Campus News

Rockford, Ill. (Sept. 11, 2023)- The students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Rockford University — the region’s leading private four-year institution — will spend Wednesday, September 13, 2023, 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 together 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 2023 Day of Service will benefit local organizations, including Noah’s Ark Animal Shelter, Kids Around the World, Miss Carly’s, the Discovery Center, Tinker Swiss Cottage, Burpee Museum of Natural History, Veterans Drop-In  Center, and more.

Students, faculty and staff will also include on-campus projects to improve Clark Arts Center, Starr Science Center, Lang Wellness Center for Health and Wellness, and Seaver Physical Education Center. 

Students, faculty, and staff will be spending the day volunteering not only on campus, but across the city of Rockford.

Photo and B-roll Opportunities:

• Students, staff and faculty will be working on projects at Clark Arts Center, Starr Science Center and Lang Wellness Center for Wellness on the RU Campus. Media can come to any of these buildings at 10 a.m. to noon to take photos and/or b-roll and chat with Weaks-Baxter about the event.
• Media can also go to Miss Carly’s, located at 1125 5th Ave. in Rockford at 10 a.m. to noon to meet with RU Marketing/Communications to take b-roll, as well.

RSVP to RU Marketing/Communications by emailing us at communications@rockford.edu by 8 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13.

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.