Famous Rocks

Last week, Rockhurst hosted a reception for a former dean of the Helzberg School. I was delighted to finally meet a man I had heard a lot about--Father Nick Rashford. Among other things Rashford founded the Executive Fellows program back in 1978. Several of the graduates who he taught or interacted with were at the reception to pay tribute to someone they thought quite a bit about.

While Father Rashford's accomplishments go well beyond Rockhurst (he went on to a long tenure as President of St. Joe University), it is worth noting the legacy he left here at Rockhurst. The Fellows program now has about 800 alums and many of them have gone on to distinguished business careers. These graduates have had impact on thousands of people that work with and for them. Further, I know Rashford had an impact on the faculty he worked with and hired; some of those faculty have been instrumental in furthering management education and development in consulting and professional roles outside the fellows -- impacting thousands more lives.

Father Rashford, thanks for the legacy you built all those years ago.

They know how to move you in

Okay, I need to quickly catch up with the new school year. At the VERY beginning of this year I had my first experience with college move-in -- as a dad. A college is a big enterprise, but I now have a greater appreciation for how well the College does this function (You could say it is one of their core functions, which is easily missed by academics like me who think narrowly about their subject and knowledge acquisition). Such a convergence of people, objects, and things (on a hot day) seems like a recipe for chaos -- but it all worked quite smoothly even for someone doing it for the first time. You see, the university understands the import of this event and is well armed with volunteers and personnel to help at every step.

Of course, it is the parents who need it (support) most as they deal with the combined emotions of relief and fear . . . the kids dive right in. And even though I have the "advantage" of working on campus and not all that far from my student as other parents (though I doubt we cross paths that much with my perch "way over" in Conway Hall -- like other parents I suppose I will depend on her cell phone to let me know how she is doing), I felt a lot more relief than anything. I did, however, leave with the thought of her giving up a nice comfortable room at home for the smaller dorm room with bunk beds or a loft . . . I guess I have simply gotten old and lost my desire for adventure.