Campus News

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.