RU Magazine - Special Edition

SPECIAL EDITION 2020

THE MAGAZINE OF ROCKHURST UNIVERSITY

Hawk Tales

When the going gets tough, stories of leadership abound throughout the RU community.

LEADING THE WAY

“I’ve learned that leadership is not always about a title or position – you can lead from anywhere through empathy, vulnerability, compassion and inspiration. My Rockhurst University experience helped me develop these qualities and gave me the tools needed to use my voice to step up and stand out for the values and purpose I believe in.”

JESSICA SHEA, ’13

Digital Media Strategist, T-Mobile Center

SPECIAL EDITION 2020

THE MAGAZINE OF ROCKHURST UNIVERSITY

SPECIAL FEATURE

Hawk Tales

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DEPARTMENTS LEADING THE WAY Inside Front Cover

Jessica Shea, ’13 ROCK REPORT 4

Leadership Series

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Jesuit Faculty Profile

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Faculty Retirees

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Athletics News

FOR ALUMNI 27 Class Notes 29

Alumni Q&A

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Career Center

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In Memoriam

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Everyday Leaders

IN CLOSING 36 Zack Zoltek, ’20

2020 did not unfold the way we expected it to. From health care to education to nonprofits serving the homeless, there was no business as usual. It’s not surprising Hawks could be found on the front lines doing what they do best – leading with heart.

TIME AND PLACE Inside Back Cover

Friday, June 19

RU, the magazine of Rockhurst University, is published by the Office of University Relations. EDITOR Katherine Frohoff, ’09 EMBA DESIGN JJB Creative Design CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Tyler Collins, senior; Rev. Thomas B. Curran, S.J.; John Dodderidge; Tim Linn; Zack Zoltek, ’20 PHOTOGRAPHY Gabrielle Brancato, ’18; John Dodderidge; Helix Architecture + Design; Yosef Chaim Kalinko; Tim Linn; Mark McDonald SEND LETTERS TO Katherine Frohoff, Rockhurst University, 1100 Rockhurst Road, Kansas City, MO 64110-2561 or katherine.frohoff@rockhurst.edu 816-501-4151

ROCKHURST UNIVERSITY MISSION & VISION Rockhurst is a comprehensive university and a supportive community that forms lifelong learners in the Catholic, Jesuit, liberal arts tradition who engage with the complexities of our world and serve others as compassionate, thoughtful leaders.

Our vision is to create a more just world through inclusive, innovative, and transformative education.

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

A New Look at 2020, For Graduates and All of Us

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or many, 20/20 is synonymous with perfect vision. However, in the year 2020, when it seemed appropriate to hope for such perfect optics, we are experiencing things that no one saw coming. Maybe you are thinking — why did this have to happen when I was finishing my college or degree experience? How is it that I get to miss out celebrating with my family and friends? When will I see the world return to some predictability and familiarity?

Rev. Thomas B. Curran, S.J., President, Rockhurst University

Perhaps 2020, the year, should be classified as when we were invited to look again. Is it possible, now, as things seem so uncertain, unprecedented and unpredictable, that things could not be clearer?

In the last part, of the final semester, of your education, the tectonic plates of the world shifted. Globally, we began confronting the likes of a health pandemic not experienced in over a century. Two months later, those plates shifted again.

This time, we found ourselves confronted with the racial injustice that we had known, but have ignored for multiple generations.

Seeing the first shift of the plates, we knew it was time to practice social distance.

The second shift compelled us to look where we needed to atone, come together and make reparations. In the former, we were told of the need “to flatten the curve.” The latter confronted us with our social sin. Now it is providing us with another chance to look at the earth we have scorched and repair it by finally seeing and walking with one another as brother and sister.

It is 2020 and we complacently thought we saw things so clearly. Are we being asked to look again? I strongly suspect that you see things differently as you depart from Rockhurst.

Your perception of what was important as a student involved getting good grades, strengthening your GPA and building that resume. Now, your focus is upon building your legacy – how will I cooperate with God’s grace and love to make his good world better?

A 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, Continued on the next page

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SPECIAL EDITION 2020

ROCK REPORT

Continued from the previous page 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.

For some, 20/20 is perfect vision. For others, 2020, the year, has been a nightmare. There is where I would like to suggest that 20/20 be classified as a “normal vision” and that the year 2020 is the time to set a new vision. However, the normal vision associated with 20/20 is not enough. It needs adjustment and correction. Normal is status quo, things as they are. The pandemic, the incidents of racial injustice, the rampant incivility in our political landscape, are disturbing images. No, God is not causing these things, but he is allowing them so that we see this “normal way of seeing things” is abnormal, unacceptable and needs correction.

First, we had to postpone this commencement exercise.

Then, we needed to make it a virtual experience. It is not what any of us expected to see and experience. However, these circumstances can be seen as an opportunity, an invitation and perhaps even a blessing. The Class of 2020 is not having its commencement exercises as dozens of previous classes of Rockhurst have had them. The uniqueness can draw our sympathy. Better to see them as calling for our attention – to see these times and our world through a new lens.

We are familiar with the story of St. Ignatius Loyola, the Basque Spaniard, the founder of the Least Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and how he was struck by a cannonball, during the Battle of Pamplona, in 1521. The incident forced

Ignatius, the soldier, to put his life on hold while he convalesced and reflected about his future. His long period of recuperation and reflection was followed by another long period of discernment that lasted almost 10 months.

During that time, he lived as a pauper, begged for alms, and captured his reflections in what we call The Spiritual Exercises. During this period, he resided in a cave, in the town of Manresa, Spain. One day, as he was reflecting and praying alongside the Cardoner River, he saw his own reflection in the river. He described it as an intense moment of peace and clarity. That experience allowed him to see himself, his future and his role in a world that was suffering from political unrest, health crises, and with a Church in absolute turmoil. That scene in Ignatius’ life is depicted in the statue and waterfall on our campus.

That statue is significant for many, but especially for the Class of 2020. I almost think it belongs to your class. The dramatic change in your journey and vision mirrors how the vision and journey of Ignatius was changed. He, like you, had a vision for the way things would unfold. Then, his life was dramatically and violently interrupted. He looked to those changes with his eyes and listened with his heart.

Yes, you could look upon this moment as a disappointment. However, I am predicting that you will not allow that to happen. No, I think that you will see 20/20 - 2020 as your cannonball experience and allow it to instruct you and correct your sights. I am already offering prayers of thanksgiving, in anticipation, of how that new vision will result in a world that is rooted in justice and proceeds in love.

Note: This message was originally prepared for the graduating Class of 2020.

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Carly Fiorina Headlines 2020 Leadership Series THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS FOR MAKING THIS EVENT POSSIBLE: PRESENTING SPONSOR CommunityAmerica Credit Union MAGIS SPONSORS Anonymous Marny and John Sherman VIP SPONSOR Tria Health JESUIT SPONSOR Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences KANSAS CITY SPONSORS Bayer Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City Bukaty Companies Country Club Bank George J. Shaw Construction Husch Blackwell LLP JE Dunn Construction Jim and Ellen Glynn Lathrop GPM Lockton Companies National Association of Insurance Commissioners Ray D. Evans Saint Luke’s College of Health Sciences ScriptPro The Joan Horan Family Tom & Lynn DeBacco VanTrust Real Estate

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SPECIAL EDITION 2020

(From left) The Rev. Thomas B. Curran, S.J., Caitlin Ricker, ’20, and Carly Fiorina

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eatured guest Carly Fiorina told a crowd at the 2020 Rockhurst University Leadership Series March 5 that leadership is not just found in the corporate suites.

The former CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co., onetime presidential candidate, philanthropist and bestselling author spoke from experience — having started her career as a receptionist at a real estate office, Fiorina said she did not imagine one day becoming the first woman to lead a Fortune 50 company. Along the way, she said, she relied both on a well-rounded, lifelong education and paid attention to the people closest to problems to help find solutions. Unlocking the potential of others to be their best and to lead is one of the highest callings for leaders, Fiorina said.

“Let each of us, let all of us, find our potential,” she said. “And lead to serve.”

Also during the luncheon, the University recognized the impact that women have had on Rockhurst by honoring six women with the Rashford-Lyon Award for Leadership and Ethics. The recipients, each representing a different era or decade of female leadership, were Jean The Rashford-Lyon Award honored six female leaders.

Dunn, who raised five sons who were all Rockhurst graduates and have run JE Dunn Construction Co. for generations; Marny Sherman, ’75, a longtime philanthropic leader in Kansas City; Lisa Ginter, ’87, CEO of CommunityAmerica Credit Union; Wendy Doyle, ’94, president and CEO of the Women’s Foundation; Ama Karikari, M.D., ’07, assistant professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine and a pediatric hospitalist at the Children’s Hospital at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Bridgette Williams, ’16 EMBA, currently executive director of the Heavy Constructors Association of Greater Kansas City.

ROCK REPORT

Jesuit Expresses ‘Ephemerality’ Through Art

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sk the Rev. José Aponte Bernardy, S.J., MFA, to pinpoint where his artistic inclinations stem from and he might point to his childhood church.

