rockhurst university
c e l e b r at i n g s t o r i e s o f m a g i s
WINTER 2021
A NEW SPACE FOR PRAYER, REFLECTION, DISCERNMENT AND CONTEMPLATION ON CAMPUS
Where Do We Go From Here? FOR THE GREATER CAMPAIGN UPDATE
Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood?
For The Greater Campaign
ACCOMPLISHMENTS Who are the people in your neighborhood? In your neighborhood? In your neighborhood? Say who are the people in your neighborhood? The people that you meet each day?
Construction of the Magis Activity Center (the MAC), with student fitness facilities, locker rooms for men’s and women’s soccer, and a new event and student study center.
This song, made famous on “Sesame
When Rockhurst University last updated its vision statement,
Street,” also describes the “way of proceeding” of the Rev. Tom Curran, S.J. It is no secret that Fr. Curran loves to walk. It is not unusual for him to walk to meetings in town, even if miles away. I thought he did this for his health or the environment. But over time, it occurred to me he walks for the “people that you meet each day.” People ask if I am sad Fr. Curran is transitioning from Rockhurst. Honestly, yes. But I am happy, too. I have experienced the “magis” because of him, and I know I’m not alone. I am grateful for his servant leadership to Rockhurst, our neighborhood, the community and the people within it. He leaves Rockhurst in a place of strength evident in significant accomplishments — completing our $55 million campaign one year early, adding a mission-driven project this year, and elevating our alumni experience. Fr. Curran sparked a culture that will become his legacy — one rooted in the Jesuit tradition of getting your feet dirty and meeting your neighbors, all for the greater glory of God. My colleagues and I will continue to walk with you and our students, committed to
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rockhurst university insider
Renovation of Townhouse Village upperclassman residence suites.
one particular word emerged — “transformative.” It’s a term that University leaders use often and one that alumni evoke when describing what their education meant to them.
Renovation of Bourke Field press box and seating.
the work of this Catholic Jesuit mission. Our new leader will have an amazing opportunity to build on the progress, with a team ready to serve. We will also need you. Rockhurst’s foundation is only as strong as our alumni and donors.
Rockhurst University’s five-year transformational campaign, For the Greater, launched in 2018. With the support of so many incredible alumni, parents, and friends of the University, we met our initial goal of $55 million ahead of schedule.
Many of you have also asked me how to show your gratitude to Fr. Curran. He is asking for support of a center for faith and justice that celebrates our Catholic Jesuit traditions — see the story “Where Do We Go From Here?” on page 2 for details on how to get involved.
But, in the spirit of the core value of “Magis,” or always striving for the greater glory of God, where do we go from here? We have begun work for a center for faith and justice on campus. It will incorporate existing efforts such as mission and ministry and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, as well as other similar expressions of who we are as a Catholic Jesuit university — a “faith that does justice.”
To quote another famous favorite — Mr. Rogers — “Won’t you be my neighbor” in this important calling? I hope you will.
For more information on the For The Greater Campaign, don’t hesitate to contact Paula Moss, associate vice president of Advancement, at Paula.Moss@Rockhurst.edu or 816-501-4418.
Growth of our annual fund to support services on campus.
Such a massive transformation of our campus and in the lives of our students. Thank you!
Increase our endowment supporting scholarships, endowment for athletics, the St. Thomas More Center for Catholic Studies, and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Renovation of Sedgwick Hall into the home of the new Saint Luke’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences, to be finished spring of 2022. We are still raising donations to complete the hall, and many naming opportunities are still available.
