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ROCKHURST PROCEEDS THROUGH PANDEMIC
MELODY MESSNER, PHD, CFRM
Director of Planned Giving and Saint Luke's College of Health Sciences Director of Alumni and Donor Relations
Rockhurst University welcomes Melody Messner, director of planned giving and director of Saint Luke’s College of Health Sciences Alumni and Donor Relations. She brings over 20 years of experience in higher education and advancement work. In her move from SLCHS to Rockhurst, she will continue the important work of advancing the mission of both Saint Luke’s College of Health Sciences and Rockhurst University. At Rockhurst, Melody will work with alumni relations and focus on assisting alumni and friends on gift planning through their estate and helping them in continuing their legacy of support to Rockhurst University.
Donor-Advised Funds Are an Opportunity to BENEFIT DONORS AND RU STUDENTS
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he pandemic has had a particularly devastating impact on university students, as many have lost summer employment and other part-time jobs. Students are now faced with tremendous difficulty to fund their college tuition and expenses. For donors who wish to support Rockhurst with meeting these student needs, this is an especially good time to direct money from a donor-advised fund. Donor-advised funds were established in the 1930s so an individual could have both a tax benefit and the opportunity to retain advisory privileges as to how funds would be disbursed to charities of their choosing over time. Donor-advised funds help donors obtain an immediate tax deduction and to avoid capital gains. In addition to setting up a donor-advised fund, it is critical that you also make provisions for what happens to your fund upon your death. There are many options to consider and should be taken under advisement.
ALUMNI/ADVANCEMENT/UNIVERSITY RELATIONS TEAM:
(Back row, from left) Brent Blazek, Amy Reardon, Riley O’Dell, Tim Linn, Hannah Tarwater and Gina Speese, (middle row, from left) Becky Sanchez, Gina Bhatt, Morgan Maloney, Ann Zanaboni, Kristy Peterson and Katherine Frohoff, (front row, from left) Katie Bolton, Jody Burgard, Paula Moss, Mary Mooney Burns, ’93, Vice President for University Advancement and Bebe Harrington.
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rockhurst university insider
For more information about making a gift to Rockhurst from a donor-advised fund or to designate Rockhurst to receive your remaining funds upon death, contact Paula Moss, executive director of development, at 816-501-4418 or paula.moss@ rockhurst.edu.
SHOUTOUT TO ROCKHURST MONTHLY DONORS! The compounded impact of a donation made on a monthly basis is huge! A great big thank-you to those of you who support Rockhurst student programs with a monthly, automatic, recurring gift. Recurring and predictable support of our students allows us to fund many more programs and initiatives leading to a better overall student experience. If you are interested in becoming a monthly supporter of Rockhurst, please email or call Becky Sanchez at rebecca.sanchez@rockhurst.edu or 816-501-4431.
Young Alumna is TRUE BLUE FOR RU
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t Rockhurst, the six core Jesuit Values are a part of everything we strive to do. It is the hope of the University for students to use them in their lives after Rockhurst. For young alumna, Erin (Lang) Hayden, ’12, ’14 M.S., these values hold true in the work she does every day. Since graduating from Rockhurst, Erin has worked as a speech language pathologist and is passionate about working with individuals with complex communication needs. For the past four years, Erin and her husband have lived in Denver, Colorado. When she is not caring for others at work, Erin is an active member of the Denver Jesuit Alumni Network (DJAN) and regularly attends Rockhurst programs held in Denver. She not only gives of her time, but she also makes a financial gift every month to Rockhurst.
Erin and Nick Hayden.
If you are interested in the Rockhurst Young Alumni Council, please contact Morgan Maloney at morgan.maloney@rockhurst.edu or 816-501-4807.
“I give back to Rockhurst because I believe in the University. The core of Rockhurst brings the Jesuit principles to life and our world needs more of this. We need to lead with love, and I believe that Rockhurst instills this in its students,” she said. “DJAN has given me the opportunity to connect and build community, with not only Rockhurst alums, but Jesuit alums in general. It is inspirational to see other RU and Jesuit university alums doing good in their communities to make this world just a little bit better for everyone.” Thank you, Erin, for all you do and for being a TRUE BLUE TO RU Loyal Donor Society member! For information on joining the TRUE BLUE TO RU society please contact Rebecca Sanchez at 816-501-4431 or rebecca.sanchez@rockhurst.edu . celebrating stories of magis
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After Shutdown, Science Students Turn Attention to the Cause
THANK YOU!
