gives them enough time to start planning. Norris will often travel and meet artists in their studios. Sometimes he will book solo shows for just one artist. 

For example, a recent show by artist Esau McGhee examined the 10 years after he completed his MFA at Northwestern University in 2013. The retrospective survey show was called: “Long Time No See (Exhibit A).” 

When he’s not working on his duties as gallery director or working on his art, Norris has recently started teaching drawing classes at RU.

“I’m really glad I got my MA from NIU, otherwise, I would not be able to do that,” he said. “It’s been a blast learning, and learning through teaching.”

Norris’ last sculpture, “Band Together,” took about 22 months to complete. He worked out of his parents’ studio in Muskegon to create the piece. 

“The studio was my parents’ studio, but they don’t work on that scale anymore,” he said. “They made a series of collaborative paintings for about 15 years that are in the 12-foot range. I just started moving more things (in the studio). As long as I was getting commissions (they said) they can justify holding on to it for me.”

He adds that most of his sculpture work has been commissioned by Michigan groups, so it made sense to keep his “statue studio.”

When it comes to balancing his artwork and working as a gallery director, Norris is still trying to achieve that balance.

“Gary always stressed the idea of rotating in threes,” he said. “You have one piece at a Foundry being made, one piece that you’re sculpting, and back at the studio, the third piece is in the works. I just haven’t gotten to that rotation yet. Right now after this large piece (has been completed), I can enjoy a little bit of a breather.”

You can see all of Norris’ work on his two websites: arinorris.us and norrisstatues.com.

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This article is part of the 2023-2024 issue of Catalyst. 

by Sara Myers-Hogshead, Digital Media & Communications Specialist 

For alumna Lisa Blakeley-Snyder (‘17), traveling far from home was not in the cards for college. She did not want to go too far from Rockford, her home since middle school. She looked at schools in Wisconsin and near Chicago, but she also knew she wanted to continue playing softball.

It was her Winnebago High School softball coach, Annie Getschel, who told her about Rockford University, where Getschel was coaching softball at the time. 

“She didn’t persuade me by any means, but it had the best financial aid package of any of the schools that I toured,” Blakeley-Snyder said. “Which was important because throughout my time at the university, I never took out any student loans and I just paid as I was going.”

Blakeley-Snyder received her B.S. in psychology and a minor in business from RU in 2017. She said that earlier in life, she wanted to “change the world” and help people, so she originally planned to pursue a career in counseling or social work. 

Some of her favorite classes at RU were taught by Dr. Joel Lynch in the Psychology Department. In those classes, she realized she could help people be happier in their careers if she worked in the human resources (HR) realm and decided to pursue a minor in business.

Though she did not live on campus, she made sure to be involved during her undergrad years. One of Blakeley-Snyder’s good friends was an RA (Resident Advisor) who hosted many dorm events that Blakeley-Snyder would attend and help coordinate. 

“One of my favorite ones was when she had a luau-themed spring event,” she said. “I helped her set up the punch bowl. Then we made sure to decorate a little gathering space in the dorm room with Hawaiian decorations, and we had our Hawaiian shirts on.”

She also participated in intramurals, like basketball and dodgeball, and attended student life events like Casino Night and Bingo. In addition, she played on the softball team while she pursued her bachelor’s degree. 

She decided to further her education and received her Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 2020. During that time she worked in the RU’s Office of Admissions and coached softball. Blakeley-Snyder had multiple roles in the admissions office including Undergraduate Admissions Office Aide, Adult & Graduate Admission Specialist, and Adult & Graduate Admission Recruiter. 

She left RU in 2020 to pursue a career at Road Ranger where she still works today.

At Road Ranger, she started as an HR representative. She had known for a while that she wanted to get into the HR field, but she was having trouble finding a company that would hire her due to her lack of HR experience. She explained that Road Ranger was the company that gave her a chance.

Blakeley-Snyder soon moved into a recruiting manager role. She knew that with her recruiting background, it would be something that she could excel in.

“One of my favorite parts of my job is I have a lot of autonomy and I make a lot of important decisions for the company. I’m interested in doing that, and I travel almost once a month.”

She’s been able to meet and train people for in-person, entry-level jobs like a cashier for one of the local truck stops. She adds that her MBA program helped her grow confidence in herself for the position she’s in now.

“The MBA program helped me—not that I was super reserved— but it helped get me more elevated and out of my comfort zone,” she said. “To the point where I said, ‘We’re a bulk-hiring group, I have no problem doing group presentations in front of 40 people or directing different big top items, including partnering with people in a much higher position, and then also knowing my voice has a reason.’”

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This article is part of the 2023-2024 issue of Catalyst. 

By Sara Myers-Hogshead, Digital Media & Communications Specialist 

David M. Koch always tells his friends and anyone curious that he didn’t mean to end up in the restaurant business, he found himself there by accident. Koch obtained an accounting degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1970 and later in 1986, received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Rockford University. 

