by Sr. Patty Owens, ASC
Generations of alumni and donors came together the evening of April 21, 2026, for Newman University’s (NU) 2026 Legacy Awards Banquet. Celebrated were Srs. Janet Rowley, Alumni Award recipient and Vicki Bergkamp, St. John Henry Cardinal Newman Medal Honoree, the University’s highest honor. They were recognized among four other alumni as well as many loyal donors who have made a college education path possible for students at NU.
Sister Janet received the Beata Netemeyer Service Award, honoring a lifetime of service across education, ministry and community life. Fellow graduates of Sacred Heart Academy nominated her, one describing her as a person who “has endeavored throughout her life to serve children, families, young adults, the homeless, the aged and all those who have a chance to meet her.”
In response to reception of the award Sr. Janet said “this award is about all of the Adorers, who have lived pretty ordinary lives, tried to change with the times, and respond to God’s call to community and service in the church. Over the years we have used our gifts and talents in ways like other lay men and women, recognizing that work isn’t just about a career, but as John Henry Newman wrote: ‘God has committed some work to me which God has not permitted to another.’”
Thank you, for all of the Adorers.
For more than six decades, Sr. Vicki has served Newman as a faculty member, trustee,
administrator and community leader, even stepping in as acting president in 1988. In 2018 she was elected as the leader of the Adorers’ U.S. Region. “We know that the type of event being held this evening celebrates Newman University as the community it strives to be each day.
While this honor is given to a person, I want to acknowledge that who I am and have been over these many years is influenced so much by the five generations of my family, my religious community, my faculty and staff I worked with, by the students, and so many members of the Wichita community. It is amazing how NU is known and celebrated in the U.S. and other locations in the world.” Sister Vicki will also deliver the university’s commencement address on May 16.
Vice President of Institutional Advancement Bob Beumer aptly noted about the ASC Sisters: “Your belief in providing educational opportunities to those who may not have them led you to start this university and continues to be our guiding light.”
