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Rockhurst University

Contact 

Rev. Kevin Cullen, S.J., Vice President for Mission and Ministry, 816-501-4599,
kevin.cullen@rockhurst.edu

Mission Statement

"Rockhurst University exists to transform lives by creating a learning community, centered on excellence in undergraduate liberal education and graduate education. Rockhurst is Catholic and Jesuit, involved in the life and growth of the city and the region, and committed to the service of the contemporary world."
 
Structure

The Vice President for Mission and Ministry reports directly to the President and is responsible for "increasing the awareness and experience of the Jesuit heritage within the University."  The Vice President supervises both the Mission and Ministry Office, the Campus Ministry Office, and the Service Trips Coordinator. 

Orientation Programs for new faculty, staff, and students

Mission and identity is a central factor in new faculty interviewing and hiring. Our department is a part of every faculty hire, and most staff hires.
Orientation of all new employees includes a mission and identity component. The orientation sessions for new faculty are done over the course of their first year of teaching in collaboration with our Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.  The orientation session for new staff occurs once in collaboration with Human Resources.

New and transfer undergraduate students receive mission and identity information during the Orientation Weekend and through the Freshmen Seminar classes.  There is a prior orientation for the student leaders who lead us through the Orientation Weekend.  The families of first year students also receive Mission information during Orientation Weekend.  For first year students, there is a common book read over the summer and its themes are integrated into the Freshman Seminar classes.

We also hold orientation programs for university regents and board of trustee members.

Ongoing Educational Programs for faculty and staff

There are both local and national programs centered on deepening the Mission and Values, Ignatian Spirituality, the living history and culture of the Society of Jesus, and the tradition of Jesuit/Catholic higher education.  Each semester, faculty and staff discuss the current issue of Conversations magazine.  The University sponsors the Catholic Studies Lecture Series and the Visiting Scholars Lecture Series on Catholic and Jesuit issues.  

Multiple times during the year, staff members have an opportunity to attend “Mission Moments” to learn more about and reflect upon the Rockhurst mission, Jesuit education, and/or Ignatian spirituality.

Rockhurst University participates in the Heartland/Delta Conference, Heartland/Delta Faculty Conversations, the Collegium summer seminar on Catholic intellectual life, the AJCU Seminar on Justice Conference, Ignatian Colleagues Program and Seminar on Higher Education Leadership.

There is a mission component to every Board of Trustee's meeting and retreat. 

Integration of Mission and Identity into the Curriculum and Academic Programs

As part of its current strategic planning, the University is reviewing and evaluating how mission-related issues are a component in academic planning and programming.   Academic Affairs, with the VP for Academics, the Deans and department chairs are responsible for this internal conversation.  As a support to them, each year our office joins every department for an intentional reflection upon our Mission and Values, focused on how those values are recognized and integrated into the culture of the university through that particular department’s work and manner of proceeding.
We are beginning our self study for the north central commission on higher education recertification process.  I am sure that reflective process will be helpful in critically examining the data we have for the integration of our mission in the academic programs.

Student Related Identity and Mission Programs

Campus Ministry offers programs, as does Student Development, which relate to our Mission and Values.  Leadership formation for students, service opportunities, and reflection skills are part of many of those programs.  Campus Ministry supports Christian Life Communities as a strong component of the student experience.  Christian Life Communities provide a process for reflection and discernment for our students.
In Student Life our clubs are asked to incorporate and support our university’s core values within their charters and works.

Ignatian Heritage Programs

 Learning

Through the St. Thomas More Center for Catholic Studies, we offer a course on the Jesuits.  The proposal for the development of that course, into four different courses is being examined by the curriculum committee.  Other programs, like on Discernment, exist outside of the classroom settings.

 Leadership

The University has completed a white paper on Leadership in the Jesuit Tradition.  We are currently examining how our courses and co-curricular activities embody and build on these leadership principals.

Spiritual Exercises/Retreats

The University offers "The Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life" annually through the Ignatian Spirituality Program at St. Francis Xavier Parish.  Other directed prayer experiences based on the Exercises—such as the "Busy Persons" retreat and mornings of reflections—are offered regularly.

We continue to grow times for reflection on our mission and values with faculty and staff.  For faculty, we currently host New Faculty Retreat, Early Career Faculty Retreat (pre-tenure) and Wisdom Faculty Retreat (25 years plus).  For staff, we have Early Career Retreat and Wisdom Retreat.

The religious diversity of Rockhurst is celebrated through interfaith services and other ecumenical opportunities. Small prayer groups and directed prayer experiences are open to faculty, staff, and students. 

Service

The Center for Service Learning and the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning prepares our faculty for incorporating service learning into their courses.

Service Trips are coordinated through our Office.  We have a coordinator who works with our students, faculty and staff who participate in these immersion experiences.  Graduate and Professional Schools offer trips through their courses as well.

Our students graduate with a transcript of their service, which is structured through our Center for Service Learning.
 
Assessment and Evaluation

As part of its current strategic planning, the University is examining how better to assess and evaluate mission-related issues in all areas of the University.
An example would include: in response to time off requests for seminar opportunities, retreat opportunities and service opportunities, we created and implement a Mission Leave Policy for all employees.
Most assessment takes place in evaluations after programs, in committee reflection upon goals and action steps to accomplish stated goals and in the annual review process (on the strategic plan and on personnel reviews).  We utilize the expertise of the personnel in our Center for Institutional Assessment.

Resources [printed, audiovisual, online]

Video:
• Shared Vision series,
• Rockhurst University: The Power of Education

Publications:
• Coming to Terms with the Mission: The Catholic and Jesuit University in America, John J. Callahan, S.J.
• First Principles: The Jesuit Tradition in Higher Education, John J. Callahan, S.J.
• A President's Comments on the Mission, E. Edward Kinerk, S.J.
• Learning, Leadership and Service in the Jesuit Tradition, E. Edward Kinerk, S.J.
• The Catholic Identity of Rockhurst University, E. Edward Kinerk, S.J.
• The Mission and Values of Rockhurst University, compilation
• Being Part of the Mission
• Mission / Vision / Values
• An Ignatian Spirituality Reader, ed. George Traub, S.J.
• A Jesuit Education Reader, ed. George Traub, S.J.

Posted 7/26/2010