Campus News

Media Contact: Rita Elliott, Director of Communications – 815.226.3374

Rockford, Ill. — The Rockford University fall 2015 Forum Series began Friday, August 21 with the annual President’s Opening Convocation. The series will span a wide variety of topics and interests. All events are open to the public and with the exception of theatre events, are offered at no charge. All lectures and performances will take place on the Rockford University campus, 5050 East State Street, Rockford. Tickets are required for all events and can be obtained by contacting the Rockford University Box Office at 815-226-4100 or boxoffice@rockford.edu. For more information about an individual event visit www.rockford.edu/artslectures/forum.

‌‌Rock Solid Success Seminar
Mike Singletary
Tuesday, September 15
7 p.m., Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center

The Office of Student Success and Retention presents the first Rock Solid Success Seminar with former NFL coach and Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Mike Singletary. Mike will be speaking about how his vision and intense determination helped him to overcome his harsh early life and gain professional and personal success. The Rock Solid Success Seminar is designed to provide motivation and encouragement to all students as they pursue graduation from RU.

‌Connect2Peace: Make Gentle the Life of this World
Panel discussion led by President Robert L. Head
Wednesday, September 16
7 p.m., Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center

President Robert L. Head, Ph.D., will host and facilitate a panel discussion on race relations issues and how we, as a community, walk the line between justice, protest and violence. Panel participants include; Hester Bass, author of Seeds of Freedom, the Peaceful Integration of Huntsville Alabama; Reverend Joseph Darby, presiding elder of the Beaufort District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church; Michael Perry, Ph.D., associate professor of English at Rockford University and John McNamara, senior development officer for the University and former Mayor of Rockford (1981-1989).

‌“A Government of Laws and Men: Gender and the Constitution”
Constitution Day Speaker Judith Baer, Ph.D.
Thursday, September 17
4 p.m., Fisher Memorial Chapel

Dr. Baer is a professor of political science at Texas A&M University. A specialist in public law and feminist jurisprudence, Professor Baer is the author of several books and articles. Constitution Day is the anniversary date of the adjournment of the Federal Convention which composed the Constitution of the United States during the summer of 1787. Since 2005, American colleges and universities have been required, by act of Congress, to commemorate that event in some thematically related public way.

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International Day of Peace
United States Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera
Monday, September 21
7 p.m., Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center

Juan Felipe Herrera is the 21st Poet Laureate of the United States and is the first Latino to hold the position. From 2012-2014, he was the California State Poet Laureate. Herrera’s many collections of poetry include Senegal Taxi; Half of the World in Light: New and Selected Poems, which received the PEN/Beyond Margins Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. He received the Americas Award for his novel Crashboomlove: A Novel in Verse. He has also written several poetry books for children. Along with being a poet, he is a performance artist and activist on behalf of migrant and indigenous communities and at-risk youth.

“Seesaw”
Thursday, Oct. 1 – Sunday, Oct. 4
7:30 p.m., Thurs.-Sat.; 2:00 p.m., Sun.
Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center

Based on the William Gibson play Two for the Seesaw, the plot focuses on a brief affair between Jerry Ryan, a young lawyer from Nebraska, and Gittel Mosca, a kooky, streetwise dancer from the Bronx.

“Inside the Tune: Why Do Songs Have Bridges?”
Franklin Bruno, Ph.D.
Thursday, October 29
7 p.m., Fisher Memorial Chapel

Dr. Bruno is a philosopher and award-winning music critic whose writing has appeared in The Nation, Slate, and The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism. He is also a musician who has released 16 albums of original songs and performed at venues through the U.S. In this lecture and musical demonstration, Dr. Bruno explores the history and role of “the bridge” as an element of song form, and how its prevalence in genres from 1930s jazz and 1960s rock to recent chart hits distinguishes the American popular song from other musical forms.

“Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men”
Michael Kimmel, Ph.D.
Tuesday, November 3
7 p.m., Fisher Memorial Chapel

In 1950, most Americans had completed the transition from adolescence to adulthood by age 21 or so. Today, it’s more likely to be by age 30. It’s a new stage of development, and Kimmel is our tour guide in this presentation based on his best-selling book, Guyland. Based on interviews with more than 400 young people across the country, Kimmel offers a glimpse of why so many guys are adrift through their 20s, and offers a road map towards a more conscious adulthood.

Autism Spectrum Disorder & Education in Indonesia
Robert L. Osgood, Ph.D.
Tuesday, November 10
4 p.m., Fisher Memorial Chapel

Dr. Osgood is currently Professor and Chair of Teacher Education at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin. He has also held faculty positions at Colgate University, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), and Muskingum University. His primary research area is the history of the origins and development of special education in the public schools of the United States since the early 19th century. He is the author of three books: For “Children Who Vary from the Normal Type”: Special Education in Boston 1838-1930; The History of Inclusion in the United States; and The History of Special Education: A Struggle for Equality in American Public Schools.

3^rd Annual Sport Management Symposium
Tuesday, December 1
6-8 p.m., Regents Hall

Speakers from various areas in the field of sport and recreation management will be on hand to answer questions pertaining to careers in sport management and to share their tips for success. This event is organized by members of Professor Jason Hunter’s Senior Seminar class. A full list of participants is TBD.

About the Rockford University Forum Series:
Each semester, the Rockford University Forum Series presents speakers from a variety of disciplines and performers of stature in the arts. The series is designed to deepen and broaden students’ education at Rockford University. All full-time undergraduate students are required to attend a minimum of two Forum Series events each semester. The series has hosted many notable presenters like Oscar Arias, the Tibetan Lamas of Drepung Loseling monastery, Benazir Bhutto, the Kremlin Chamber Orchestra, Naomi Tutu, and Twyla Tharpe.