Creighton University

Creighton University
Latin: Universitas Creightoniana
Motto	Willing to Lead
Established	1878
Type	private
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic (Jesuit)
Endowment	$317 million[1]
President	Timothy Lannon, S.J.
Academic staff	734 full-time; 226 part-time
Students	7,730[2]
Undergraduates	4,153
Postgraduates	3,577
Location	Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Campus	Urban, 132 acres (53 ha)
Colors	White & Blue
Athletics	NCAA Division I
Nickname	Bluejays
Mascot	Billy the Bluejay
Affiliations	MISSOURI VALLEY
Website	http://www.creighton.edu

Coordinates: 41°15′53.22″N 95°56′59.40″W / 41.2647833°N 95.949833°W / 41.2647833; -95.949833 Creighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Creighton is the largest private religious university in Nebraska.^[3]

Sitting on a 132-acre (53 ha)^[4] campus just outside Omaha's downtown business district, the university currently enrolls about 7,730 graduate and undergraduate students.

Academics

The current schools and colleges at Creighton are:

• College of Arts & Sciences
• College of Business Administration
• School of Nursing
• School of Dentistry
• School of Medicine
• School of Pharmacy & Health Professions
• School of Law
• Graduate School
• University College

The College of Arts & Sciences is the largest school, boasting about 35% of the university's enrollment.^[5] Though Creighton offers some Ph.D. degrees, it is considered a "Master's level" university by U.S. News & World Report due to its undergraduate emphasis. This same magazine consistently ranks the school #1 in the Midwestern Regional Universities category. Creighton's School of Law program of Dispute Resolution has climbed to the rank of 12th in the nation.^[6]

In 2006, PC Magazine and The Princeton Review ranked Creighton as the 5th most "wired" university in the country.^[7]

Creighton boasts an undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 11-to-1 as well as 33 endowed chairs in various disciplines. Creighton University is included among colleges and universities that produced the most 2009–2010 U. S. Fulbright Fellows. The University also has had students awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship each year from 2006 to 2010.^[5]

History

The university was founded as Creighton College on September 2, 1878 through a gift from Mary Lucretia Creighton, who stipulated in her will that a school be established in memory of her husband, prominent Omaha businessman Edward Creighton. Edward's brother, John A. Creighton, is credited with fostering and sustaining the university's early growth and endowment.

Athletics

Main article: Creighton Bluejays

Creighton men's basketball home game, Qwest Center Omaha.

Creighton competes in NCAA Division I athletics, within the Missouri Valley Conference. Nicknamed the Bluejays (or Jays), Creighton fields 14 teams in eight sports. Bruce Rasmussen is the Director of Athletics.

The men's basketball team is the most popular athletic program at Creighton. The Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team has led the Missouri Valley Conference in attendance each of the last seven years, while ranking in the top-15 nationally each of the past four campaigns. They play all home games at Qwest Center Omaha. Greg McDermott is the program's current head coach. Famous basketball alums include Paul Silas, Benoit Benjamin and Kyle Korver, while famous former Bluejay coaches include Eddie Sutton and Willis Reed.

In addition, the women's basketball team won the WNIT championship in 2004. They play all home games on campus at the new D. J. Sokol Arena.

The men's soccer team maintained an impressive stream of 17 straight NCAA tournament appearances, between 1992 and 2008, before the streak was snapped in 2009. During that time, the Bluejays made three College Cup appearances, including one championship game appearance (2000). They play all home games on campus at Morrison Stadium. Johnny Torres was a two-time National Player of the Year with the Bluejays.

Creighton's baseball team has one appearance in the NCAA College World Series (1991). Creighton also serves as the annual host institution of this event. They play all home games at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Jim Hendry, the former general manager of the Chicago Cubs, was Creighton's head coach for its 1991 CWS appearance. The program's graduates include Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson.