At times in his youth, he admits he found his attention drifting during Mass. However, the church in his native Puerto Rico was filled with expressive and, for the time, forward-looking religious art.

Joining the Society of Jesus in 1987, Fr. Aponte’s own artwork melds the divine and the earthly in paintings that draw from the beauty and complex history of his home in the Caribbean region.

“This region has kind of struggled between different empires and its borders have constantly shifted, but it’s also very beautiful,” he said. “That sense of ephemerality is very present in my work.”

Fr. Aponte, who arrived at Rockhurst this academic year, teaches painting and drawing courses in the fine arts department, serves students as part of campus ministry, and assists with efforts to more thoroughly catalog and develop interpretive materials for campus art, including the Van Ackeren Collection of Religious Art. Having earned his Master of Fine Arts in 2020 from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Fr. Aponte previously

Rev. José Aponte Bernardy, S.J., MFA

served in pastoral roles in Puerto Rico and in Chicago, among other locations. He will continue his practice as an artist for upcoming exhibitions, and he said he’s looking forward to working with college-age students for the first time — even if it is at a social distance.

“The studio is a lab and I think you should be in the lab with the students,” he said. “But I’ve split them up, and I’m excited to start working with them.”

FACULTY KUDOS Michael Stellern, Ph.D., professor of economics, was part of a roundtable discussion about the potential economic effects of the coronavirus on the Kansas City area sponsored by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce March 11. Stellern was also a guest for a discussion of the same topic on Up to Date on KCUR FM. Daniel Stramara, Ph.D., professor of theology and religious studies, is the author of “Jean-Jacques Olier (1608-1657) and Divine Feminine Imagery in the French School of Spirituality,” an article that appeared in print in Magistra: A Journal of Women’s Spirituality in History.

Senior Rosie Breheny, a member of the Rockhurst University women’s soccer team, joins Rock E. Hawk for a jog at the MAC.

Nancy Donaldson, Ph.D., professor of physics, was a co-leader for “Integrating Physics in the Health Sciences,” a workshop Feb. 21-22 for educators supported by the American Association of Physics Teachers that is part of a larger project associated with a collaborative National Science Foundation grant.

NEWS

Nancy Donaldson, Ph.D.

For more faculty news, visit rockhurst.edu/facultykudos.

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2020 Faculty Retirees Share Plans, Reminisce

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n May, eight longtime faculty members retired from Rockhurst University, leaving a legacy of service across the humanities, health sciences and management education. Before they left, several shared memories in a video tribute, and provided parting thoughts for RU magazine.

Amy Foley, DPT, associate professor emerita of physical therapy, was at Rockhurst for 23 years and taught content related to acute and critical care physical therapy.

Bill Haefele, Ph.D., associate professor emeritus of psychology, taught at Rockhurst for 35 years.

Haefele says he is keeping busy with daily exercise plus pickleball three or four times a week, as well as learning to draw and taking an online course on the Middle Ages.

Jean Hiebert, Ph.D., professor emerita of physical therapy, taught at Rockhurst for 37 years. Although the pandemic has converted her travel from plane trips to camping, she said she enjoyed a recent excursion to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone and has rescheduled for next year a bicycle tour in Croatia.

Laura Janusik, Ph.D., professor emerita of communication, taught at Rockhurst for 16 years. She is an international expert on listening with research interests in pedagogy (teaching and learning), listening cognitions and metacogntions (thinking while listening), intercultural listening, and the contexts of education, health care and business.

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SPECIAL EDITION 2020

Bill Stancil, Ph.D., professor emeritus of theology and religious studies, taught at Rockhurst for 25 years. One of his most colorful memories was the time he allowed a student from UMKC to burst into his class to propose to his girlfriend.

Much to his surprise, the young man ran in wearing a gorilla suit and dropped to one knee for the proposal, which was happily accepted.

Bill Sturgill, Ph.D., professor emeritus of psychology, served at Rockhurst for 31 years, teaching courses on brain science (sensation and perception, cognitive neuroscience, psychology of language) and statistics. He also conducted research on these topics, often alongside students.

Turner White, MBA, executive assistant professor of management, taught both undergraduates and graduates in the Helzberg School of Management.

White said one of his favorite memories of Rockhurst is partnering with Brendan Sweetman, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, to create an executive MBA course on business ethics designed to offer students insights into ways of thinking that demonstrate the power of leaders’ thoughtful reflection and deep exploration of their values. During the pandemic, he spent the summer working in the vineyard of an estate winery in Weston, Missouri, owned by a friend.

ROCK REPORT

Difficult Year Opens Pathway to Improve Inclusion Efforts

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or many, 2020 has been defined not only by the global pandemic but also by a focus on injustice, inequality and systemic racism. Against this backdrop, Rockhurst University launched a program for the development of the mulityear Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan that has been several years in the making.

“Words like ‘uncertain’ and ‘unprecedented’ punctuate our society,” said Leslie Doyle, Ed.D., chief inclusion officer.

“I believe hope and opportunity do as well, and this plan will serve as a roadmap for Rockhurst University as we expand diversity, inclusion and equity for generations of faculty, staff and students.”

The seeds of the plan were planted with the campus climate study conducted in the fall of 2017. As a result of the study, the University established the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and conducted the search for a chief inclusion officer that resulted in Doyle’s hiring.

The DEI plan is built on the Inclusive Excellence framework developed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities and it spans a variety of functional areas and services, including student recruitment, faculty and staff hiring, access, support for people of color and DEI educational opportunities for all RU community members. Focus areas in 2020 include institutional climate and intergroup relations, education, scholarship and institutional infrastructure.

The DEI plan was formally launched at the annual All Companions Gathering of faculty and staff, held virtually in August. In addition to the plan’s unveiling, the gathering included a reflection on an 1832 address by Black abolitionist Peter Osborne where Rockhurst faculty and staff shared thoughts on what the University is doing well and what it can do better in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Osborne’s address included a statement about the enslaved Black people who helped build our country — how they planted trees and their descendants plan to stay and eat the fruit. Rockhurst has created a symbolic physical space where visitors can also reflect on this idea with the establishment of a “garden of atonement” in the green space just east of the parking garage at Rockhurst Road and Troost. Fruit trees have been planted there with the hope they will one day produce fruit to be shared. Plans also call for seating and a marker to aid in reflection.

Matt Young, grounds foreman, plants fruit trees in the new Garden of Atonement.

HEARD ON CAMPUS “Now when I walk by the big blue chair, I think of how in solitude, we move to make room for another, first in our hearts. We make room in our hearts so that we ultimately can make room in our lives for another.”

— The Rev. Thomas B. Curran, S.J., in a May video address, on the “big blue chair” on campus and its symbolism in the context of the pandemic

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Student Gets Glimpse of How to Use Policy for Good

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ockhurst University students are frequently encouraged to use their talents to change the world. It’s a charge that Adrien Townsend has long taken seriously.

Townsend, a senior studying public policy, has used the summer break to take on not one, but two different opportunities to create change that benefits communities.

This summer, Townsend served as a policy intern for Kansas City, Missouri, City Councilwoman Ryana Parks-Shaw, helping shape municipal priorities.

“I’ve learned so much through this experience,” Townsend said. “I really enjoy staying in the loop, knowing what’s going on and interacting with the community.”

Also this summer, Townsend was named a Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact, a yearlong position that will involve designing and leading a campus initiative aimed at improving the lives of fellow students.

Improving local communities through policy action is a mission this onetime mathematics major grew into after coming to Rockhurst. It’s also one that runs in the family — Townsend’s father, Reginald, is a current member of the Raymore, Missouri, City Council. Eyeing a future as a policymaker, Townsend cites interest in crafting solutions to problems that affect people every day.

“Politics is the lobbying and the running of the races,” Townsend said. “Policy and government, at its core, is making the lives of the people who live here easier. And all of these things push toward one goal, which is to help people, specifically through civic engagement.”

Adrien Townsend, senior

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.

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ROCK REPORT

Campus Collection Highlights Artist’s KC Roots “It is an honor to receive such a large gift of Rita Blitt’s work.”

—Kristy Peterson, director of the Center for Arts and Letters

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rt is an indelible part of the Rockhurst University campus experience, from work by students often seen hanging in the academic halls to the historical pieces in the Van Ackeren Collection of Religious Art that span centuries of history.

Into this environment comes a new addition, installed this fall‚ known as the Rita Blitt Collection at Rockhurst. This collection of 31 works — many black acrylic on white paper — installed across campus represents a portion of the decades-rich body of work of artist Rita Blitt.

“It is an honor to receive such a large gift of Rita Blitt’s work,” said Kristy Peterson, director of the Center for Arts and Letters. “These works not only enhance the aesthetic of our public spaces on campus at Rockhurst, they also provide an opportunity for the public to learn more about her as an artist from Kansas City and her long career.”

Born and raised in Kansas City near the Rockhurst campus and encouraged to pursue art from an early age, Blitt majored in education and art at what was then Kansas City University (now the University of Missouri-Kansas City) and taught kindergarten and preschool while studying at the Kansas City Art Institute with painter Wilbur Niewald.