Sincerely,
Mary Mooney Burns, ’93 Vice President for Advancement
GROTTO WILL SHOW MARY STATUE IN A WHOLE NEW LIGHT Cover Photo: This architectural rendering shows the design only of Rockhurst’s new grotto. The current Rockhurst Mary statue will be placed in the center of this new grotto and is made possible by a generous gift from Rosemary Kilker and her late husband, Bob Kilker. The new grotto for Mary is expected to be completed this fall. celebrating stories of magis
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FR. CURRAN ANNOUNCES PLAN
to Leave at the End of Academic Year On Sept. 7, Rockhurst University President
Rev. Thomas B. Curran, S.J., announced that he plans to step down from his role following the close of this academic year, June 30, 2022, after completing his 16th year as president. Fr. Curran arrived at Rockhurst University in 2006 to assume the role of the 14th president. Under his leadership, the University acquired Saint Luke’s College of Health Sciences to expand its health sciences programs, prioritized diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and reenergized the institution’s focus on social justice and its core values. His philanthropic success has resulted in more than $120 million in gifts to fund transformational capital projects, including the construction of the Arrupe Hall academic building, the Magis Activity Center, and the current renovation of historic Sedgwick Hall. Alongside those capital projects, Fr. Curran led several social justice initiatives, including the establishment of the Prosperity Center for Financial Opportunity, which provides comprehensive career and financial services to the community, and the Chillicothe Companions program, which offers Rockhurst University courses to incarcerated women and staff at the Chillicothe Correctional Center. In an email announcing his decision, Fr. Curran said he would remain fully committed to those priorities
and establishing a new center for faith and justice that will house those external efforts in addition to the University’s mission and ministry and diversity, equity and inclusion offices. “We are extremely grateful for Fr. Curran’s visionary leadership and all that he has accomplished over the past 15 years,” said Thomas Hastings, M.D., ’81, president of the Rockhurst University Board of Trustees. “Rockhurst today is a much stronger university than when Fr. Curran arrived and is in a good position to attract and welcome his successor.” Fr. Curran’s legacy of humble service to others will be honored with a replica of “Angels Unawares,” a sculpture by Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz depicting 150 refugees from different places and time periods and inspired by the experience of encountering the divine in the stranger. The statue will be located outside of Arrupe Hall once installed in spring 2022. Fr. Curran plans to take a sabbatical following his tenure to prepare for his next assignment. Details will be shared with the Rockhurst community when those plans are finalized. The Board of Trustees has retained AGB Search, a professional firm with proven expertise in higher education, to search and announce the 15th president of Rockhurst University in the first part of 2022 for a July 1 start date.
Dear Rockhurst Companions, We are writing you to offer an opportunity to recognize people who have made a difference for you… angels in your life. The mission to be men and women for others has been evident through the 15 years of leadership by the Rev. Tom Curran, S.J. In his honor, we presented Rockhurst with a replica of Timothy P. Schmalz’s sculpture “Angels Unawares.” This bronze sculpture interprets the belief that the sacred may be encountered in the strangers around you. The work depicts refugees from all cultural backgrounds and historical periods, standing together, shoulder to shoulder. “Angels Unawares” will be fittingly situated outside of Rockhurst’s Arrupe Hall, named in honor of former Jesuit Superior General the Rev. Pedro Arrupe, S.J., responsible for forming the Jesuit Refugee Service. Fr. Curran has been an example in his mission to Rockhurst as a servant who brings people closer to God. In this way, he has been an angel we were unaware would be so important in our faith journey. We are honored to present the “Angels Unawares” bronze statue in his recognition. We are also offering you an opportunity to honor an angel who has made a difference in your life. Whether living today or passed on, these are people who are called to serve others, spread kindness, have compassion and make a difference by bringing light and love into our lives. Do you have an angel in your life that you would like to honor? For a gift of $250 or more to the Rockhurst Mission programs, your angel’s name will be listed on a memorial plaque outside of Arrupe Hall. As we have honored Fr. Tom, we urge you to honor those angels in your life with this special gift. Sincerely,
Mary Vatterott Hastings, M.D., and Thomas Hastings, M.D., ’81, President, Rockhurst University Board of Trustees P.S. To learn more about this exclusive piece of art, visit the website of www.angelsunawares.org
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, or thereby some have entertained angels unawares”
Scan this QR code to make your gift online!
Hebrews 13:2
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rockhurst university insider
celebrating stories of magis
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From a Whim, to a Calling, to a LEGACY IN NURSING
Young Alumna is
Charles Ramirez wanted to get married, but
Fund since she was a student in 2012. Now she is a True Blue for RU Loyal donor supporting the Love in Action fund.
first, he needed a career that would support a family. His sister was a nurse, so he applied to Kansas City General Hospital’s School of Nursing. What started as a whim became a lifelong calling — Ramirez is now retired from a career in nursing and 35 years as a faculty member at Saint Luke’s College of Health Sciences. He has also decided to carry that calling forward by establishing a legacy scholarship and pairing it with a gift in his last will and testament.