By 1992, he became CFO at the plastic manufacturing company the Nordic Group in Baraboo, Wisconsin. He was there for 10 years and through that position got to know a man named Craig Culver. Craig Culver started the now-popular restaurant Culver’s in Wisconsin. 

Culver is from Sauk City, the town next door to Baraboo. Culver and Koch became friends and Koch watched as Culver’s restaurant became successful. In 1999, Koch thought starting a Culvers store in the Rockford area would be a good investment.

“I did not intend to go into the restaurant business,” Koch said. “My oldest son (David K. Koch) started the store that was on Harrison Avenue. That was in 1999. We started the business. We built the second one and the third one. Pretty soon it’s this business that’s arrived and it’s growing.”

The investment was a big success. Koch and his son own the Culvers in Rockford and Roscoe, one in Lombard, Illinois. He’s currently working on building four more Culvers in Sarasota, Florida, and Parish, Florida. In total, there will be 10 Culvers stores that the Kochs own.

Around nine years ago, he purchased Mary’s Market in Rockford. Koch had known the previous owners from doing shows and events together like the Rockford Airfest that previously happened at the Chicago Rockford International Airport. When the previous owners wanted to sell the restaurant, they immediately thought of the Koch family.

Koch also owns a small tool manufacturing company in Rockford called TECm. 

“Being a CPA, I do the business,” Koch said. “We have a little corporate headquarters on 4343 State Street next to Mary’s (Market) there. I have a small group of professionals there who really do all of the staff work there. We have 500 employees when you look at all the locations combined and they do the payroll for 500 employees every two weeks.”

Koch, who now lives in Sarasota with his wife (also an RU grad), adds that both of his sons, David and Aaron, are his business partners and managers who update him constantly on the day-to-day aspects of the stores. 

“I’ll be honest with you, I don’t work that many hours anymore,” he said. “I just am involved in the key decisions. Then I still get a paycheck. The second thing is, I’m building a business to pass along to the family.” 

Koch said he’s fortunate to have a good brand like Culvers that has done well. 

“I learned from Craig Culver along the way and he started the same way, his family was always in the restaurant business,” Koch said. “He had an idea. It really didn’t go well at first, the first couple of stores just kind of bumped along. The key to business success is persistence. Now, he’s got 900 stores.”

Koch adds that his family tries to bring good products to our customers with both brands, Culvers and Mary’s Market.

“I think it’s true of anybody whatever opportunities become available to you, analyze those and take advantage,” he said. 

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This article is part of the 2023-2024 issue of Catalyst. 

Rockford, Ill. (Sept. 4, 2024)– The students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Rockford University — the region’s leading private four-year institution — will spend Wednesday, September 11, 2024, giving back to the Rockford community during its annual Day of Service.

In celebration of Rockford University’s most famous alumna, Jane Addams — and her September birthday — the campus is joining as a community to celebrate her legacy and our institutional commitment to her values. 

“Jane Addams Day of Service recognizes the birthday and the enduring legacy of Addams and her commitment to working for the common good,” said Mary Weaks-Baxter, Ph.D., Director of the Jane Addams Center for Civic Engagement at Rockford University. “Our hope is that this Day of Service can be an opportunity for us to consider ways we can reach out to communities in need and recognize how community engagement and activism can unite us in the common goal of working for the betterment of our society and world.”  

The 2024 Day of Service will benefit local organizations, including Burpee Natural Museum of History, Discovery Center, Rockford Rescue Mission, Beyer Stadium, Midway Village, and more. 

Students, faculty, and staff will also participate in on-campus projects to spruce up Scarborough Hall, create care bags for the Amberwood Nursing Home in Starr Science Center, and help renovate the Colman Library. 

Local media is invited to attend the event starting at 8:30 a.m. The volunteers, students, staff, and faculty will check in for the day in Lot A at Rockford University’s campus at 5050 E. State St. in Rockford. Media should meet RU Marketing/Communications at check-in.

Off-Campus Photo and B-roll Opportunity:

• Media can also go to the Discovery Center, 711 N. Main St. in Rockford from 10 to 11 a.m. to meet with RU Marketing/Communications to take b-roll, as well.

Please RSVP to the event by emailing Sara Myers at SMyers@rockford.edu or Communications@rockford.edu by 8 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11.

CONTACT:

Sara Myers-Hogshead

RU Marketing & Communications

SHogshead@rockford.edu

815.394.5052

ABOUT ROCKFORD UNIVERSITY

Rockford University is a private four-year, co-educational institution founded in 1847 offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in traditional liberal arts and professional fields. The University offers more than 80 majors, minors, and concentrations, including the bachelor’s degree completion program for a B.S. in Management Studies. Through its Graduate Studies department, degrees are extended to include the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), and Master of Education in Urban Education, (M.Ed.). 

Rockford University is home to one of only 11 Phi Beta Kappa (PBK) chapters in Illinois, the most prestigious honor society in the United States. Named by The Princeton Review as a Best Midwestern College and a U.S. News & World Report Best Midwest Regional University, Rockford University currently serves approximately 1,250 full- and part-time students.