In 1977, Blitt developed a technique in which she would draw with two hands simultaneously using Conté crayons. It led to a spontaneous and lyrical approach to art making — one that has been described as “dancing on paper,” reflecting the music often playing in her studio.

“For many years, I listened to music while working simply because I enjoyed listening,” she said. “Then, realizing how much the music was influencing my lines, I turned it off — allowing the lines to come from deep within me. This experience intensified when my eyes began closing as I worked.”

Blitt’s art has been showcased in exhibitions and commissions in the decades since and can be found in a number of permanent collections, including at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, the National Museum of Singapore, the Spencer Museum of Art, Mulvane Art Museum, and others.

Her monumental sculpture can be found in Australia, Israel, Japan, Singapore, and the United States. The Rita Blitt Gallery and Sculpture Garden at the Mulvane Art Museum at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, is the home of the Rita Blitt Legacy Collection.

Works by artist Rita Blitt recently were installed throughout campus.

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Rockhurst StudentAthletes, Coach Highlight Honorary ESPYS Finalists

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or the first time since the inception of the ESPYS, ESPN brought a select number of markets around the country the opportunity to award Honorary ESPYS in various categories. And three student-athletes from Rockhurst University and RU volleyball coach Tracy Rietzke felt the local love as finalists for the 810 Sports Honorary ESPYS. Curtis Lewis was a finalist in the Small College Male Athlete of the Year category. Lewis has been a three-year starter in men’s basketball for the Hawks. The junior guard from Kansas City, Missouri, was named to the All-GLVC second team this past season.

Karli Reichert and Alyssa Woodman were finalists in the Small College Female Athlete of the Year category. The two

senior outside hitters wrapped up their volleyball careers as two of the most decorated players in school history.

Reichert of Kansas City, Missouri, was a two-time AVCA Division II All-American and was named the 2019 GLVC Player of the Year. Woodman of Omaha, Nebraska, earned AVCA All-America honors in her final two seasons and was a three-time All-GLVC honoree.

Rietzke was a KC Metro Coach of the Year finalist.

He directed the Hawks to a 33-8 record and a national semifinal finish in the 2019 NCAA Tournament in his final season as RU’s head coach.

Soccer, Volleyball Seasons Moved to Spring Semester

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he Rockhurst soccer and volleyball teams will conduct their regular-season competition and Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships in the 2021 spring semester.

The GLVC’s Council of Presidents voted in late July to postpone the majority of the 2020 fall intercollegiate athletics season until the second semester due to ongoing concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was made based on guidance from the league’s athletics directors and an extensive review of the recommended testing and safety measures developed by the NCAA Sport Science Institute.

The men’s and women’s basketball teams will tip off the season Nov. 27 at the University of Southern Indiana. Baseball and softball will be permitted to have only intra-squad competition on campus in the fall, while men’s and women’s lacrosse will be restricted from all competition until second semester.

For revised schedules, visit rockhursthawks.com.

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ROCK REPORT

Rietzke Retires as Volleyball Coach After 32 Years

Tracy Rietzke, longtime women’s volleyball head coach, retires at close of 2019-20 season.

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or the first time in 32 years, Tracy Rietzke will not be patrolling the sidelines as the Rockhurst women’s volleyball head coach.

Rietzke announced his retirement from Rockhurst in April, ranked fourth among NCAA women’s volleyball coaches for all-time wins with 1,277 victories. Trent Jones, who has served the last six years as the associate head coach at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, replaces Rietzke.

“Rockhurst has been a great fit for me and my family,” Rietzke said. “God has truly blessed us. Both of our daughters, Kylie and Morgan, graduated from Rockhurst and played volleyball all four years, and gave me the opportunity to coach them, which gave me a shot of adrenaline and energy to help me finish my career on a high note. I want to thank them and my wife, Cindy, for their support.”

Rietzke led the Hawks to 13 NCAA Tournament and six NAIA Tournament appearances. In addition, he coached 21 NCAA and NAIA All-America selections and 71 All-Conference recipients. Since 2012, Rietzke guided the Hawks to 240 wins while capturing three Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament titles, four GLVC regular season titles and three NCAA Midwest Regional championships.

“I wish all of our players and recruits nothing but the best,” said Rietzke, who was named the USMC/ AVCA Division II National Coach of the year in 2019. “I will have a different role next year but will always look for an opportunity to help Rockhurst continue its successful tradition.”

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Softball Player Posts Impressive Stats Beyond the Box Score

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he Rockhurst softball program is in better shape today than it was when Payton Staggs, ’20, began her freshman year in the fall of 2016. In her four seasons with the Hawks, Staggs was one of the team’s top hitters and studentathletes.

Staggs not only finished her college career with a .336 batting average in 121 games, she also completed both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Rockhurst in four years.

According to head softball coach Bailey Wittenauer, Staggs was a steady leader in her senior year, plugged into the leadoff spot to provide a spark for the offense.

“Payton is a player who just gets it done, and this year she did a really good job of leading her teammates to do the same thing. She will leave a large role to fill and our program will miss her,” she said.

Staggs, a Jefferson City, Missouri, native, said she will miss the program, too, although she said she will take with her the memories of playing softball with her teammates that made the game and all the extra hours of work outside games so enjoyable.

“I was fortunate enough in my four years at Rockhurst to be able to graduate with both my undergraduate degree and my MBA,” she said. “It only seems like the natural progression of my life for the next chapter to begin.”

Payton Staggs, ’20

“Payton is a player who just gets it done, and this year she did a really good job of leading her teammates to do the same thing. She will leave a large role to fill and our program will miss her.” —Bailey Wittenauer

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ROCK REPORT

Two Prominent Coaches Named to Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

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ockhurst men’s soccer coach Tony Tocco and former Rockhurst women’s volleyball coach Tracy Rietzke have been named to the 2020 Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Class.

The two most successful coaches in the history of Rockhurst athletics will be enshrined into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame on Sunday, Nov. 15, at Kansas City’s Hy-Vee Arena, the renovated facility formerly known as Kemper Arena.

Tocco will be in his 50th season coaching at Rockhurst next spring and holds the second-most career victories (709) all-time at any level of college soccer. He held the NAIA wins record (437) until 2008, or a decade after Rockhurst left the NAIA for NCAA Division II. Tocco’s teams from 1973 to 1997 played in 17 national tournaments, advanced to 10 Final Fours and were a national runner-up four times (1973, 1976, 1979, 1997). In D-II, his teams have advanced to 10 national tournaments, won five NCAA Midwest Regionals and reached the national semifinals four times (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017).

Tocco has been a 15-time Coach of the Year honoree, including four times nationally. He is a 1967 graduate of Saint Louis University, where he was a pitcher on its 1965 College World Series team and member of the 1964 undefeated soccer team.

Rietzke recently retired after 38 years in coaching, including 32 seasons as the volleyball coach at Rockhurst. His college volleyball teams earned 1,277 wins, the fourth-most all-time at any level. He also is the second-winningest coach all-time in NCAA Division II history. (For more on Rietzke’s retirement, see page 11.)

At Rockhurst, his teams were 1,105229 (.828), finished in the D-II Top 25 poll 11 times, played in 10 regional finals (winning three) and won three conference championships and five regular-season titles. Rietzke was a 16-time Coach of the Year either in conference, district or region – as well the national award given by the USMC/American Volleyball Coaches Association in 2019.

Tony Tocco (Above) and Tracy Rietzke (Below)

Rietzke, a Kensington, Kan., native, was a standout basketball player Kansas Wesleyan University and later coached volleyball, women’s basketball and softball there for six seasons. Combined with his coaching days at Rockhurst and Kansas Wesleyan, he has more than 1,700 victories in volleyball, women’s basketball and softball.

The 2020 class includes 14 individuals and four programs. Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon, former Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame defensive lineman Curley Culp, and former NFL quarterback Josh Freeman join Tocco and Rietzke in the 2020 class.

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Hawk Tales

The year 2020, ironically, will likely be remembered for the number 19.

Shortly after the calendar ticked over, the novel coronavirus, and the disease caused by it, COVID-19, spread quickly throughout the world.

Throughout the following pages, we share stories about members of the University community — faculty, staff, students and alumni — and the ways the pandemic has hit home for them.

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FEATURES

Rockhurst Connection Helps Ease Pain of Loss

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Linda Endecott (Left) and Ashley McDonald share a connection outside the Excutive MBA classroom.

he COVID-19 pandemic became very real to Linda Endecott in April when her motherin-law was admitted to AdventHealth Shawnee Mission, where she tested positive for the virus. But Endecott, managing director of the executive MBA program, had no further to look than the EMBA program itself to find a comforting presence who helped guide her family through a frightening time.

Ashley McDonald, campus administrator at AdventHealth South Overland Park, was nearing the end of her first year of the two-year EMBA program. Although her office isn’t located at the main campus where Endecott’s mother-in-law was, she was more than happy to help when Endecott texted to tell her what was going on.

Having worked for AdventHealth for more than 12 years, McDonald said she was able to communicate regularly with Endecott and share some of the safety measures put into place to help keep her at ease during a very stressful time. This was particularly important because no visitors were allowed in the hospital because of the pandemic. It was especially comforting knowing a nurse remained with her mother-in-law so she wasn’t alone when she died, said Endecott.

