Professor of Mathematics and Department Chair Dik Mehmet, Ph.D.,

Completed two book proposal reviews, including:

“Topics in Modern Summability Theory and Sequence Spaces,” CRC Press, by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC,   September 2019

“Functional Analysis and Summability,” CRC Press, by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC,   January 2020

Completed two book reviews, including:

“After the Crash: Understanding the Social, Economic, and Technological Consequences of the 2008 Crisis” December 2019

“For All Practical Purposes: Mathematical Literacy in Today’s World,” November 2019

Dr. Mehmet served as Editorial Review Board and Scientific Committee member for a number of journals and conferences internationally, while also serving as the President of Rockford Chapter–Sigma Xi The Scientific Research Society this past year.

Additionally, he refereed six research papers for international journals, including:

Creative Mathematics and Informatics, Positivity, Boletim da Sociedade Paranaense de Matemática, Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications, and Arabian Journal of Mathematics

• “An alternative proof of a Tauberian theorem for the weighted mean summability of integrals over $\mathbf{R}_{+}$,” submitted to Creative Mathematics and Informatics, October 2019
• “Tauberian theorems for statistically $(C,1,1)$ summable double sequences,”  MR3993564, Positivity 23 (2019), no. 4, 891–919. 40A35 (40E05 40G05), October 2019
• “On the logarithmic summability (L,1) of integrals on [1,∞),” submitted to Boletim da Sociedade Paranaense de Matemática, November 2019
• “Some Tauberian theorems for (C,1,1) summability method by regularly generated double integrals,” submitted to Boletim da Sociedade Paranaense de Matematica, January 2020
• “On various new concepts of statistical convergence for sequences of random variables via deferred Cesàro mean,” submitted to Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications, January 2020
• “Statistical Tauberian Theorems for  Cesaro Integrability Mean Based on Post Quantum Calculus,” submitted to Arabian Journal of Mathematics, January 2020

Assistant Professor of Spanish Marilén Loyola, Ph.D., was selected this spring to present the ‘Last Lecture’. Though this event was canceled due to COVID-19, Professor Loyola’s presentation will take place during the fall semester. The Last Lecture is part of the Spring Forum Series at the University and provides an opportunity for students to nominate a member of the faculty to deliver his or her ‘last lecture’ as the University nears the end of its academic year.

Professor of Philosophy and Department Chair Matt Flamm, Ph.D., along with Associate Professor of English and Department Chair Bill Gahan, Ph.D., Stephanie Quinn Ph.D., Associate Professor of Classical Studies, and former Rockford University Professor of Spanish John Burns, Ph.D., will be publishing a book in September of 2020. The book will be focused on their interdisciplinary project “The Quarrel Between Poetry and Philosophy”.

Associate Professor of English and Department Chair Bill Gahan, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Education Gina Braun, Ph.D., published in three separate journals including; The International Electronic Journal for Elementary Education, Special Education Research Policy and Practice, and Developing Teacher Leaders in Special Education: An Administrator’s Guide to Building Inclusive Schools. Dr. Braun also spent the last year presenting at annual conferences in Portland, Oregon and New Orleans, Louisiana.

Congratulations to Deepshikha Shukla, Ph.D., program chair and associate professor of Physics;  Global Faculty Fellow, past president, Illinois Section of American Association of Physics Teachers; who was recently awarded a Sigma Xi Diversity Chapter Grant ($1000). Due to her fine work, the Rockford University Chapter will receive money to pilot a project to improve literacy in marginalized populations in collaboration with the Jane Addams Center for Civic Engagement. The project looks to work with students in grades 3–5 in Rockford. Activities will include STEM workshops, guided literacy, and visits by community leaders and/or role models.”

Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics Business & Accounting Orhan Erdem, Ph.D., gave a presentation to the Rockford Rotary this past January where he highlighted several outstanding cases about the global economies and mentioned ties of several social and economic developments to the 2008 financial crisis. In addition to his talk, Orhan also published his book titled After the Crash: Understanding the Social, Economic and Technological Consequences of the 2008 Crisis with Palgrave Macmillan. His book goes into detail about the consequences of the 2008 financial crisis, which brought epochal changes to many people’s lives.