The women's softball team has two appearances in the Women's College World Series (1982 & 1986), and has appeared in six of the past eight NCAA Tournaments. Tara Oltman (2007–2010), the best pitcher in MVC history, was a three-time league Pitcher of the Year and finished her career with conference records for wins, innings pitched, starts, appearances, strikeouts and complete games. She remains the only student-athlete in Bluejay history to earn first-team all-conference honors in four consecutive seasons.

In addition to its success on the court/field/course, Creighton is well-known for its student-athlete success in the classroom as well. The program has won the MVC All-Academic Award in five of the past six years, and the school boasts 30 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans all-time.

Demographics

Creighton's total enrollment is 7,385, of which 4,133 are undergraduates. For the 2010–2011 academic year, 20 percent of Creighton’s freshman class is first-generation college students and 25 percent is students of color. Fifty-seven percent of the freshman class is from more than 200 miles (320 km) away from Omaha; 38 percent is from more than 400 miles (640 km) away.^[8]

Student clubs and organizations

The university has more than 200 student organizations in various fields of interest:^[9]

St. John's Church, on Creighton's campus.

Selected academic honor societies

• Alpha Sigma Nu – Jesuit Honor society
• Sigma Pi Sigma – physics
• Psi Chi – psychology
• Phi Sigma – biology
• Phi Sigma Tau – philosophy
• Pi Sigma Alpha – political science
• Sigma Tau Delta – English
• Beta Alpha Psi – accounting
• Eta Sigma Phi – classics
• Alpha Psi Omega – theatre

Student government

• Creighton Students Union (CSU) has served as the official voice of the student body to university administration since 1922. CSU also promotes and sponsors campus events and supports other student organizations. CSU was formerly known as the Student Board of Governors.^[10]
• Each school has its own separate student advising body for strictly academic affairs.
• Inter Residence Hall Government (IRHG) was formed in 1984 by Steven Conroy and serves as the student voice for all students living on Creighton's campus. IRHG provides a cohesive structure which brings all of Creighton's residence halls together to enhance the Creighton experience through sponsoring large programs and legislative actions.^[11]

Student Center for Service and Justice

The Creighton Center for Service and Justice (CCSJ) engages students in community service, reflection and action on behalf of justice and sustainability as an integral part of their Jesuit, Catholic university education. The Center promotes weekly local community service projects, Fall and Spring Break service trips, student leadership development and education about contemporary justice issues to serve this purpose. The 7 pillars include: Service, Justice, Community, Simplicity, Reflection, Solidarity, and Sustainability. The center helped develop the Cortina Community, an intentional living sophomore community.

Performing arts

• Several vocal groups exist. The Department of Fine and Performing Arts, within the College of Arts and Sciences, houses a Chamber Choir (selective), Gospel Choir, Jazz Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, Orchestra and University Chorus. The men's a cappella ensemble is known as the Creightones.
• The Creighton Dance Company sports an eclectic repertoire drawing on classical ballet, contemporary and modern dance, jazz and musical theatre dance.
• The Department of Fine and Performing Arts offers undergraduate degrees in Art, Dance, Music, Theatre, and Musical Theatre.
• Several theatrical productions are held each year in the University’s Lied Education Center for the Arts.^[12]

Student media

• The student newspaper, the Creightonian, has been published every Friday during the school year since 1924. Student reporters, editors, photographers and designers produce the paper, covering campus news, features, sports, entertainment, opinion and photos. In 2007 and 2008, the Creightonian was named top college newspaper in Nebraska in the Nebraska Press Association contest. Staff members won numerous individual awards. The Creightonian was named a finalist for the 2007 and 2010 Pacemaker Award, one of the top awards in college journalism.^[13]
• Creighton's literature and arts publication Shadows, recently received one of college journalism’s top honors, a 2007 Silver Crown award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA). Shadows, which is published twice a year, selects literary and visual art by Creighton students, faculty, and staff. The magazine is the oldest student organization on campus.^[14]

Common interest

Many organizations exist for students to share their common interests.^[15] Examples include:

• Cultural – Hui O Hawaii, International Student Association, Spanish Club, LGBT
• Political – NAACP College Chapter, College Republicans, College Democrats
• Professional – Premedical Society, Fellowship of Christian Law Students, Academy of Student Pharmacists, Business Law Society, International Relations Club
• Religious – Canisius Society, Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship, Muslim Student Organization, Rosary Club, Jays for Christ, Knights of Columbus, Student Jewish Organization
• Service – Alpha Phi Omega, Colleges Against Cancer, Habitat for Humanity, Best Buddies of America
• Sports – lacrosse, soccer, hockey, cycling, dance, jujitsu, martial arts, rowing, rugby, running, ski & snowboard, Ultimate Frisbee, volleyball

Notable alumni

There are more than 57,765 living alumni of Creighton University in 93 countries. Nearly 30 percent live in Nebraska. The largest number of alumni that live outside the United States reside in Canada, Japan and Malaysia.^[16] Famous alumni include the founder of TD Ameritrade and owner of the Chicago Cubs, J. Joseph Ricketts, the former president and chief operating officer of Coca Cola, Donald Keough, the former chief executive officer of Nationwide Insurance, Jerry Jurgensen, the former chief executive officer of ConAgra, Bruce Rohde, astronaut killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster, Michael Philip Anderson, and several professional athletes, including Major League Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, Bob Gibson. Marcia M. Anderson, the first African-American woman to attain the rank of major general in the United States Army Reserve is a Creighton graduate.

Main article: List of Creighton University alumni

See also

• Education in North Omaha, Nebraska
• Edward Creighton
• Mary Creighton
• Eugene C. Eppley College of Business Administration
• Saint Joseph Hospital at Creighton University Medical Center

References

1. ^ "NCSE Public Tables Endowment Values, FDinal. Part One". (PDF) . Retrieved on 2011-04-23.
2. ^ "AEA Institutional Research - Factbook 2011-2012 -Common Data Set 2011-2012 B. Enrollment and persistence". Creighton.edu
3. ^ Largest Colleges in Nebraska (NE). College Stats.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-23.
4. ^ "Public Safety - Campus Security Report Fall 2009". Creighton.edu.
5. ^ ^{a b} Creighton News Creighton University Fact Sheet. Creighton.edu. Retrieved on 2011-04-23.
6. ^ Creighton News U. S. News Ranking Recognizes Dispute Resolution Program. Creighton.edu (2008-04-02). Retrieved on 2011-04-23.
7. ^ Rhey, Erik. (2006-12-20) Top 20 Wired Colleges. PCMag.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-23.
8. ^ "Quick Facts". Creighton.edu. Archived from the original on 2011-01-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20110130235648/http://www.creighton.edu/publicrelations/ncmp/facts/index.php. 
9. ^ Creighton University :: Student Activities Student Organizations. Creighton.edu. Retrieved on 2011-04-23.
10. ^ Creighton University :: CSU. Creighton.edu. Retrieved on 2011-04-23.
11. ^ Creighton University :: Inter Residence Hall Government :: Inter Residence Hall Government. Creighton.edu. Retrieved on 2011-04-23.
12. ^ Fine Arts: Fine and Performing Arts. Creighton.edu. Updated on 06-08-2011.
13. ^ About the Creightonian. Creightonian.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-23.
14. ^ Creighton News Literary Magazine Shadows Wins Award. Creighton.edu (2007-03-29). Retrieved on 2011-04-23.
15. ^ Creighton University :: Student Activities Student Organizations. Creighton.edu. Retrieved on 2011-04-23.
16. ^ "Graduation outcomes". Creighton.edu. Archived from the original on 2011-01-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20110130235648/http://www.creighton.edu/publicrelations/ncmp/facts/index.php#c50873. 

External links

• Creighton University
• Creighton Athletics
• Historical Photo of Creighton College
• The Princeton Review: Creighton University