Throughout the days when her mother-in-law was a patient, Endecott received text messages from McDonald asking how she was doing.

Endecott says, for her, that perfectly embodies what the EMBA faculty teach in the classroom.

“With Ashley, and what we were going through with my mother-in-law, it was like ‘cura personalis’ come to life – that emotional and physical connection, it was all there,” Endecott said.

“That’s what makes Rockhurst stand out, why they come.”

It’s an approach that flows seamlessly through her work and studies, according to McDonald.

“Caring for mind, body and spirit – extending the healing ministry of Christ – is the culture we try to foster at AdventHealth,” McDonald said. “In my first year of the EMBA program it became obvious that the mission, vision and values of Rockhurst were very similar to those of AdventHealth.”

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Students Bond Virtually Over Interest in Economics F

or the Rockhurst Investments in Economics Club (IEC), March stood out for a reason unexpected by most — it was an opportunity for growth.

Club president Nick Caldwell, a senior studying finance and data analytics, had mixed feelings about the transition to virtual learning. On one hand, he missed his friends. On the other, he saved time in spades. Taking the cards dealt to him, Caldwell focused his efforts on IEC. Investments in Economics Club functioned as a forum to discuss the U.S. economy and stock market. Members in March, for an hour or two a week, would meet on Microsoft Teams to ask questions, share articles, and talk about trends. Their time there felt relevant in a moment of uncertainty.

“Not only was it a great way to connect with people, but it was also a good way to turn away from fear,” Caldwell said.

One of the club’s newest attendees was senior Emma Collier, an accounting and finance major.

Collier said she appreciated the engagement that IEC had to offer, especially having just been sent home.

“When things were slowing down and coming to a complete halt, this was something that was just taking off,” Collier said.

Now, as students return to campus, the club shows no sign of losing momentum.

“It’s about community building and growth beyond the now,” Caldwell said. “The important thing is not to dwell in the fearful moments.”

Even for Experienced Faculty, Teaching Online Proves a Challenge T he idea of teaching a class that doesn’t meet in-person is not new. Just ask Daniel Stramara Jr., Ph.D., professor of theology and religious studies.

Stramara taught his first online course in the summer of 2015, trying to respond in part to demand from nursing students who weren’t always able to attend a class in person.

And Stramara has continued to teach online, expanding from more high-level courses to entry-level ones. In 2019, he even received an award for excellence at the Summer Institute on Distance Learning and Instructional Technology for his work in the online learning arena.

But even Stramara said the move to remote learning precipitated by COVID-19 was different. Switching midstream to remote teaching and learning was a group effort, one that entailed agility by faculty teaching each course, diligence from the staff supporting them, and resilience from students also adjusting to a new reality.

“Teaching remotely during COVID-19 is a different

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ballgame than teaching online when there’s no crisis,” he said.

It meant changing the curriculum midstream, whereas online courses are best designed with that format in mind. They involve giving the experience a human touch and inspiring the same kind of interaction in different ways. Teaching after the shutdown, Stramara said he was finding a new rhythm alongside his students.

“I’ve eventually found having the class meet in breakout rooms gets far more conversation and discussion going on than if we’re all in one meeting and people try to ‘speak up,’” he said. “People tend to be shy in such a large setting.”

It wasn’t the only way he needed to adjust — like many others working from home, Stramara said he had to balance work and personal life. With his wife running a day care out of their house, Stramara said he found a quiet place to work in the basement of a neighbor’s home — his mother.

FEATURES

Student Finds Purpose Working With Vulnerable During Pandemic

F

or so many students, the summer break is an opportunity to take on an internship and learn more about their potential future career, or to make connections in a field they are passionate about.

For many students this summer, internships were remote as a result of COVID-19. This was not the case, however, for Hannah Clemens, a senior majoring in political science and eyeing a career in social work.

Clemens was one of a number of Bishop Sullivan Center interns during the summer, spending eight weeks as a development intern and, later, as an employee in the guest services office for Hope Faith (with fellow Hawk Jaysen Van Sickle also featured in this article).

Instead of navigating Zoom for staff meetings or otherwise trying to learn about the organization from afar, Clemens was at Hope Faith’s Kansas City campus for her experience, watching firsthand as staff worked to adapt during an unprecedented crisis.

“Most days I don’t stop moving from the moment I get there, between running the showers lists, checking mailboxes, and getting emergency clothes,” she said. “The pandemic has made these things more challenging, especially considering that most of the campus has been moved outside, but in a lot of ways it also makes each day more meaningful, too.”

Hannah Clemens, senior, interned at Bishop Sullivan Center during the summer.

Clemens said she spent much of her time working directly with those for whom the pandemic posed a particular risk — the homeless. Through that experience, she said she’s grown in her faith and her empathy for others.

“The heat this summer presented a big challenge as well, but spending much of the day in the heat helps me to sympathize with the people that we serve, most of whom do not have an air-conditioned home to return to after we close,” she said.

Clemens said the internship also influenced her future path — after graduation, she said she now intends to pursue a Master of Social Work degree to devote her career to helping others.

“The pandemic has made these things more challenging, especially considering that most of the campus has been moved outside, but in a lot of ways it also makes each day more meaningful, too.”

—Hannah Clemens, senior

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For Science Faculty, Pandemic is Living Lesson

F

or some faculty, the pandemic presented unique challenges as well as unique opportunities. Though they had to quickly change gears to adjust to online-only learning, it was also a change to study a topic affecting much of the globe in real time, in many different ways.

could affect the process covered in the paper being discussed,” she said. “It was a wonderful discussion.”

From physics to biology, students across the sciences switched seemingly overnight to the disease that had uprooted their campus lives, often by request. Janet Cooper, Ph.D., professor of biology, said her microbiology course had studied the coronavirus and COVID-19 since the semester started in January, alongside other historical examples, including the 1918 and 2019 influenzas.

For Petia Bobadova, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, COVID-19 helped illustrate the abstract and complex material she was covering with her quantum mechanics and computational chemistry course. Students in the class worked on two projects related to COVID-19 — in one, they examined the coronavirus’ symmetry. In the other, Bobadova said, students investigated the protein spike that allows the coronavirus itself to bond to human cells. Interrupting that bonding could be an avenue to a therapy for the disease, and an effort, called Folding at Home, is currently underway at Washington University in St. Louis to build computer models of the virus molecule. Bobadova said students in her class studied that effort — one student even volunteered computer-processing time as a result of the research the students did.

Joanna Cielocha, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, said her evolutionary biology students dug straight into publicly available data on the virus to look at mutations and spread patterns to understand how COVID-19 was changing over time.

“It is likely that this is the singular event in their lives where they will have the ability to visualize and experience science in such a personal arena,” she said.

For the students, that chance to take a deeper dive into an ongoing, widespread scientific phenomenon made the material real.

“It used something relevant and easy to understand while making it interesting and applying evolution principles,” said Claire Regan, a senior molecular biology student.

Lisa Felzien, Ph.D., professor of biology, led students in her molecular biology course through research projects looking at the virus’ life cycle, transmission and the development of treatments.

And since a theme of the semester from the beginning was the psychological effects of stress on molecular biological processes, they analyzed research about the topic — discussions that she said even dipped into the meta.

It’s not just biology. Just as all corners of the science world are focused on solving COVID-19, so too were disciplines at Rockhurst.

And in the physics of medicine program, Nancy Donaldson, Ph.D., professor of physics, and her students investigated the way that COVID-19 attacks the lungs by looking at the physics principles affecting the proper functioning of the alveoli and respiratory track. And, like for many of the other areas of study, the work actually served as a sort of reassurance at a time when everything felt unsettled.

“We did this the first day right after spring break when everything was so unknown. I had been meeting with my students synchronously during my regular class hours, and that first day I could tell they were scared with all that was going on,” she said. “My goal was to have them ‘think physics’ to explain the way this disease affects healthy lung function — it was a way to demystify what was going on and relate it to what we had been “In one of the discussions, the whole class talked studying in our physics of the respiratory module a lot about how the stress related to the coronavirus prior to COVID-19.”

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FEATURES

Curtis McGeeney, ’04, M.D.

ER Doc Approaches COVID With “Cura Personalis”

C

urtis McGeeney, ’04, M.D., knows firsthand the toll of COVID-19 on America’s health care providers and patients.

As an emergency medical physician at Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka, Kansas, his position requires him to be able to handle whatever comes in the door.

“I work in a busy trauma center,” he said. “We essentially see and treat anything that can occur in a community.”

That includes COVID-19. And as one of the larger emergency departments in the state of Kansas, McGeeney said his hospital has seen its share of patients facing the disease.

Unprecedented as it is, McGeeney said he’s embraced the responsibility of caring for those in his community with a sense of “cura personalis.”

“We’ve mentally prepared for some of this stuff with Ebola threats, but nothing with this kind of volume this close to home,” he said. “It has been a time for the emergency medicine physician as the primary frontline provider in medicine to step up to the plate.”

That’s meant treating patients who range from asymptomatic to requiring a ventilator. It has also meant trying to understand the disease himself, evaluating new research and information. It’s important, he said, to be able to treat patients effectively and allay fears and anxieties about the disease. In what has been a trying time for the country as a whole, he said he’s been happy to be able to jump in.

