| Rockford University | |
| Former Names: | Rockford Female Seminary (1847–1892) Rockford College (1892–2013) |
| President: | Patricia Lynott |
| Motto: | Decus et Veritas (Latin) |
| Mottoeng: | Honor and Truth |
| Country: | U.S. |
| Students: | 1,181 (Fall 2022)[1] |
| Faculty: | 72 full-time faculty and 135 part-time |
| Campus: | Suburban, |
| Mascot: | Reggie the Regent |
| Sports Nickname: | Regents |
| Colors: | Purple & white |
Rockford University is a private university in Rockford, Illinois. It was founded in 1847 as Rockford Female Seminary and changed its name to Rockford College in 1892, and to Rockford University in 2013.
Rockford Female Seminary was founded in 1847 as the sister college of Beloit College, which had been founded the year before. The seminary's initial campus was on the east side of the Rock River, south of downtown Rockford. Anna Peck Sill served as principal for the first 35 years.
In 1890, the seminary's trustees voted to offer a full college curriculum, which led to the name changing to Rockford College in 1892.
Men were first granted admission to the university at the beginning of the 1955–1956 school year. At about this time, the school requested that the City of Rockford close parts of a street adjoining the campus.
In 1984 Rockford College founded Regent's College in London, now Regent's University London.
On October 2, 2012, the board of trustees voted unanimously to rename the college as a university. The trustees did so because the institution has many different academic departments. On July 1, 2013, the institution officially became Rockford University.[2]
Patricia Lynott has served as the university's president since 2022.[3]
The University held a business summit June 29, 2023, that included presidents of the Rockford Hard Rock Casino and OSF St. Anthony Medical Center.[4]
The university offers approximately 80 majors, minors and concentrations, including the adult accelerated degree completion program for a B.S. in Management Studies. Through its Graduate Studies department, degree include the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), and a Master of Education (MEd).
The university is organized into three colleges:
The university offers an Honors Program in Liberal Arts & Sciences. Also housed within the university are the Center for Nonprofit Excellence and the Center for Learning Strategies.
The Rockford University Regents are Division III members of the NCAA. Teams compete independently or as members of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.
The university fields men's teams in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, soccer, and track and field, and women's teams in basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, track and field, and volleyball.