As communicated on Friday, June 11, 2021, Illinois has moved to Phase 5 of the Restore Illinois plan, which has lifted many of the previous Covid-19 restrictions. As such, effective today, Tuesday, June 15, 2021, Rockford University will be moving to the following guidelines: 

• If you are vaccinated, you will no longer be required to wear a mask or practice social distancing while inside or outside of our campus buildings. By not wearing a mask, you are certifying that you are fully vaccinated.
• If you are not vaccinated, you must continue to wear a mask and practice social distancing inside our campus buildings. Outside, you do not need to wear a mask unless you are unable to social distance.
• Normal capacity will resume for events held inside and outside of campus buildings.

We will be reviewing and updating these restrictions again in mid-July prior to the start of the academic year. In the meantime, we encourage all members of the Rockford University community to get vaccinated. We do ask that students who are fully vaccinated email healthcenter@rockford.edu to find out the best way to add a copy of your vaccine card to your medical chart at Lang Wellness Center. Employees should email mdiventi@rockford.edu. This information will be kept in your confidential file and will only be used for contact tracing purposes. 

If you are sick, test positive for Covid-19, or are a close contact of someone with symptoms of or positive for Covid-19, email healthcenter@rockford.edu (students) or mdiventi@rockford.edu (employees). Any questions can also be directed to these email addresses. 

Thank you,

Rockford University Covid-19 Committee Chairs

Michael Perry, Ph.D.                           Dr. Randy Worden                                    Monique DiVenti
Provost & Vice President for             Vice President for Student Life               Assistant Vice President of
Academic Affairs                                  Title IX Coordinator                                 Human Resources
Associate Professor of English

Updated March 18, 2021 to reflect the CDC Options to Reduce Quarantine recently adopted by the Winnebago County Health Department.

Please read through this for some clarification to the process that Lang is taking for Covid-19.

Teleparticipation – Lang will email the faculty of a student that is in need of teleparticipation.  Lang will not share that a specific person has tested positive.  Covid positive, presumed positive and close contact students all require the same teleparticipation need.  Lang is able to keep some confidentiality with this standard.  If a student is sick to the point of not being able to teleparticipate, faculty will be notified of that, as Lang has always done when a student presents to the Wellness Center too ill to attend class. 

Lang Process:  When a student presents to Lang with symptoms of Covid-19 the following will occur:

1. Instruct the student to stay home
2. Conduct interview for contact tracing (to identify brief and close contacts) and cleaning purposes
3. Educate the student on the next steps: isolation, testing needs, transportation needs to get tested, notifying faculty, notifying employer, etc. depending on the student’s situation
4. Contact close contacts to inform them of need to stay home
5. Conduct interviews of close contacts for contact tracing and cleaning purposes
6. Educate the close contacts on the next steps: quarantine, testing needs, transportation needs to get tested, notifying faculty, notifying employer, etc. depending on the student’s situation
7. Notify Residence Life, Facilities, and Dining Services of appropriate needs
8. Notify faculty of student need to teleparticipate
9. Notify Academic Affairs if classes need to receive a brief contact letter

Please be aware that the interview process can take a long time and hopefully the student has done as instructed and contacted the faculty.  Students may contact faculty before Lang is able to.

Some students will not notify Lang of any issues, but will start with their professor, coach, or supervisor.  Please let us know when you hear from a student if you have not heard from Lang. 

Some students have chronic health issues that have symptoms that are similar to COVID-19. These students are advised to stay home that day, assessed to determine if their symptoms are consistent with their chronic health issue and then are re-assessed the following day for resolution of symptoms. If symptoms do not follow the normal pattern the student would be referred for testing and the process above would be initiated. If the symptoms have resolved and have followed the normal pattern, the student is cleared to return to class.

Return to Class:

1. Lang will be communicating with the student throughout isolation/quarantine for updates. The isolation timeframe for Covid-19 is 10 days. The quarantine timeframe is currently 7-10 days.  There may be situations that are longer or shorter.
2. Once cleared to return to in-person classes, an email will be sent to faculty indicating this.

Some students are not able to return to campus immediately upon being cleared.  If we know the student has a planned return to residence hall date, we will communicate that.

Contact Tracing – A form is used to walk the person through areas of campus and group affiliations to identify contacts.