Mary Mooney Burns, ‘93 Vice President of University Advancement
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Through all the pivots and changes that came to our Rockhurst students this year, YOU stood firm in your faithful and loyal support of Rockhurst programs.
rockhurst university insider
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earning didn’t stop just because of the pandemic. In fact, for many faculty members and students, COVID-19 provided a unique opportunity to study the phenomenon as it was happening. In an English course, students documented their daily lives under COVID-19. In an art course, students made pandemicinspired sculpture from objects around their home. In the sciences, faculty tackled COVID-19 from seemingly every angle — from chemistry to biology to physics — exploring questions about how it spread and what it does to the human body after infection. Lisa Felzien, Ph.D., professor of biology, had students take on a series of new COVIDfocused assignments in lieu of their normal labs as part of the molecular biology class. Felzien said students were asked to respond to online videos and other resources about COVID-19, but also to tie what they learned to one of the course’s larger themes — the effects of psychological stress on molecular biology processes, a subject on which Felzien said students had much to offer.
PIVOT TO REMOTE LEARNING a Credit to eLearning Staff, Faculty
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o matter the circumstances, University leaders recognized before citywide shutdown orders were issued that student safety could not come at the expense of learning. That’s why, as soon as it became clear that COVID-19 would soon make it to the U.S., the e-learning team at Rockhurst University got to work. According to Phil Columbo, Ph.D., instructional technology specialist, behind the scenes in late February, the University’s eLearning team (which also includes Laurena Calderon, director of the Center for eLearning, and Kirsten Potter, DPT, director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning) began gathering information about what peer institutions were doing and developing their own up plan of their own to provide continuity of instruction in the case that campus would have to shut down completely. That meant making sure that the University had enough Zoom accounts, integrating Zoom in the campus e-learning platform, Canvas, and organizing training opportunities for faculty. “I remember thinking as I was watching this happen, ‘I just hope that we can get everything set up and give about a week for faculty and students to practice this stuff on site,’” Colombo said. “But we just didn’t get that time.” And even in those uncertain circumstances — working in a platform (Canvas) that had been rolled out campuswide only in September 2019; in some cases working over Zoom for the first time; and rewriting curriculum for a remote environment — Colombo said faculty jumped quickly into the work of making sure students could still learn. “What faculty did was truly amazing to me,” he said. “They worked incredibly hard and are still working incredibly hard.” celebrating stories of magis
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Respect for Coach Park turns into “ALUMNI NIGHT AT THE BALLGAME”
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or Eli Medina, ’11 MBA, supporting Rockhurst University athletics is about giving future student-athletes the same opportunities and foundation for success that she found as a member of the women’s basketball team. “His enthusiasm for the sport and zest for life made it clear I needed someone like that in my life. He made it clear from day one that the well-being of the individuals on the team was the first priority, basketball was number two,” Medina said.
Eli Medina
Her positive experience and love of sports are what inspires her to give back to Rockhurst today. As an alumna, Eli has returned to campus to train with student-athletes, serve on the Helzberg School of Management Dean’s Advisory Board, and with her dad, George, financially sponsor the University’s annual Alumni Night at the Ballgame. If you have questions or would like to make a gift to support Rockhurst athletics, please contact Brent Blazek at brent.blazek@rockhurst.edu.
Simple ways to leave a LASTING LEGACY: • Make a gift through your will or estate • Give life insurance you no longer need
GOLDEN HAWKS OF 1968
• Donate appreciated stock and save on taxes
FLYING HIGH
• Make a gift from your IRA
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• Make a gift that protects your assets
or alumni of Rockhurst University, the Golden Hawk (50-year) reunion is a milestone celebrating the close friendships and lifelong impact that a Rockhurst education can have on its alumni. The weekend provides an opportunity to rekindle these friendships and experience Rockhurst University in the present day.
Contact Melody Messner, director of planned giving at 816-491-7874 or melody. messner@rockhurst.edu to learn more about how you can make a gift that endures for generations.
The Class of 1968 fully embraced their opportunity to return to campus and reconnect with one another and their alma mater. In addition to celebrating their rich past, the reunion also provided the class an opportunity to invest in the future by fully endowing a class scholarship for future Rockhurst University students. “We benefited tremendously from our time at Rockhurst and we wanted to insure current and future students have those same experiences,” said Kerm Fendler, ’68.
• Make a gift that provides payments for life
If you have questions or would like to make a gift to support a Golden Hawk scholarship please contact Brent Blazek at brent. blazek@rockhurst.edu.
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rockhurst university insider
Being LIFTED OUT OF POVERTY With Dignity "We believe in supporting The Prosperity Center." RAÚL DURÁN
Senior Vice President and Community Development Officer at Arvest Bank.