Continued on page 18 “When you go into a field like medicine, you don’t just go into it for the easy days. You’ve got to be there and be willing to do what’s best for the community,” he said.

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Amidst COVID’s Devastation, Alumnus Seeks to Understand the Disease

“There was a community aspect that reminded me of what I learned during my Jesuit education.

There’s more to life than just living for myself.”

— Joseph Nguyen, ’04

T

hough the first cases were identified on the West Coast of the U.S., it was New York City where the virus showed its propensity for devastation.

And Joseph Nguyen, ’04, watched it happen. As director of the Biostatistics Core in the research department at Manhattan’s Hospital for Special Surgery, Nguyen said he was next door to the much larger New York Presbyterian Hospital, and HSS served as an overflow facility for that larger facility.

Being in the center of the country’s struggle with the virus in the early spring provided grim reminders of the disease’s potency — constant sirens, refrigerated trucks parked in front of the funeral home near his apartment, and normally bustling New York streets marked instead by eerie silence.

But being in New York also provided a rare opportunity to study COVID-19 in the hopes of gaining some insights into its behavior and possible long-term effects.

At his hospital, Nguyen helped design and initiate a number of studies looking at how COVID-19 patients have fared after the disease has subsided and what populations might be at particular risk of contracting it.

“Everyone was kind of trying to answer those questions, so our work began as soon as we started seeing COVID patients in New York,” he said. “I hope the work that I’m doing can have an impact.”

The studies surveyed thousands of COVID-positive patients in the city, looking especially at infection rates and outcomes for those patients with pre-existing conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis and auto-immune conditions — all in an effort to better understand the disease ravaging the community around him.

Despite the sometimes-grim images of New York at the time, Nguyen said he’s found some measure of hope. It’s not just the promise of work that could lead to new insights on how to combat COVID-19, but small gestures that remind him of the importance of community. He found himself checking on neighbors, trying to support neighborhood businesses, and answering calls from fellow RU alumni asking about his own wellbeing.

“There was a community aspect that reminded me of what I learned during my Jesuit education,” he said. “There’s more to life than just living for myself.”

He said his ongoing spiritual practice using the Examen, a meditative prayer he remembers from his time as a student, has also helped keep him grounded.

“Going through the daily examination helps me understand what is going on with the world and with trying to continually commit myself to service to the community and for the greater glory,” he said.

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FEATURES

John Nguyen, ’97, M.D.

Alumnus Finds Gratitude in Trying Experience

H

e might not have contracted the disease, but COVID-19 still took its toll on John Nguyen, ’97, M.D.

Based in Pennsylvania, Nguyen was a physician anesthesiologist at Bryn Mawr Hospital when COVID hit.

Anticipating a surge in patients given the city’s proximity to major metropolitan centers, including New York City, the hospital formed a command center, naming Nguyen as the physician lead. He was tasked with making sure that the hospital had enough supplies, including ventilators, and was otherwise prepared for COVID patients.

And they did have those patients — though never overwhelmed in the way that other communities such as New York City or Seattle were, Nguyen said his exposure every day at work did affect his everyday life.

“My life was turned upside down. Just coming home after a shift was very difficult. I would have to get rid of my work

clothes before coming in and maintain distance from my family,” he said. “That was all very difficult.”

With three children and his wife at home, he said he had to confront how to keep his family safe as he helped serve patients in the community. He made sure wills and other legal needs were in order in case something happened to him. And he said he wasn’t alone among his fellow health care workers.

“The necessity of thinking of one’s mortality was not something we were used to doing,” he said.

However, inspired in part by an email from Rockhurst University’s alumni office, he also thought about gratitude – gratitude for his family’s safety, he said, and for the values that guided him to his path in medicine and prepared him for the moment.

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Pandemic Can’t Stop Alumnus Serving Homeless in KC

F

or many, the COVID-19 shutdown meant being sent home from school or working remotely to help flatten the curve of cases and prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed.

For others, the nature of what they do makes it more necessary for them to go to their workplace amidst COVID-19. Health care workers, obviously, faced this reality.

Jaysen Van Sickle, ’12 EMBA (Far right and below, back right), saw increased numbers of homeless people needing assistance through his nonprofit.

So did Jaysen Van Sickle, ’12 EMBA, executive director at Hope Faith, a Kansas City-based organization assisting the area’s homeless.

In March, as evidence mounted that COVID-19 was both heading for the U.S. and bringing with it the potential to cause mass disruptions, Van Sickle said Kansas City-area nonprofit agencies started talking to each other about how they could continue to offer services. In the hopes of providing continuous care, the staff worked to determine how to move everything outside. That meant not only figuring out new sanitation protocols and things like restrooms, but also how to provide some amount of shelter.

“I was just looking on Amazon at these large wedding-type tents and said, ‘You know what? We’re going outside,’” he said. “So basically our reopening date came down to our Amazon delivery date.”

On March 24, as many other businesses and nonprofits remained closed out of caution or because of city orders, Hope Faith reopened as an outdoor assistance facility with help from other mission-oriented organizations and the city of Kansas City, Missouri. Hundreds showed up each day.

In addition to their existing clients, Van Sickle said Hope Faith soon experienced an influx of families seeking assistance as a result of the economic consequences of the shutdown.

“After about two weeks into the lockdown, we had those people and families who were just one paycheck away start showing up at our door,” he said. “We would have minivans, with six or seven kids come out with their parents, and we ended up setting up a tent just for family services. At its high point, we were probably serving between 200-300 people a day out of that tent alone.”

Now, Van Sickle worries about how operations might need to change again as winter approaches, as more and more people go back to work, and as funding and donations go down despite continued demand. But as he mulls these challenges, he said he’s been encouraged by the attitude of his staff in tackling what’s ahead.

“When that dare-to-be-great moment is laid at your feet, what are you going to do with it?” he said.

“My staff all know the homeless don’t get a day off — we have to be open 365 days a year — but serving them is what fills our cup.”

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FEATURES

“We got that first patient on Jan. 21. Since that day, we knew that PPE was going to be an issue, so we started telling anyone who would listen that we needed to act.” — Melissa Tizon, ’92

Alumna Helps Take PPE Campaign National

F

rom the moment COVID-19 was detected in the U.S., Melissa Tizon, ’92, knew big challenges lay ahead.

The associate vice president of national communication at Providence St. Joseph Health in Seattle, Washington, said the medical system was the first in the country to admit a known COVID-19 patient.

“We got that first patient on Jan. 21,” she said.

“Since that day, we knew that PPE was going to be an issue, so we started telling anyone who would listen that we needed to act.”

Discussions began to gain steam around potential shortages of personal protective equipment, or PPE, including medical-grade face masks and shields, to mitigate staff’s exposure to the virus. Cracks were starting to show in the supply chain, and the Providence St. Joseph network alone estimated it might need approximately 10 million masks to keep its care providers safe.

Hospital staff got to work, spending a weekend designing an OSHA-compliant face shield and then reverse-engineering a face mask. Add in the surgical wrap the hospital had on hand, and they were ready to launch the 100 Million Masks Project, sending kits to volunteers to help bridge the anticipated gap in supply and demand.

their factory over the course of 48 hours to produce masks and shields. Local companies such as Alaska Airlines and Nordstrom provided additional logistical and production support.

“It seems so basic, that we should be able to give a mask to every health care worker, but it took the combination of trying to find other sources and these other manufacturers who kind of came to our rescue,” Tizon said. “That made it possible for us to provide masks to everyone.”

At the same time, the 100 Million Masks Project started to gain momentum nationally, including mentions on CNN. Hospital administrators, Tizon said, appeared in the media to talk about the PPE shortage, hoping to shine a light on the struggles the system had faced in the early days of the pandemic. The American Hospital Association took the reins on the initiative, taking 100 Million Masks across the U.S. For Tizon, the experience was not just a story of how to get creative in the face of dire circumstances, but also a window into the ways that communities could band together to overcome them.

“We launched this campaign just trying to get help, but we didn’t realize how many people wanted to help,” she said. “In the midst of it, it gave me so much hope.”

But the project quickly snowballed — a local furniture manufacturer offered to help, converting

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Campus Ministry Proves to Be a Lifeline

T

he pandemic severed more than the ties many students had to the classroom — it also meant that student activities, at least in-person ones, ground to a halt.

Informal Zooms among students quickly became common, the bedroom at home standing in for the dorm hangout. And at the same time, staff at the University’s student-facing offices started brainstorming how to help students maintain a sense of community despite the newfound (social) distance between them.

For the campus ministry team, this meant, first and foremost, bringing students back from spring service immersion trips safely and making plans to offer essential services, such as Mass, virtually.

“Then it was time to take a breath and say, ‘What else can we do remotely?’” said Bill Kriege, director of campus ministry.

Their approach was twofold, reaching out to students one-on-one and organizing small group activities that could be done over Zoom. Both yielded some surprising results.

“We all started trying to call our students — it was just, ‘How the heck are you?’” he said. “And while they might not have picked up the phone in January, you better believe they did in March and April.”