Brief Contact Letters– If a person tests positive, a brief contact letter will be sent to the in-person classes and other individuals that have been identified by the positive person as brief contacts.  The letter we are sending out was provided to us by the Winnebago County Health Department and we have tailored it to fit our needs.  The nature of a brief contact is such that providing the day and time of exposure is not necessary.  The letter simply indicates that a person should pay attention to symptoms.  We are already expecting everyone at RU to be doing this.

Close Contact Phone Calls – We will call individuals who are identified as close contacts. 

When a symptomatic or positive person is unsure if someone would be a close or brief contact, we call the contact to discuss the nature of the contact.  

Quarantine is for people who are not sick, but may have been exposed to a sick person.

Isolation is for people who are already sick.

People may have to quarantine due to being a close contact of someone with symptoms.  If the symptomatic person’s test is negative for Covid, then the quarantine is ended for the contacts as it ended up not being necessary.  If the symptomatic person’s test comes back positive, the close contacts have to quarantine for 7-10 days from their exposure.  We will be in contact with the close contacts to give instructions on what steps they need to take.

Campus Clear App – Faculty and staff are encouraged to also use the Campus Clear app to monitor symptoms daily.  This is a free app that guides you through a symptom checklist for COVID-19. As part of the Rockford University Community Expectations, every member of Rockford University is to check for symptoms before leaving home for class or work. 

Here are the links to download the app:

• Apple AppStore: https://apps.apple.com/app/campusclear/id1516163872
• Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.campusclear
• Web app: https://web.ivy.ai/app/campusclear

Community membership at Rockford University means that we all have a responsibility to take steps to stay well and protect
each other on-campus and in the larger community. We represent Rockford University through our actions both on and off
campus. It is the responsibility of each community member to adhere to these expectations to protect our campus and
surrounding community. We also recognize that we must all support our most vulnerable community members, especially
those whose health and well-being may be affected by COVID-19.

As a member of the Rockford University community, I recognize my responsibility for keeping myself and our community safe
and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. I commit to following Rockford University health and safety guidelines to help
prevent the transmission of COVID-19 and other infections. As a member of the Rockford University community, I agree to:

Protect Myself

• Monitor for the symptoms of COVID-19 through daily symptom and temperature checks, following-up
  with medical attention as necessary by contacting Lang Wellness. More information on symptoms is available from
  the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html
• Wash my hands often with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds with warm water.
• Use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol when it is available. Hand sanitizer stations have been installed in
  campus buildings.
• Consider getting vaccinated for Covid-19 as it becomes available. This can be done at https://www.wchd.org/covid.

Protect Others

• Maintain appropriate social distancing both indoors and outdoors (6 feet).
• Wear an effective face mask, covering both the nose and mouth, when on campus (indoors and outdoors) is required.
  Exceptions noted below:
  • Residents in their rooms with no guests present.
  • Employees alone in their offices.
  • Athletes participating in authorized team activities/events.
• Students: Stay home if I feel ill or after exposure to someone who is ill or has tested positive for COVID-19, notify the
  Lang Wellness Center of my situation, and make arrangements through Lang Wellness Center for tele-participation in
  classes.
• Employees: Stay home if I feel ill or after exposure to someone who is ill or has tested positive for COVID-19, notify
  HR or my supervisor of my situation, make health care plans as necessary.
• Avoid sharing commonly used supplies with others.
• Be positive, attentive, and helpful to anyone who may need support.

Protect Our Community

• Greet without shaking hands.
• Respect personal space and practice six-foot physical distancing.
• Practice good hygiene.
• Disinfect my living/working space and personal items regularly.
• Work to mitigate the spread of germs on frequently touched surfaces and objects.
• Follow Rockford University policies related to campus guests, facilities usage, and social distancing.

Rockford University expects all members of our community to adhere to these expectations both on-and off-campus.
Students who do not adhere to these expectations may be in violation of the Code of Student Conduct and subject to conduct
review. Faculty and staff who do not adhere to these expectations may be in violation of Rockford University’s employee
policies and subject to review through the Office of Human Resources.

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding COVID-19, please feel free to reach out to the staff in the Lang Wellness Center at 815-226-4083 or at healthcenter@rockford.edu. 

Issued 1/13/21

Glen Moss didn’t study education at Rockford University, but he made the lessons he learned here come to life for students over a 32-year teaching career.