Librarian and Archivist Joanna Mladic ’13, MLIS, MSc, received and completed a grant from the Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board (ISHRAB) in February 2019. Her task was to reorganize the minutes of faculty and trustee meetings for archival storage and eventual digitization. In the process, she also created a finding tool for each collection, which acts as an index and description of the archived materials. These tools are available in the Archives section of the Howard Colman Library’s webpage at www.rockford.edu.

Associate Professor of Kinesiology and Department Chair Tammy Schiek ’87 presented “Give Me a Break: Integrating Activity into the Classroom” at the Raising Student Achievement Conference in December 2019. Her talk was on the subject of incorporating physical activities into traditional learning environments to supplement class instruction and improve student focus.

Professor’s Schiek’s presentation came less than a week after her and her colleagues’ successful efforts to change the Physical Education Department to the Department of Kinesiology. This change took place on December 4, 2019. The new, department structure broadens the scope of the curriculum and now reflects the University’s interdisciplinary approach to movement education.

COVID-19 has changed everything. Teachers needed to deliver teaching and learning online, healthcare workers face unprecedented changes and challenges in caring for their patients, and small business owners are reinventing their business models to prevent closure. During the past several months, Rockford University alumni have proven their dedication to their professions. Though their avenues of service may vary, the Regents Heroes highlighted below share a passion for service and a desire to make a positive impact on the individuals they serve. We proudly recognize these alumni who are making an effort to help others in these unprecedented conditions.

Katie Hart ’18: Registered Nurse, Port Charlotte, Fla.

Katie Hart ’18, a Registered Nurse at Fawcett Memorial Hospital in Florida, exemplifies how nurses are more than just essential workers during this crisis.

“We get the opportunity to help people get their lives back, but it is important to remember that when you are entrusted with the care of a patient, they are someone’s family member,” said Hart. “There is a good chance that this is a scary time for the family and patient. Sometimes our job is being their support system, looking at a hundred pictures of their pets or grandchildren, or even just giving them a hug.”

On the hardest of days, Katie finds it helpful to remind herself why she got into nursing in the first place. “There are days where you have to rely on knowing you got into this profession to change lives and let the patients change yours as well,” she added.

Erin (Filak) Stoffregen ’11: Small Business Owner, Loves Park, Ill.

Small business owner, Erin Stoffregen ’11, found herself facing the same hardships that many small business owners are experiencing when her traditional business model providing flowers, linen, and décor for special events was rendered inoperable in the midst of stay-at-home orders. She is overcoming the challenges by continuing to find new ways to service her customers while building and maintaining strong community partnerships.

Erin said that being a part of the business program at Rockford University helped her reason through problems and make projections for real-world situations, ensuring that her business stays the course and continues growing post-pandemic.

 “It’s comforting and helpful to be able to continue conversations and virtual meetings with industry peers both as emotional support and as a sounding board during these times of difficult business decisions,” said Stoffregen. “Be prepared, do your homework, and plan as much as possible, but then trust your best decision-making to lead you. While there may be periodic decisions that don’t pan out as planned, in the long run, you will succeed with a strong work ethic and logical reasoning behind your instincts.”

Christopher Morrison ’97: Operations Manager, Poplar Grove, Ill.

Christopher Morrison ’97, an operations manager at Hickory Springs, is experiencing this pandemic from a unique perspective. Working in a manufacturing company has presented unexpected positives, such as access to personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gowns and face masks.

“My company is evolving into this new niche, and I am excited to help meet this need,” Morrison said. He added that previous experiences working in food manufacturing translated well to implementing sanitation processes in his work environment.

“Teaching effective hand-washing, cleaning the machine controls at the end of the shift, wiping down doorknobs at specific intervals, and installing hand sanitizer stations all became standard protocol,” he said.

Christopher retained life coaches in recent years, and he credits that work with helping him prepare for the situations we face today.

