Campus News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 5, 2024

Rockford, IL – Rockford University is proud to announce the formal dedication of the “Zelenka Family Esports Center,” a state-of-the-art facility made possible by the generosity of the Janet Zelenka Family. This groundbreaking addition to campus solidifies the university’s commitment to fostering innovation, student engagement, and forward-thinking initiatives.

Esports is no longer a niche activity; it is a billion-dollar global industry transforming the landscape of entertainment, technology, and education. Competitive gaming has become an integral part of student culture across the country, and Rockford University is seizing the opportunity to embrace this dynamic trend.

“By investing in Esports, we are preparing our students for a growing market, fostering their success, and ensuring our university remains competitive in an ever-changing educational landscape,” said President Patricia Lynott. “This facility positions us as a leader in this space, attracting a new demographic of students who are passionate about gaming and eager to find a community where they can thrive.”

The Zelenka Family Esports Center boasts cutting-edge gaming equipment, dedicated spaces for training and competitions, and resources designed to support students’ academic and extracurricular pursuits. It is a hub for collaboration, creativity, and community, offering a unique space for students to excel both in and out of the virtual arena.

Ribbon-Cutting Event Highlights

The dedication ceremony, held on Tuesday. December 3rd, marked a historic moment for the university. The event featured a ribbon-cutting led by Janet Zelenka alongside university leaders and students. Attendees toured the impressive facility and met with members of the Esports team.

The Zelenka Family Esports Center is now officially open, welcoming students, faculty, and community members to experience firsthand the exciting potential of Esports at Rockford University.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Rockford University Marketing and Communications

communications@rockford.edu

Photos of the center and the dedication ceremony can be found here. 

About Rockford University
Rockford University, formerly Rockford College, is a four-year, co-educational institution founded in 1847 offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in traditional liberal arts and professional fields. The undergraduate program offers approximately 80 majors, minors and concentrations, including three 100% online majors through the RU Online program. Five master’s degrees are offered through the graduate program, including: Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Master of Education (M.Ed.), Master of Arts in Sport Management & Leadership (MASM), and Masters of Science in Exercise Physiology (MSEP).

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. Rockford University is proud to hold the prestigious Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement, an elective classification that highlights our dedication to meaningful and impactful partnerships within our local and regional communities. 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 1,200 full- and part-time students.

By Kayla Eddy, Social Media & Web Coordinator 

In the Fall 2023 semester, the Regents Esports Overwatch team won the conference championships, prevailing over Camden County College. In addition to their conference win, they finished the season undefeated (8-0).

In response to this exciting win, Tanner Elliott, Esports Director, said, “The Regents Esports team fought hard this semester with all three teams qualifying for playoffs. Each player put countless hours of time and dedication into their season and it showed, coming out on top over schools like Illinois State, John Brown University, North Dakota State, Nebraska University, and many others. The Regents Rainbow Six Siege team finished in the top 16 in the Midwest after playing in the MidwestR6 league, the Regents Valorant team placed third overall in their conference (East 7), and the season ended with a conference title win as the Regents Overwatch team finished a flawless season (8-0) and took home the East 10 Conference title. I could not be more proud of the players; watching each of them grow into champions has been the highlight of my semester.”

Conference wins were not the only big things happening in the Esports department. Early in the Spring 2024 semester, Regents Esports teamed up with Elgin High School Esports to release Game Changer: An Esports Story. In the social media video, students from Elgin and RU answered the question: “Why Esports?”

Aside from a place to share their passion for video games, the Esports teams at RU and Elgin said that Esports helps students learn about teamwork and digital literacy, allows them to push boundaries, and helps them build strong communities and friendships. 

The team has also announced the availability of Esports scholarships for both players and fans. Scholarships are available in two areas: Varsity Competition and Support. Competition scholarships are for students who would like to play Overwatch, Valorant, Rainbow 6 Siege, and Rocket League competitively. Support scholarships are for students who would like to assist with social media, production, shout-casting, and graphic design. 

So, what’s next for Regents Esports? 

“Rockford University Esports is on the way to becoming a premier destination for college students with aspirations to be a Collegiate Esports Player,” said Tanner Elliot. “We are developing a program that we can be proud of, where athletes can be excited and motivated to compete, and where athletes can thrive academically and in competition. We are hoping to continue to grow our program, bring in new players, and show Rockford off.”

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

By Sara Myers-Hogshead, Digital Media & Communications Specialist

The Rockford University Regents First program, which specifically supports first-generation college students, introduced its first pilot summer internship program at the beginning of the summer.

The seven student interns currently work as summer camp leaders/counselors at Patriots Gateway Center, located at 615 S. 5th St. in Rockford. Camp started June 20 and ends Friday, Aug. 18. Six of the seven students are studying education, and one is a nursing student. Julissa Gutierrez and Jennifer Pina are rising juniors at RU, while the rest of the students are rising sophomores.

The interns lead kindergarten through 8th graders, in a combination of group activities with topics in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM).

To prepare for the summer internship, the Rockford University students participated in a  pre-internship program. They attended multiple seminars, including financial literacy, professionalism, and leadership seminars.

“We’ve spent our time investing in them prior to their arrival at the internship site,” said Dr. Karen Walker, RU Dean of Academic Support, Center for Learning Strategies. “They have learned about the professionalism that we want them to embrace and embody, and we’ve talked about the characteristics of effective leaders. And now that they’re at the internship site, we don’t just drop them off and walk away, we’re still there. We’re checking on them and checking in with their supervisors.”

RF Interns Julissa Gutierrez and Mya Barrett—both studying education —  spoke about how their summer internship is going and what they have learned.

“We get to do so many different types of activities with them,” Barrett said. “Last time I was there, we were doing math. But I like how they’re integrating the learning component into it and getting the kids to be able to do fun summer activity stuff.”

Barrett is majoring in Biology with a minor in Secondary Education, with endorsements in English as a Second Language (ESL) and Spanish.

Gutierrez is majoring in Elementary Education and minoring in Bilingual Education and Special Education.

“It’s been a very busy summer. I’m really enjoying it,” Gutierrez said. “I think I learn something new every time I go into Patriots. The kids are learning from me and I’m learning from them. It’s been a great growing experience I’d say.”

Another added benefit to the summer internship program is that it’s a paid internship. Barrett said that this definitely was helpful to her but thinks she would still volunteer at Patriots over the summer, but only once a week while she works at AMC Movie Theater.

“I definitely might not have been as able to just because it’s a full-time role,” Gutierrez said on the internship being paid. “I have been working with children and that was the goal. Last year, I did Discovery Center (as a paid job) for the summer, but I definitely know for me it helped a lot that it was paid, and I think that is definitely incentivizing.”

The seven RF students who participated included: Julissa Gutierrez, Mya Barrett, Arwen Johnson, Ana Contreras, Kiarra Myrick, Nicole Facer, and Jennifer Pina. 

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