But more than reconnecting with those who were already in campus ministry’s orbit, the pandemic brought new students into the fold, with new faces showing up on Zoom and unfamiliar voices on the phone.

To help students find the kind of spiritual enrichment they were looking for, campus ministry founded the Cura Communities, small groups built around discussion and reflection.

Senior Carrie Spanton said for her, Cura Community was a way to stay connected to the campus community — she knew one of the other students in her group, and another was someone she hadn’t previously met. As a nontraditional, commuter student, she said it was the kind of opportunity she doesn’t always have.

Led by a campus minister, Spanton said they would sometimes have music as part of the meetings, and then open up conversations. It wasn’t just about staying in touch with classmates, either — because of the unusual, often anxious circumstances of the time, Cura Communities were a place for students to try to heal, together.

“We started by saying an opening prayer and sharing our ‘ups and downs’ of the week and anything else we would like to add,” she said. “It was really great to hear about how other students were handling the same situation I was in. It was nice because it gave us a chance to identify how we were feeling, how we were dealing with it, and investigate why we may be feeling or doing these things.”

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FEATURES

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26

Alexis Brison, ’20 (Left), 2020 and Asia Hardy, ’19, showed their love for Rockhurst at the RU Rooftop Photo Opp event held in September.

SPECIAL EDITION

FOR ALUMNI

CLASS NOTES

from Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society.

’75 Pasquale Trozzolo,

semiretired from the company he founded, Trozzolo Communications Group, began writing poetry during the pandemic. His debut poetry chapbook, Before the Distance, is available for presale. During the presale period, all proceeds will be donated to JDRF to benefit type 1 diabetes research.

’78 Lee Mosby has retired after 42 years in commercial banking. ’81 Kathryn Hathorn Ballou has retired after a career that included serving as the dean and president of Saint Luke’s College of Health Science from 2007-10.

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’70 Lennis Echterling, Ph.D., received the Magis Medal

You’re part of the Rockhurst University community.

That means you belong to an organization that’s changing the world one leader at a time. Don’t miss out on news meant for you. Go to engage.rockhurst.edu/

register/update and update your information today.

Be sure to share your email address to receive the latest University and alumni news.

’86 Anthony Nebuloni recently launched a small business, ALEN Coordinations LLC, working both with listing real estate agents and respective clients to coordinate necessary and recommended services to prepare their homes for the market.

Elda de la Pena has been promoted to vice president, people and culture and chief human resources officer, at Tri-State Generation and Transmission Inc. She has been with the organization for 23 years.

’87 Marvin Anderson was part of a “Table of Experts” feature

’83 Dave Gordon retired after 29 years as administrator of Hillside

in the St. Louis Business Journal about the “Business Case for Inclusion.” He is currently a senior vice president and private client adviser with Bank of America Private Bank in St. Louis.

’85 Joe Daues was hired as CEO of Breast Cancer Foundation

‘89 Donald Rashid was accepted into the Graduate Certificate

’85, ’95 MBA Nancy Harris has been named chief financial officer of

’90 MBA Tom Yearsley joined the wealth management firm of

Medical Office in Wichita, Kansas.

of the Ozarks in July 2019. The organization provides emotional and financial support for families going through breast cancer treatment.

Fitzgibbon Hospital in Marshall, Missouri.

The editorial staff reserves the right to edit for content, accuracy and length, and cannot guarantee that items received will appear in the magazine.

Publication of an item does not constitute endorsement by Rockhurst University.

Publishing Institute at the University of Denver, held during the summer, though declined the spot due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rashid also accepted a position with the Omaha, Nebraska, office of Home Instead Senior Care.

Edward Jones as a financial adviser. He previously held a number of financial executive roles at H&R Block inclusive of leading the company's Investor Relations function, interacting with large, institutional shareholders and sell-side Wall Street analysts.

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’91 Marisa Wiruhayarn was the subject of a Q&A in Feast

Magazine centered on her experiences as a restauranteur and entrepreneur.

’01 Collin Larkins recently received a 15-year service award

from Disney Animation Studios. He is currently a senior crew manager for production technology and his most recent film credits have been Frozen 2 and Ralph Breaks The Internet and he is currently working on Raya and The Last Dragon.

’02 Krista Peters-Restoff is an RN at DePaul Hospital in

Jenny Schmitt was married in Hot Springs National Park to Stephen Merrill. Anna Connelly, ’10, and Jessica Duvall, ’10, ’13 DPT, were bridesmaids.

’04 Jonathan Adriano has been named a data/business

Royal Heights Elementary in Joplin, Missouri.

St. Louis, Missouri, and one of the many nurses on the front line during the COVID-19 virus.

’10 Nathan Stewart was selected to be the principal at

analyst for AdminaHealth.

Seth LaBean was named chief of staff of Aetna Better Health of Kansas.

’07 Cora (Eggen) Storms and Christopher Storms, ’10

’10, ’13 DPT Andrew O’Neill was profiled along with his wife, Shannon,

M.Ed., welcomed their daughter, Hope Marie Storms, on March 13, 2020.

in the Salina Journal. Both are health care practitioners in New York City amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.

Joe Wade and Cole Fegen, ’08, have established a law firm together, Fegen & Wade LLC, in Kansas City.

’08 Luciano Garofalo has received a Doctor of Naturopathic

’10, ’14 Molly (Smith) Spencer

Medicine from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon, and was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship in integrative medicine research at the University of Washington.

’09 Elizabeth (Hopkins) Gac gave birth to a son, Zachary Alexander Gac, on Dec. 19, 2019.

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SPECIAL EDITION 2020

and Brandon Spencer, ’16, welcomed their son, Ezra Allan Spencer, on Dec. 10, 2019.

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through your favorite social networks.

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FOR ALUMNI

QA

WITH DEBBIE ESPINOSA, MPS, CNP, ’98

Debbie Espinosa is president and CEO of FIND Food Bank in Southern California. She is one of 12 CEOs in the United States to serve on the National Council of Feeding America and she also serves on the Feeding America Equity, Diversity and Inclusion National Advisory Cabinet.

Q: What is FIND Food Bank?

A: FIND Food Bank is the Feeding America regional member food bank that serves the Palm Springs/Coachella Valley desert area in California. It is the largest hunger relief and food rescue organization in the area, with over 150 distribution sites, including soup kitchens, food pantries and mobile pantries. FIND distributes over 16 million meals annually to ensure that over 150,000 food insecure children, adults and seniors every month know where their next meal is coming from.

Q: How did the pandemic change the need for food assistance in your community?

A: The Palm Springs/Coachella Valley desert region is globally known for its amazing weather, world-class resorts, tourism and thriving agriculture industry.

At the onset of COVID-19, the area was just ramping up for its peak season of tourism and agriculture, where in six months, it brings in almost 75% of its total annual revenue. For the first time, both industries were furloughing or laying off large numbers of their employees, small businesses that supported the tourism industry were closing down, and we very quickly found that our food bank was now a first responder. On average we served 90,000 people per month pre-pandemic. By the fourth week of the pandemic, we were serving 190,000 people per month – an increase of more than 110%. I quickly made the decision to launch 22 additional rapid response mobile pantries.

Q: Can you tell us a story about a typical client of FIND Food Bank?

A: Many people believe that FIND’s clients are homeless.

However, there is no typical story of clients who are food insecure. With one in nine people in the United States

struggling with food insecurity, many we know may have chosen to skip meals regularly to help make ends meet.

Working people share with us how ashamed they feel for struggling to feed their kids, or giving up their own meal to ensure that their elderly parent in their care or their child has something to eat. My goal as the CEO of FIND is to always understand all of these stories and to ensure food barriers are removed and access to healthy meals is available for all regardless of circumstance.

Q: How did you come to this work?

A: I have served in the nonprofit sector for almost 30 years.

My start in this field was through youth leadership training in the Camp Fire USA programs, including serving as the vice president of youth leadership on their national board of directors. I was also in the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance program at Rockhurst, pairing my practical experience with a solid higher education program specifically geared to refine my understanding of the nonprofit sector.

Q: How does your Rockhurst education influence your work life?

A: The Jesuit value of service to others before self has always paired very well with my own personal values learned from my family. As my family are first-generation immigrants to the United States, from a developing country, our values of taking care of each other to ensure that we can all succeed together is always within me. Through seeing how Rockhurst was able to weave this value into the fabric of all aspects of the school, as a CEO I try to model this for my own organization – servant leadership, others before self and, most importantly, compassion and caring for others who need help.

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’13 M.ED. Garrett Griffin has published his second book, Why

America Needs Socialism: The Argument From Martin Luther King, Helen Keller, Albert Einstein, and Other Great Thinkers, through Ig Publishing in New York City.

’14 Charli Bultmann is the author of an editorial titled

“C-Reactive Protein testing in Late-Onset Neonatal Sepsis,” which was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association’s March issue.

Josh Goralski received the CNP of the Year Award in the “seasoned professional” category from the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance.

’14 Bill Brynda and Liz Schnelting, ’15, were married on

Nov. 9, 2019, at St Ambrose Catholic Church in St Louis, Missouri. Several Rockhurst University alumni were part of the wedding party or in attendance.

married Simon Clark, ’16, on Oct. 26, 2019.