TRUE BLUE FOR RU
Kristine Vainovska Twidwell, ’14, has supported the Rockhurst
Helen Krause, ’21, and her dad Kevin Krause
Krause, ’21, takes the field this spring, the spirit of her grandfather, Donald Krause, ’55, won’t be far off. Helen transferred to Rockhurst in 2019 and credited her decision to come to Rockhurst to her grandfather. Donald met Helen’s grandmother, Mary Ann, at Rockhurst, and before he passed in 2019, presented Helen with his Rockhurst class ring. Helen knew honoring his legacy at Bourke Field would mean so much to him and her family. The first step in the process is talking with his financial adviser. He wants to leave as much for his heirs and redirect potential tax liabilities to his scholarship. Then he will speak with Melody Messner, the director of planned giving, who will help him document his scholarship intentions and enroll him in the Rockhurst Heritage Society. For more than 20 years, Charles has supported scholarships for nursing students. Establishing the Charles Ramirez Scholarship now is one way to extend his legacy of giving. Adding a gift from his estate enables him to expand that financial support for nursing students long into the future. Thank you, Charles, for your loyal support of nursing students!
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rockhurst university insider
You, too, can be a TRUE BLUE FOR RU LOYAL donor with a recurring donation to Rockhurst student programs. Please consider the impact even a small donation can make over a year. For more information, don't hesitate to get in touch with Becky Sanchez at rebecca.sanchez@rockhurst.edu.
A LEGACY FOR Grandpa Don, ’55 When women’s lacrosse student-athlete Helen
Charles and Carol Ramirez
“It takes a village to support the journey of obtaining a degree,” Twidwell said. “For some, it is not an easy journey. These are the experiences and stories that don't get accolades and exposure. Knowing that I can be a silent and small part of making someone's life a little easier means a lot to me — being part of the village of support.”
“Every choice my grandpa made, including going to Rockhurst, led me to exactly where I am today,” said Krause. As Helen competes in her final season while also completing her master’s degree in organizational leadership, she knows it is essential that she begin giving back. “I want the Rockhurst women’s lacrosse program to continue to grow and build strong women for years to come,” she said. “I am so thankful for my experience at Rockhurst, and being able to support that experience for someone else is an incredible opportunity.” You can join Helen by making your gift for a legacy seat for a loved one by visiting rockhurst.edu/ bourkefieldseats or contacting Brent Blazek at brent.blazek@rockhurst.edu or 816-501-4375. All proceeds from legacy seats will support the R Club and student athletes at Rockhurst.
For information about creating your legacy through a gift in your will, reducing your estate taxes, and maximizing what you leave to your heirs, please contact Melody Messner, director of planned giving, melody.messner@rockhurst.edu.
A SEDGWICK BEAM for All Time This fall, an essential piece of the renovated Sedgwick
building was installed, with a personal touch. In August, the final structural beam for the project was made available for members of the Rockhurst University community — students, alumni, faculty, staff and construction crew — to sign their names. By doing so, they became part of the building’s already long lineage and its bright future as the new home of Saint Luke’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Mary Mooney Burns, vice president of advancement, acknowledged how the renovation was made possible. “All $23 million of the renovation dollars were donated by alumni and friends of the University who believe in the RU mission and you,” she told a crowd of faculty, staff, students and others. “For that reason, we are inviting you to personalize a beam that will be a permanent part of this school.”
Rockhurst students signing Sedgewick beam.
Sedgwick Hall is on track to open in fall 2022. celebrating stories of magis
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UPCOMING EVENTS DECEMBER ENGAGE IN RU ADVENT CALENDAR FEB. 10 ALUMNI NIGHT AT THE BALLGAME 5:15 p.m., Convocation Center
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SAVE THE DATE: APRIL 20, 2022 CELEBRATE RU ANNUAL DAY OF GIVING
For more information, visit rockhurst.edu/alumni.
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rockhurst university insider
ADVANCEMENT/ALUMNI/PUBLIC RELATIONS TEAM:
Left to right, beginning top row: Gary Burns, Tim Linn, Hannah Tarwater, Gina Speese, Riley O’Dell, Gina Bhatt, Bebe Harrington, Brent Blazek, Kristy Peterson, Amy Reardon, Ann Zanaboni, Jody Burgard, Melody Messner, Katie Bolton. Morgan Maloney, Marie Pickard, Becky Sanchez, Mary Mooney Burns, Paula Moss and Katherine Frohoff.