Take, for instance, the Japanese brush painting class he took. That became a hands-on cultural activity for his social studies students. Then there was his work at the school’s radio station: Years later, Glen would set up a ham radio in his classroom for students to speak with people in the countries they were studying.

“I was able to incorporate all of those subject areas because of my liberal arts degree,” said Glen, a 1970 graduate. “I really feel that by not studying education, I was more prepared to teach.”

Glen grew up in the Chicago suburbs and chose Rockford University for its smaller class sizes. He remembers when the school was surrounded by farm fields, with nothing between it and OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center.

Once he started at Rockford University, Glen remembers being impressed with the sheer diversity he found at that small school.

“There were people from other countries and also local people,” he recalled. “You were immersed with and learning from these people and you didn’t even realize it at the time.”

That point was driven home when Glen and other RU students gathered for a five-day event in 1965 celebrating Black culture. At a time of heightened racial tensions, the festival celebrated contributions from Black artists and innovators in a most unlikely place: a small, rural, Midwestern college.

“It had authors, chemists, entertainers – some of the biggest names were there,” Glen remembered. “At the time, Rockford University only had 400 students, so it was definitely something you would always remember.”

Thanks to the Accelerated Adult program at Rockford University’s PURI School of Business, Patrick Murphy broke through the ceiling to advance his career.

Patrick was a tool and die maker by trade but had been promoted into management after years at Chrysler. However, he couldn’t move up a pay grade without a college education.

“I had been promoted so far up the chain that I couldn’t be promoted any more without a degree,” he said.

So, after Rockford University attended a college fair at Chrysler, Patrick knew exactly what he needed to do.

“I didn’t want an online university,” he remembered. “I wanted to be able to go and learn from my peers and my professors. I learned from all these other industries and different people. To me, that was the biggest benefit – being face to face.”

In 2017, halfway through his bachelor’s degree, Patrick left Chrysler for a higher-level job as an operations manager at Rockford’s Accuride. It came with a pay increase, but there was a caveat: The job offer was contingent on Patrick finishing his degree.

Patrick decided to do more than that. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 2019, Patrick moved on to the Master of Business Administration program.

“Rockford University made it seamless to move toward an MBA,” Patrick said. “I don’t think I could have done it anywhere else. “Dr. Mull and her staff at Rockford University’s PURI School of Business understand work/life balance. They understand what we are trying to do.”

With two college-aged kids and a high schooler at home, Patrick realizes that he is setting an example for his children. With the shutdown of classes last spring, he says their living room was very busy with students doing their schoolwork.

But the effort has proven to be well worth it.

“Once I get my bachelor’s and my MBA, my formal education will be done,” Patrick said. “If I don’t get a job in the future, it won’t be because I don’t have the degree.”

Dear students, faculty, and staff:

I have this reoccurring dream where I am driving on a highway and enter a turn too fast.  I start to lose control of the car and go off the road.  It is often open grass, a field, or a large open ditch.  I wake up before I hit anything.  I am having it more often as of late. 

It is not too hard to interpret.  Life moves fast and before we know it we are forced to pivot but momentum makes it difficult to change course.  Sometimes that momentum is shear force.  Kinetic energy.  Other times that momentum is years of behavior and stagnancy that we have come to see as normal and inevitable.  And other times the curve ahead of us is simply and completely unexpected. 

Whatever the case, 2020 has provided its share, one might even say plethora (if this word does not make you smile, you need to go right home and watch The Three Amigos), of unexpected turns.  And one unexpected turn that is quite welcome is that we have made it to midterms and are still on campus!

Realizing that milestone, in just the last two days I sat down with both faculty leadership and student leadership to check in.  To hear their stories.  In both cases, the level of stress and concern was palpable. Students and faculty alike stressed over what feels like double the work for same result.  They expressed concern as to how the semester will play out and what to expect for the spring.  

And here is the thing: there is no way of knowing.  It is very likely that we may get to the point of finally feeling as though all is moving along only to look up and once again see a fast approaching curve that we feel unprepared to navigate.  There is simply no way to get around that reality. 

But here is another thing: we are here.  In school.  In session.  Teaching.  Learning.  We are at the midpoint.  And the opportunity exists for all of us to look inward, readjust, and continue to navigate those turns as best we can, as well as learn from those previous turns that had us scrambling, hearts racing, waiting for a paved and familiar road on which to return. 