Several Rockhurst alumni were in the wedding party and attended the wedding celebrations.

’16 Tim and Katarina Peak

were married Nov. 15, 2019, at St. Francis Xavier Church. University President the Rev. Thomas B. Curran, S.J., served as the officiant and a number of University alumni attended.

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Kansas City Comets indoor soccer team.

’18 Kaleb Jackson has been signed by Chattanooga FC for the 2020 season.

’19 Amanda Gulley was admitted into the mathematics Ph.D. program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for the fall of 2020, also working as a graduate teaching assistant.

Ana Palacio was named grants contract administrator at Guadalupe Centers Inc.

’19 MOT

Anne Halsted works at Tristar Summit Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

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’15 Megan Nitchals

’17 Nick McDonald has signed a contract with the

SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE We’d love to hear from you.

Submit a class note online at engage.rockhurst.edu/register/update

FOR ALUMNI

CAREER CENTER WAYS

to Stay Visible as Remote Work Becomes the Norm FROM KELLY (TYLER) BYRNES, ’92 MBA

Early expectations that the pandemic would end and things would go back to normal have dissipated. Now, it is clear: there is no going back. A recent Gartner poll showed that nearly 50% of employees will likely work remotely at least part of the time after COVID-19. But remote work does not mean being remote — here are some ways to stay engaged, even from home.

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SHINE IN MEETINGS. In the old days, one could shine by fake nodding in support of everything the head honchos said. Now, you can shine by keeping your camera on for virtual meetings. Go a few steps further by doing the following: be dressed in minimally (at least) professional attire, simplify the scene behind you, sit up and pay attention, be prepared for the topics, and speak up to add to the meeting. It is harder for attention hogs to take over virtual meetings because you can literally wave or digitally wave using the response indicators in the platform.

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BOOK ONE-ON-ONES. Schedule time regularly with three constituents: Your immediate supervisor, to discuss what is going on now, what is new, and what is coming next for you both as well as to look for opportunities to take initiative; your team, whether you have a team of direct reports or a project team, to ensure their needs are met; and your peers, to continue, or deepen, the bond built over daily in-person communication.

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PLAN SOCIAL EVENTS. Use virtual tools or safely planned in-person events to engage in non-work events. These enable you to showcase leadership and team skills, while engaging in a genuine way with your colleagues.

Some ideas include offering to clean at a local nonprofit, hosting a virtual fundraiser, or a happy hour that includes a silent auction of company merch or unique household items.

MEET THE EXPERT Kelly (Tyler) Byrnes, ’92 MBA, is currently an adjunct professor in Rockhurst University’s MBA program and an executive coach for the executive MBA program. Outside of Rockhurst, Byrnes is the founder of Voyage Consulting Group.

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EXPAND YOUR INTERNAL NETWORK. Build your network genuinely through your participation in the company’s internal communication channel — send a welcome note to new employees, participate in events, seek an internal mentor, and serve as an internal mentor.

SHINE A LIGHT ON OTHERS. Invite others to help you plan external events, to join your team for the new initiative, and to share their work in meetings. When you help others stay visible, they will return the favor. Be genuine about it, and it will help you learn, network, and achieve your goals.

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IN MEMORIAM

The Rev. Peter Ely, S.J., died April 11. He was ordained as a member of the Society of Jesus in 1969 and served as the 12th president of Rockhurst University, succeeding the Rev. Thomas J. Savage, S.J., following his retirement in 1996. Following his departure from Rockhurst in 1997, Fr. Ely returned to Washington state as part of the Jesuit community at Seattle University.

Charles F. Baker, ’44 – April 4 Herbert F. Ziegler Jr., ’44 – Sept. 10 Edward P. O’Connor Sr., ’45 – Jan. 24 Dr. John I. Hense, ’47 – Aug. 4 Robert E. Turgeon, ’48 – Sept. 25 Victor S. Cropis, ’49 – April 17 Dr. Braham J. Geha, ’49 – May 14 Dr. Edward L. LeCluyse, ’49 – March 14 Ross H. Bailey, ’50 – March 20 Thomas J. O’Brien, ’50 – June 27 Dr. Timothy T.J. Dalton, ’51 – Jan. 25 William J. Hadel, ’51 – Jan. 27 Rev. John B. Kennedy, ’51 – Aug. 7 William B. Korth, ’51 – March 19 Thomas J. Thorpe, ’51 – June 30 Jerry L. McWhirter, ’52 – Feb. 14 John D. Denzer, ’53 – Feb. 27 Vern L. Heiman, ’53 – June 29 Rev. Alexander B. Sinclair, ’53 – Sept. 23 Donald L. Chapman, ’54 – Aug. 8 William S. Harries, ’54 – June 12 James B. Jordan, ’55 – June 7 James W. Rice, ’55 – July 26 Matthew T. Kearney, ’56 – Aug. 4 Robert L. Yeats, ’56 – June 9 Charles F. Clinton, ’58 – May 6 Joseph F. Nemecek Jr., ’58 – July 8 Daniel L. Peterson, ’59 – May 21 James E. Moran, ’60 – May 5 Theodore M. Zahn, ’60 – March 30 William C. Caulk, ’61 – July 27 Billy V. Douglas, ’61 – Aug. 29

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Maj. (Ret.) Albert E. Gorsky, ’61 – Feb. 12 Charles E. Shumate, ’61 – April 24 Joseph W. Gubera, ’62 – Feb. 18 Robert J. Godbout, ’63 – Jan. 29 Jack L. McComb, ’64 – July 16 Joseph M. Molinaro, ’64 – May 15 Rev. Ralph E. Nolan, ’64 – May 8 Charles M. Curtis, ’65 – June 25 Alan E. Fuchs, ’65 – July 28 Robert J. Banken, ’66 – March 9 John R. Flanagan Jr., ’66 – July 26 Thomas M. McBrien, ’68 – June 4 Gary E. Hartegan, ’69 – June 21 Donald E. Emig, ’70 – Aug. 13 William G. Jones, ’70 – June 11 James E. English, ’72 – March 6 John H. Hanrahan, ’72 – April 14 Kenneth J. Benskin, ’73 – Feb. 26 Michael C. O'Laughlin, ’73 – Sept. 22 Gail A. Cochran, ’74 – July 24 Donald Borelli, ’75 – March 7 Eugene D. Franke, ’75 – Jan. 8 Carolyn L. Hertha, ’75 – Feb. 16 Michael J. Gramlich, ’76 – Aug. 3 Spencer S. Hecox, ’76 – Sept. 9 Patrick E. McCreary, ’76 – March 8 John W. Schmidt, ’76 – Feb. 15 Emmitt Mitchem, ’78 – May 29 Judith K. Wilson, ’78 – July 3 Howard D. Bailey, ’79 – March 31 Roy D. Boykins, ’79 – Jan. 2 John R. Verhoff, ’80 – April 28

P. Michael Duckett, ’81 – July 2 Elizabeth A. Saluzzi, ’81 – March 14 James A. Watson, ’81 – June 7 John T. Kelly, ’82 – Aug. 31 Gregory M. Allison, ’83 – Aug. 29 Keith A. Wenzel, ’83 – Aug. 14 Robert A. Goldsbury, ’84 – Jan. 25 Nancy McPheeters, ’85 – Feb. 12 Kathryn A. Riscoe, ’85 – April 9 Donna A. Ashley, ’87 – Jan. 16 Caroline Evans Wall, ’87 – March 22 William J. Dufner, ’89 – Sept. 29 J. Philip Jacob, ’89 – Jan. 7 William C. Groth, ’90 – Aug. 10 Dan Haymons, ’90 – May 27 Nancy E. Ohmes, ’90 – April 14 Susan D. Spivey, ’91 – Jan. 21 Rosemary A. VanHaaren, ’91 – May 15 Roger G. Helt, ’92 – Jan. 14 Dale H. Kirby, ’94 – Aug. 2 Roberto C. Lopez, ’95 – May 12 Jennifer K. Marr, ’95 – Oct. 9 Margaret L. Nygren, ’95 – Feb. 18 Eric S. Miller, ’99 – June 1 James C. Sbarro, ’99 – June 26 Celestine M. Scott, ’99 – Aug. 21 Richard M. Garza, ’00 – July 12 Rita L. Hallowell, ’00 – March 6 Sara A. Markworth, ’02 – March 26 Elizabeth B. Williams, ’03 – May 18 Scott Janeczko, ’05 – Aug. 4 Joseph Snyder, ’14 – July 24 Stuart Hilton, ’19 – March 10

FOR ALUMNI

New Program Pairs New Grads With Young Alumni

T

hose first few months following graduation can be stressful ones, filled with the intricacies of navigating that first job and building the independence of adulthood.

Add a global pandemic and the resulting recession and that anxiety can be even more acute. But the new Alumni Companionship Program from the Rockhurst University alumni team is designed to help new graduates with the transition to the next steps in their careers and lives by pairing them with a member of the young-alumni community.

It’s the type of mentorship relationship that Chris Booker, ’18, ’19 MBA, said he wished he’d had when he was a student.