“Ironically, the resources I invested in that effort helped me prepare for the pandemic,” he said. “Reaching out with kind words, or acts, listening to people’s stories, and assuring them that this will pass has helped. I’m blessed to be a part of helping people with this healing process.”

Christine Wilson ’15: Advanced Practice Nurse, Spring Grove, Ill.

As an advanced practice nurse at the Women’s Healthcare Group of Illinois, Christine Wilson ’15 is experiencing the COVID-19 crisis on the front lines.

“During times of crisis, I find it helpful to talk things through with friends, co-workers, or family,” she said. “It helps me lay out all the facts and prioritize my needs, my family’s needs, and the needs of my community.”

Wilson came to Rockford as a freshman with dreams of becoming a nurse, knowing that smaller class sizes and a reputation for producing outstanding nurses would suit her well. Looking back, Christine notes that her time at the University primed her for what she is dealing with now.

“The rotations throughout the many health systems in Rockford, along with the sense of community you feel on a small campus, helped me realize that even in small communities, there are major differences from patient to patient,” Wilson said, adding, “being able to recognize this has helped me better understand people in treating their individual needs”.

Jacqueline (Marks) Porchia ’96: K-12 Education, Clarksville, Tenn.

As the spouse of an active-duty U.S. Army soldier, Jacqueline Porchia ’96, credits her Rockford University education for helping her continue to grow her career during several changes of station (PCS) moves.

“My education aided in my ability to face many challenges and helped me learn to be resilient during life and employment changes,” said Porchia.

Those same life lessons have also prepared Jacqueline to face the challenges brought on by a global pandemic. Working in K-12 Education at Clarksville-Montgomery County School System, Jacqueline is proud of her school district and the services they continue to provide, including delivering meals to students. During these times, she reminds students to continue cherishing each moment.

“I continue to reflect on tools and strategies I learned at RU,” she said. “They have proven beneficial throughout my life and career path.”

In addition, Porchia shares that her family support, belief in God, connection to co-workers and friends, and her church family are helping her remain grounded and connected.

Greetings from Rockford University! The English expression “May you live in interesting times” certainly applies to living through 2020. Over the last few months, we have weathered a storm that we didn’t see coming. But as a liberal arts institution that values the development of critical thinking and transferable skills that help one respond to unforeseen challenges and opportunities, we were prepared. When I share the importance of the liberal arts with incoming students and parents, I use this simple definition of the liberal arts: exposure to a set of subjects that provide the essential knowledge needed to be an active participant in civil life. I then pivot to the fact that we now live in what some are calling the knowledge age – a period after the information age where data was key. In the knowledge age, facts and figures are widely available and the key is to take that information and create new knowledge that will help us deal with whatever comes our way.

I am deeply appreciative of the work that our faculty and staff did between March and May to pivot our operations in order to serve students and maintain business continuity. With just ten days’ notice, our faculty completely transformed their course delivery from in-person to remote learning. As they made decisions individually and collectively throughout that time, the student experience was the focus. At the same time, most of our staff transitioned to remote work, which was new to most of them. Because we had a few students who needed to remain on campus, our residence life staff, safety and security personnel, food service and maintenance workers, and a few others were here each day to keep the campus running.

One of the interesting things that has come out of this time has been learning new ways to communicate with one another. For example, since travel was limited, we hosted a number of alumni gatherings over Zoom. More than 300 alumni engaged with us – and one another – during these events.  I held a few Zoom meetings with alumni and friends as well; it was not the same as sitting in a restaurant or living room together, but we had good conversations nonetheless. I suspect that we will continue to utilize this meeting method long after we are able to travel freely again.

In this edition of the Catalyst, you will see many examples of how our campus community pivoted and responded well to a challenging set of circumstances. You’ll also meet some of our Regent Heroes, alumni who are on the front lines of this crisis. I trust that you will enjoy reading about the work of Rockford University alumni, faculty, and staff as we collectively responded to COVID-19. 

Rockford University has time and again proven itself resilient over the last 173 years in the face of a variety of threats, challenges, and opportunities. Just as those before us did, we are working to remain nimble, resourceful, and adaptive.

Eric W. Fulcomer

President