And I imagine such navigation will go better if we are direct with one-another.  If we not only consider but also inquire directly as to one-another’s perspectives and positions.  I imagine that we will be better served by seeking solutions and working together rather than giving in to the very understandable yet unproductive path of complaining and worrying about what we cannot control.  The turns will come, at times unannounced.  And we may have to simply accept that we will be driving a bit out of control in a ditch or field prior to finding the road once again.

We jumped into last half of last spring with nary a week’s notice.  We had summer to prepare for this fall – yet consider that we were preparing for something completely unknown and unpredictable.  We did some things well.  Some things not so well.  Let us learn so we can do better the second half of this semester.  Let us learn so we can do even better in the spring.  But this only happens if we are direct and present and respectful with one-another.

So turn on your video feed when on Zoom if feasible.  Increase personal interaction when possible.  Continue to spread grace to one-another.  Move beyond the temptation to simply decry how difficult it all is – rather, work with one-another to remind ourselves that while the difficulty will not end, while the challenges will not cease to arise, that we are fortunate to not only have one-another, but we are also fortunate to be here. 

And unlike so many in our country, in our city, and even in our families, we are working.  We are attending school.  We are learning.  We are living.  And that is a beautiful thing.  Just recall that retaining and nourishing beautiful things often includes difficulty, uncertainty, and hard work.   And all three of those traits are better done together. 

Peace.  Best.  Smile.  Later.  Sincerely.  Live Long and Prosper.  (or really any sign-off of your choice),

Provost Perry

Increases in Undergraduate, Freshman Class, and  Advanced Education Degrees

ROCKFORD, Ill. (October 6, 2020) – Rockford University, the region’s leading private four-year institution, today shared the results of its 2020-21 enrollment, noting significant year-over-year growth and some of the largest enrollment numbers in more than three decades. The highest-growth enrollment areas for Rockford University this academic year are the freshman class, total undergraduates, and Master of Arts in Teaching and Master of Education programs.

First-Year Class Enrollment

The size of the freshman class increased 39 percent over last year, from 152 students to 212. This year’s first-year class marks the largest group of students in at least 30 years.

“We were gratified by the significant growth in new students coming to Rockford right out of high school this fall,” said Dr. Eric Fulcomer, President, Rockford University. “In the midst of a global pandemic, we saw increases in students from our region while also continuing to enroll students from across the country and around the world. It seems that word is getting out about the excellent education that our students receive, coupled with the success of our graduates.”

Full-Time Undergraduate Enrollment

This fall, Rockford University has 924 full-time undergraduate students, a 10 percent increase year-over-year. This matched enrollment figures from 2016, which was the largest number of full-time undergraduate students since 1994.

“The uncertainty caused by the pandemic has resulted in many students reevaluating careers paths and determining that now is an ideal time to pursue a higher education. While certainly good for Rockford University, it also bodes well for our region. The growing number of full-time undergraduate students enrolled is an encouraging predictor for the region’s overall educational attainment level,” said Michael Quinn, Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management. “As importantly, our returning students recognize the excellent faculty at Rockford University, and the retention of our students underscore the confidence in the high level of education in a safe environment.”

Advanced Education Degrees

Rockford University also saw significant year-over-year increase in its advanced education degrees. The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program had a 36 percent enrollment increase over 2019, and the Master of Education degree (M.Ed.) degree increased by 53 percent over last year.

“The demand for educators remains high nationally, and Rockford University is the region’s premier source of professional educators. Whether earning an initial teaching license or additional endorsements in high needs subjects like special education and bilingual education, students are choosing Rockford University’s bachelor’s and master’s degree programs because of their strength in outcomes,” said Kimberlee Wagner, Ed.D., Chair, Department of Education, “Additionally, partnerships with RPS 205 and the Belvidere School District encourage and support professional advancement for area teachers.”

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 is a U.S. News & World Report Best Midwest Regional University, Rockford University currently serves approximately 1,250 full-and part-time students.

For more information: Bridget Jennison, Rockford University, 312-213-6242/bjennison@rockford.edu; or Rebecca Epperson/Emily Hartzog, Chartwell Agency, 815.282.9976/RU@chartwell-agency.com.

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