“I thought of it as an awesome opportunity, because there are a lot of unknowns,” he said. “I’ve been in her shoes and I wish someone could have told me some of the things I know now.”

Grey Wise, ’19, and Chris Booker, ’18, ’19 MBA

Booker, a CPA at KPMG, was paired with Grey Wise, who completed her undergraduate degree in December 2019 and is now in the final semester of her MBA program. The pair have met several times already. Wise said their conversations have been really helpful, touching on everything from what work looks like during a pandemic to how to forge networking connections to start a career.

“We kind of talked about anything and everything,” she said. “I have a lot of really good mentors in the industry, but they’ve been in the industry for a long time. It’s given me the opportunity to meet somebody who can help with taking those first career steps.”

2004RETRO

ROCKHURST

On March 25, 2004, construction work prepared the way for a new loading dock on the back of Massman Hall, along with a porch to accommodate spectators taking in the action on Bourke Field. The project also meant the demise of the greenhouse that once sat atop the southeast corner of the building.

HAWK HANGOUT

Ryan O’Hara, ’98 (left), and Alex Brickner, ’92 (right), played in the Farmers Insurance Open Pro-Am with Gary Woodland (center), 2019 U.S. Open Champion.

The event was held in January 2020 in San Diego.

After you leave the Rockhurst University campus, you remain a Hawk for life. Connect with Hawks in your hometown by checking the calendar at rockhurst.edu/alumni. Looking to organize a Rockhurst gathering where you live?

Contact Brent Blazek at brent.blazek@rockhurst.edu.

ROCKHURST.EDU

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?

WHERE ARE THEY NOW ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: NICK ARMAN, ’16

Experience As a Hawk Fuels PGA Drive

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Nick Arman, ’16

ick Arman, ’16, grew up playing the game of golf.

His father was an avid golfer, and he said he was holding a club for as long as he can remember. Longer, actually.

“There’s pictures of me swinging when I was two years old,” he said. “I was playing since I could walk.”

Even so, Arman said he never anticipated trying to go pro — until his junior year at Rockhurst. That year, as part of the Hawks golf squad, Arman said everything clicked.

That was when he began to consider pursuing a professional career after college.

“I knew if I could keep playing like that, I could have a shot,” he said.

So, accounting degree in hand, Arman has done just that, entering tournaments across the U.S. hoping to earn a spot on the PGA Tour. Sometimes on the road for months at a time, Arman said he feels he has the skill to succeed on his best days. In July, he shot 11-under 60 at the TPC San Antonio Championship at the Oaks, a score that earned him a spot on the Korn Ferry Tour, a stepping stone for the PGA. Moving forward, Arman said he hopes to build on those outstanding performances — consistency is key to earning a spot on the PGA Tour.

The COVID-19 pandemic has, in some ways, made that goal more difficult. Some tournaments have been canceled, while travel restrictions have made others all but impossible to get to. And the Qualifying School for the PGA Tour has been canceled this year. But Arman said he’s still able to drive between some tournaments and events and, while the schedule can be tiring, he said it’s never a slog.

“I definitely still love it,” he said. “I still look forward every day to being out there and I feel weird if I don’t practice.”

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HIRE A HAWK

SPECIAL EDITION 2020

rockhurst.edu/hireahawk Looking for the perfect addition to your team?

Contact Rockhurst University’s Career Services to connect with RU alumni and students looking to start their careers and secure internships.

FOR ALUMNI

EVERYDAY LEADERS JuneteenthKC Grows Despite Pandemic, Thanks to RU Alumna

D

espite a heightened interest in this year’s celebration, the program director for JuneteenthKC, Makeda Peterson, ’12, made the difficult decision to go virtual.

For her, this was a matter of moral responsibility. It was a leap of faith, and the work wouldn’t be easy.

“I realized very early on that it was going to be a lot more of a process, especially since we wanted to provide fresh content throughout the entire month of June.”

Juneteenth, a celebration commemorating the official end of slavery in the U.S., typically takes place on June 19, the day in 1865 in which the last slaves were notified of their emancipation. This year, Peterson pushed to make it a monthlong affair with online events that ranged in their function: some educational, some celebratory and some existing primarily to help others.

“We are providing a service to the community — and really right now the world,” said Peterson.

Peterson has been working with JuneteenthKC for nearly a decade.

Starting at Rockhurst with the Black Student Union, she and her peers planned community resource events during the month of June. She filed for tax-exempt status in 2012, the year she graduated, and has been growing the organization part-time since.

Peterson’s primary job is with Front Porch Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to helping the children and families of Kansas City’s East Side, and it is with this organization she forged many of her

Makeda Peterson, ’12

connections. These relationships made it possible for this year’s Juneteenth celebration to be bigger than ever before.

JuneteenthKC’s virtual programming had visitors from Japan, India and Germany. One highlight of the event was a panel discussion featuring the directors of the six-part Netflix documentary Who Killed Malcolm X? Other activities included livestreamed performances, a mobile pantry tour and additional workshops. As the event came together, so too did the sponsors.

“We are providing a service to the community — and really right now the world.”

—Makeda Peterson ’12

It is clear that Peterson and her colleagues passionately believe in their work with JuneteenthKC, and the community rallied around them.

“The feeling of genuine love, of coming together and of community — that is what JuneteenthKC is about.”

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IN CLOSING Finding the Calm Within

BY ZACK ZOLTEK, ’20

C

ollege is a time for change and transformation.

One finds oneself within the grip of uncertainty — a new environment that is complete with a new set of peers, expectations, living conditions and, most importantly, a new set of challenges. Many of the obstacles that a college student faces are quite new, but there is a familiar one that is all but universal among incoming freshmen — this little thing called “anxiety.”

For myself, as a new alumnus, those anxiety-inducing situations that I found myself in as an undergraduate are still fresh in my mind — memories of frosh weekend, cramming for finals, finding my place among my peers and putting myself out there to find my support groups.

General anxiety with respect to unknown situations is normal and to be expected, but on a personal note I found myself being far more anxious in a more general sense with respect to the University and my classes. There was an underlying sense of “unease” as I walked the campus, despite having already found my place within the community. Throughout both my freshman and sophomore years I never made any strides in addressing this anxiety, but at the start of my junior year I finally had enough.

I was tired of making the transition from a carefree, enjoyable summer into a school semester that was more mentally strenuous than it needed to be. I resolved to be a better friend to myself by seeking out ways in which I might overcome my anxiousness.

To recount the exact path I took and the various remedies and tools that I utilized along the way would be far too long a process, but I can tell you first and foremost that

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the two most important things that helped me more than anything else was meditation and prayer. One pill that I had to swallow near the beginning of my journey was that my anxiety could not be eliminated like an antibiotic eliminates an infection. I needed to learn how to live with it and meditation helped me do exactly that. Through meditation, I was training myself to be more in-tune with the present moment — the now. In doing this, I was able to realize the effects that anxiety was having on me and I found that I was better able to navigate it. Thinking clearly despite anxiety enables me to have more authentic actions and reactions. This leads to more clarity regarding the personal goals that I set in my life. When I am able to think clearly in spite of whatever anxiety may be present, I have found that I am able to act in a more sincere way, which generates truthful responses from whomever I am engaging in conversation. This process creates a snowball effect until I find myself calm and collected in those same situations that used to cause anxiety.

When my senior year began, it was obvious that my generalized anxiety had been drastically reduced. In fact, I had made such incredible strides that when I was flown out to California for a full day of interviews with Google (the company I now work for), I noticed after the fact just how remarkably calm I had been during the entire ordeal — a final personal testament that said, “you’re not the same as you were before.”

Zack Zoltek graduated in 2020 from Rockhurst University with degree in applied mathematics and computer science.

He is currently a software engineer at Google.

TIME AND PLACE

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 53RD AND TROOST AVENUE Members of the Rockhurst University community joined with individuals and church members from throughout the city to observe Juneteenth by uniting for an hour of prayer along Kansas City’s traditional racial dividing line. (From left) Terri Haines, assistant to the dean of the College of Health and Human Services, Kris Vacek, OTD, dean of the College of Health and Human Services

UPCOMING EVENTS We’re as close as your favorite device —

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UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENTS* Rockhurst Reads Online Book Club | August 6 - October 8 Creating a Home for All: Panel Discussion on Race and Justice | September 9 Celebrate RU Day of Giving | September 15 Networking Night | October 1 College Basketball Tip Off | October 22 OCT. 26-NOV. 22 SocialDEC. 2 ON SALE DEC. 7 For more

Running in Someone Virtual Alumni Medical ROCKin’ Recipes Else’s Shoesand Virtual Network E-Cookbook submission information to 5K register visitSymposium rockhurst.edu/alumni.

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*For the safety of you and our campus, we have decided to postpone Family & holiday recipe here Alumni Weekend 2020. Please join us for our many upcoming virtual listed to be included in our events holiday ›››››››››››››››››››› Be sure to check your email more e-cookbook. will go ways above. Continue to check our website at for rockhurst.edu/alumni forCookbook additional holiday-related content and virtual programs. on sale beginning Dec. 7. to be involved virtually.

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