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he Prosperity Center for Financial Opportunity, located on the Rockhurst University campus, has helped hundreds of low-to-moderate income clients find the help they need to realize their financial goals. The center, in partnership with Greater Kansas City LISC, provides services free of charge to those seeking new or improved employment, public benefits support, and/or financial literacy education. “In 30 days, problems that I’ve struggled with for three years were solved,” said Brian, a center client. “In a true group effort, the staff helped me improve areas in my life that I was unable to improve on my own.” Programming is made possible by donors who provide resources, time and expertise. Many generous donors, including corporate partners and foundations,
provide the necessary support to help fund the operations and raise awareness of the center. Banking institution partners often utilize the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) as a resource that specifically support services or other interventions that help lift families out of poverty. “We believe in supporting The Prosperity Center because their work is critical in elevating community education, financial independence and providing the resources that help overcome stress associated with economic instability,” said Raúl Durán, senior vice president and community development officer at Arvest Bank. If you are interested in supporting the Prosperity Center for Financial Opportunity, a part of Rockhurst University, please contact Amy Reardon, director of foundation and corporate relations, at 816-501-4574 or at amy. reardon@rockhurst.edu
“A PLANNED GIFT is the gift that keeps on giving,” …says Tony Dill, ’61. Tony, along with his wife, Donna, have gifted a life insurance policy to RU. They bought the policy when their children were young. Each year, Tony and Donna continued to pay the premium, but as time went on, they realized that they had built up enough equity to make a difference for Rockhurst University. The insurance policy equity, to be collected by the University upon their death, will create an endowed history chairmanship. Tony felt that the history department needed to remain strong because, as he puts it, “If we don’t know our history, we will repeat some of our problems.”
“They were continually giving back to the church, schools, and community. It’s part of my DNA to give back,” he said. “I want to help those coming along behind me because they are our future.”
Tony remembers his time at the University fondly. His favorite subject was history, taught by Fr. Imbs and Fr. Hueger, scholars in world and national history. Tony recalled, “They made the subject come alive”.
The planned gift that the Dills have made will be the catalyst for keeping the history department at RU strong and thriving. Additionally, the policy will pay enough for the Dills to create a scholarship for a Rockhurst student. Indeed, this is the gift that keeps on giving.
Tony was raised in Affton, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. He and his wife Donna have raised their children in Shrewsbury, Missouri, a short distance from Affton. His mom and dad instilled a love of the Catholic faith along with the motivation to help others.
To learn more about making your own planned gift, please contact Melody Messner, Ph.D., CFRM, director of planned giving and Saint Luke's College of Health Sciences director of alumni and donor relations, at 816491-7874 or melody.messner@rockhurst.edu.
celebrating stories of magis
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Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage
PAID
Kansas City, M0. Permit No. 782
1100 Rockhurst Road Kansas City, MO 64110-2561
Sedgwick Hall ONE STEP CLOSER to Makeover
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or more than 100 years, the sturdy limestone exterior of Sedgwick Hall has been a landmark on Troost Avenue. Recently — for the time since it was constructed — those stone walls revealed their interior side when their coverings came down during a demolition project to prepare the building for its next life as home to the Saint Luke’s College of Health Sciences at Rockhurst University. Now that the interior on all floors of Sedgwick has been gutted, it is ready for the next phase – reconstruction on the portions facing Troost Avenue and the addition of a mostly glass section on the Kinerk Commons side. The timeline calls for the construction to begin in December, pending the final phase of fundraising. To learn more about Sedgwick Hall giving opportunities, contact Mary Mooney Burns at mary.burns@rockhurst.edu.
Let Us REFLECT, DISCERN and ACT NOW
“A Thomas B. Curran, S.J. President of Rockhurst University
Jesuit education invites you to keep looking, to keep searching, and sometimes to refocus. Since 1548, Jesuit education has been about forming lifelong learners, engaged citizens, moral voices in the community, advocates for justice, and promoters of human dignity, especially for the forgotten and marginalized. If one group believes their lives do not matter because they are unseen and forgotten, our Jesuit education requires us to admit it is time to check and correct our vision. It is also time to act accordingly. We call this the process of reflection, discernment and action.” ROCKHURST VISION STATEMENT
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To create a more just world through inclusive, innovative, and transformative education.
rockhurst university insider
UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENTS NOV. 29 Advent Calendar Kickoff DEC. 2 Alumni Medical Network Symposium DEC. 5 Rock E. Hawk Winter Wonderland 2-7 p.m. Convocation Center APRIL 21, 2021 Celebrate RU Day of Giving For more information, visit rockhurst.edu/alumni.