ROCKFORD, Ill. – [Aug. 29, 2024] – Rockford University and the International Women’s Baseball Center (IWBC) are proud to partner and host the traveling Women in Baseball Exhibit called: “Chasing a Dream,” The exhibit will be on display at the Howard Colman Library at Rockford University from August to December 2024.

The exhibit was curated by longtime women’s baseball and IWBC supporter, John Kovach. The exhibit has been displayed nationwide at Major League ballparks, museums, and libraries.

The grand opening celebration of the exhibit will be held on Sept. 8, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Howard Colman Library on Rockford University’s campus. RU’s campus is located at 5050 E. State St. in Rockford, Illinois. 

“Please join us as we celebrate the history of women’s baseball and show Rockford an example of what’s in store once the IWBC museum and educational center is complete,” said Kat Williams, IWBC CEO. 

The exhibit will be open during the Howard Colman Library hours. 

The library hours are as follows:

Monday – Thursday: 8:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday: 1 – 5 p.m.

Sunday: 1 – 8 p.m.

For more information or to RSVP for the grand opening event please contact:

Sara Myers-Hogshead

RU Marketing & Communications 

SHogshead@rockford.edu

OR

Ryan Woodward

International Women’s Baseball Center 

rwoodward@iwbc.org 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

WHEN: Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, at noon.

WHERE: Maddox Theatre in Clark Arts Center at Rockford University. Rockford University is located at 5050 E. State St. in Rockford, Illinois.

WHAT: Rockford University will hold its annual President’s Opening Convocation Ceremony on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. 

Opening Convocation is a longstanding tradition at Rockford University. Initiated in 1851 (four short years after our founding), the ceremony is attended by faculty, staff, and new and returning students and is the symbolic beginning of another school year.

WHO: The ceremony will also include remarks from President Patricia Lynott, Provost Elizabeth Davies, and Board of Trustees Chair Marci Taets.

Media interested in attending the event should RSVP to communications@rockford.edu or shogshead@rockford.edu no later than 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 22. 

Contact:

Sara Myers-Hogshead

Rockford University Marketing & Communications

shogshead@rockford.edu 

815-394-5052

ROCKFORD, Ill. (July 23, 2024) – Rockford University, the region’s leading private four-year educational institution, will welcome a group of incoming freshmen students this Sunday, July 28, for the Rockford University’s Regents First Summer 2024 Retreat.

The retreat runs from Sunday, July 28 through Friday, Aug. 2. The event kicks off at 1 p.m. Sunday. Incoming freshmen students will arrive and check in on campus at the Burpee Student Center at 5050 E State St. in Rockford.

Check-in will be followed by a welcome session and introductions from the Rockford University Dean of Student Support Programming, Dr. Karen Walker, and other RU staff members.

“It’s a residential camp and students will live on campus,” Dr. Walker said about the program. “The purpose is to saturate them in the college experience and equip them for a successful launch into their college journey.”

Walker adds that throughout the week the retreat will cover many topics including time management for successful college students; effective communication strategies for successful college students; finding a job on campus; developing a growth mindset; and much more.

The Regents First program aims to recruit, support, and retain first-generation college students. 

The Regents First program takes what can be a challenging experience for anyone – enrolling in a four-year university – and boosts support for students who are working to become the first in their families to earn a bachelor’s degree. 

Individuals are paired with a peer mentor during the retreat – someone who also is a first-generation college student who can be a motivating force and help build resilience during the retreat and continuing into the first year of school. The mentors will provide weekly check-ins and study group sessions to the students.

“The mentees (incoming freshmen attending the retreat) will be able to learn about navigating through college, and time management skills,” said Mya Barrett, Regents First Mentor and incoming junior studying education at RU. “All the good nitty-gritty stuff that you need to be able to be a good, successful college student.”

The students are also paired with a designated financial aid coach, as well as a college life skills coach who will meet with them regularly throughout the academic year. Regents First participants receive a stipend to support the purchase of course materials in both semesters of their first year.

While the program is designed to ensure and increase student retention for first-generation college students at Rockford University, the ultimate goal is college completion.   

For more information or to RSVP to the event, the media can email RU Marketing/Communications at communications@rockford.edu by Friday, July 26  at 3 p.m. Media are encouraged to come out and meet the students.

Contact:

Sara Myers-Hogshead

RU Marketing & Communications

shogshead@rockford.edu

ABOUT ROCKFORD UNIVERSITY:

Rockford University is a private four-year, co-educational institution founded in 1847 offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in traditional liberal arts and professional fields. The University offers more than 80 majors, minors, and concentrations, including the bachelor’s degree completion program for a B.S. in Management Studies. 

Through its Graduate Studies department, degrees are extended to include the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), and Master of Education in Urban Education, (M.Ed.). Rockford University is home to one of only 11 Phi Beta Kappa (PBK) chapters in Illinois, the most prestigious honor society in the United States. Named by The Princeton Review as a Best Midwestern College and a U.S. News & World Report Best Midwest Regional University, Rockford University currently serves approximately 1,250 full- and part-time students.