5 minute read
Hawk Talk
A PANDEMIC YEAR-A LONG HARD LESSON IN GRIT-SHOWED PASSION AND PERSEVERENCE.
Signs of spring filled the campus on Saturday, May 8, as the graduating Hawks returned to the Pepsi Arena to celebrate four remarkable years and to launch their new journeys.
The 158th Commencement was held in two ceremonies honoring the graduating class of May 2021, which comprised 203 undergraduates and 27 recipients of master’s degrees. Family, friends, faculty, staff, and members of the board of trustees gathered to provide enthusiastic congratulations and heartfelt wishes for future success.
As QU President Brian McGee, PhD, noted in his address to the graduates, Pepsi Arena has been the setting for many defining events in the lives of students. “For generations, our Hawks have come together in this building to compete with the best athletes of other universities, but also to gather for academic programs and to enjoy one another’s company,” McGee said. Alumni across the decades know Pepsi Arena as the site of many challenging tests, both athletic and academic. “To see how far every one of us has come is breathtaking,” said student representative ZACHARY REIDER in his welcome to the afternoon ceremony. “During our journey here at QU, we discovered more about ourselves than we thought imaginable. We grew into the best version of ourselves.”
Speaking at the morning ceremony, student representative MADELINE BAUER concurred. “Quincy University will forever be our second home. We planted our roots in a new place, and it has grown into something beautiful throughout our four years,” she said. “It was no walk in the park. We were tested. We battled adversity. We have the good times and the bad to be thankful for because, without them, we would not be the strong, independent individuals we are today.
“With a new journey comes many emotions and feelings. However, it is so important to remember that we have made it this far, and these last four years have been a stepping stone for the rest of our lives.”
DR. MCGEE highlighted the distinctive accomplishments of this graduating class. “We recognize you as Quincy University’s Class of 2021, the pandemic class, the campus leaders who showed less experienced students the way to overcome adversity, to persevere, and to prevail in the face of obstacles.
“Seeking a degree at any university is a test of commitment, an endurance trial, an evaluation of just how hard you are willing to work and to sacrifice to get to this moment. Every generation of Quincy University graduates has passed these tests, but your test was different. Your test was harder. And, nevertheless, you persisted.”
Dr. McGee reflected on the combination of persistence, hard work, and vision, popularly referred to as grit. “To have grit is to be passionate about achieving a goal and willing to put in the hard work required to accomplish that goal. The person with grit also is likely to be resilient, in the sense that she or he will bounce back and learn from failure.
“Your university career, but, especially, this last pandemic year, has been a long, hard lesson in grit. And you have learned that lesson, and by your passion and perseverance, you have prevailed.
“As Chapter 5 in the Book of Romans tells us, we might ‘even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint.’
“May God bless you in your lifelong journey, Hawks,” McGee concluded. “Go do great things, in the humble examples of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare of Assisi. May you always and forever rely on the grit you have learned, the grit you have shown while at Quincy University.”
-DR. MCGEE
NEW LEADER AT THE HELM
by Brendan Saak ’18
THE HUNT BEGAN...
in December 2020, when long-time athletic director, Marty Bell, stepped down from his position.
The university conducted a nationwide search for the next candidate to replace him, but QU President, Dr. Brian McGee, did not need to look very far.
On February 5, the university introduced former QU baseball alum and head coach JOSH RABE ’01 as the fifth full-time athletic director of Quincy University in the last 45 years. Rabe has spent the past eleven years as the Hawks’ head baseball coach, where he set new program records for all-time wins and NCAA Tournament appearances. Before becoming QU baseball’s winningest coach, the local product from Mendon, Illinois, was a member of the Hawk baseball program from 1998-2000. While playing for QU, he was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in 1998 and the GLVC Player of the Year in 1999, while being named First Team All-Conference all three seasons. He also helped the Hawks to the 2000 GLVC Tournament title. Following his junior season, Rabe was drafted in the 11th round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Minnesota Twins. He reached the major leagues in July of 2006, where he hit .286 and helped the team to an American League Central Division Title. Rabe was named an All-Star at each of his minor league stops and was named the Twins Man of Steel in 2004 for leading the organization's minor league affiliates in stolen bases.
Rabe played professionally for nine seasons before retiring in 2008. He began coaching collegiately at former GLVC-member Saint Joseph's College, where he served two years as the baseball program's recruiting coordinator and hitting coach. In 2010, Rabe came back home as the eleventh head baseball coach in QU baseball history. In his first season with the Hawks, Rabe led the 2011 squad to the program's second-ever GLVC Championship title, finishing with a 35-20 overall record. During his eleven-year stint as head coach, Rabe coached 62 all-conference players, 27 all-region performers, eight All-Americans, and five Major League Baseball draft picks. He compiled 348 wins to 205 losses for a final winning percentage of .629. His team went to seven NCAA Regionals including, six straight to end his career, the 2017 Division II College World Series, and led the Hawks to three GLVC Championships.
