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Creighton University

Coordinates: 41°15′53″N 95°56′46″W / 41.26472°N 95.94611°W / 41.26472; -95.94611
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Creighton University
Latin: Universitas Creightoniana
Former names
Creighton College (1878–1958)
TypePrivate research university
EstablishedSeptember 2, 1878; 146 years ago (September 2, 1878)
AccreditationHLC
Religious affiliation
Roman Catholic (Jesuit)
Academic affiliations
Endowment$745 million (2023)[1]
PresidentDaniel S. Hendrickson[2]
ProvostMardell A. Wilson[3]
RectorNicholas Santos[4]
Academic staff
692 full-time and 282 part-time (fall 2022)[5]
Students8,397[5]
Undergraduates4,290[5]
Postgraduates4,107[5]
Location
Omaha
,
Nebraska
,
United States

41°15′53″N 95°56′46″W / 41.26472°N 95.94611°W / 41.26472; -95.94611
CampusLarge City, 132 acres (53.4 ha)
NewspaperCreightonian
Other campuses
Colors  Blue
  White
NicknameBluejays
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division I – Big East
MascotBilly Bluejay
Websitecreighton.edu

Creighton University (/ˈkreɪtən/) is a private research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate and undergraduate students on a 140-acre (57 ha)[6] campus just outside of downtown Omaha. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". It comprises nine undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools and colleges, including a law school, medical school, dental school, pharmacy school, nursing school, and business school. The university operates the Creighton University Medical Center. It has a second campus focused on health sciences located in Phoenix, Arizona.[7]

History

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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. The college began with 120 students, taught by five Jesuits and two lay teachers.[8] Edward's brother, John A. Creighton, is credited with fostering and sustaining the university's early growth and endowment. In 1878, the College of Arts and Sciences was established, and remains the largest college today.[9] Shortly after, in 1885, the Creighton University Observatory was built on campus.[10] Women were first admitted in 1913.[11] In 1958, the college split into Creighton Preparatory Schools and Creighton University.[12]

Academics

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Academic rankings
National
Forbes[13]194
U.S. News & World Report[14]104
Washington Monthly[15]311
WSJ/College Pulse[16]127

The schools and colleges at Creighton are:

The College of Arts & Sciences is the largest school, containing about 28% of the university's enrolled students.[17] Creighton's acceptance rate is 72.7%.[18]

In 2018, the university announced a Phoenix Health Sciences Campus, which opened in 2021.[19]

Athletics

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Main article: Creighton Bluejays
Creighton men's basketball home game, CHI Health Center Omaha

Creighton competes in NCAA Division I athletics as a member of the Big East. Nicknamed the Bluejays, Creighton fields 14 teams in eight sports.

Notable basketball players at the university were Paul Silas, Benoit Benjamin, Kyle Korver, and coach Greg McDermott's son Doug McDermott, while popular Bluejays coaches included Eddie Sutton, Willis Reed, and Dana Altman.

The women's basketball team won the WNIT championship in 2004. It plays all home games on campus at D. J. Sokol Arena.

The men's soccer team maintained 17 straight NCAA tournament appearances between 1992 and 2008. During that time, the Bluejays made three College Cup appearances, including one championship game appearance (2000). It plays home games on campus at Morrison Stadium.

Creighton's baseball team has one appearance in the College World Series (1991). 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 had two appearances in the Women's College World Series (1982 and 1986) and appeared in six of 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 Bluejays history to earn first-team all-conference honors in four consecutive seasons.

Demographics

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Student body composition as of May 2, 2022
Race and ethnicity[20] Total
White 72% 72
 
Hispanic 9% 9
 
Asian 8% 8
 
Other[a] 6% 6
 
Foreign national 2% 2
 
Black 2% 2
 
Economic diversity
Low-income[b] 12% 12
 
Affluent[c] 88% 88
 
University mall

As of 2015, Creighton's enrollment was 8,435, of whom 4,163 were undergraduates.[21] From Creighton's Class of 2020, 14% count themselves as first-generation college attendees in their families. 26% are students of color, and 56% of the class is female; 82% of the class have taken part in volunteer service.[22]

Student clubs and organizations

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The university has more than 200 student organizations:[23]

St. John's Church on Creighton's campus

Residence halls

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There are eight residence halls. They are all co-educational. Graves Hall, completed in August 2023, accommodates up to 400 first-year students.[24]

Student government

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  • Creighton Students Union (CSU) is Creighton University's comprehensive student government, consisting of students from each of Creighton University's schools and colleges, founded in 1922.[25]
  • Inter Residence Hall Government (IRHG) was formed in 1984 to represent Creighton's residence halls.[26]

John P. Schlegel, S.J. Center for Service and Justice

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Law school with downtown in background

The John P. Schlegel, S.J. Center for Service and Justice[27][28] (SCSJ) promotes service projects and education about justice. The center helped develop the Cortina Community, a sophomore intentional-living community named for Jesuit priest Jon de Cortina.[29]

Performing arts

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  • 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's repertoire draws on classical ballet, contemporary and modern dance, jazz and musical theatre dance.
  • The Department of Fine and Performing Arts offers undergraduate degrees in Art History, Studio Art, Dance, Music, Theatre, and Musical Theatre.
  • Several theatrical productions are held each year in the university's Lied Education Center for the Arts.[30]

Student media

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  • The student newspaper is called The Creightonian. It was a finalist for the 2007 and 2010 Pacemaker Award for college journalism.[31]
  • Shadows is Creighton's literature and arts publication.

Notable alumni

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Main article: List of Creighton University alumni

There are more than 68,470 alumni of Creighton University living in 93 countries. Nearly 30 percent live in Nebraska. The largest number of alumni outside the United States reside in Canada, Japan, and Malaysia.[32]

Alumni include

Mike Johanns

Notable faculty

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Other consists of Multiracial Americans & those who prefer to not say.
  2. ^ The percentage of students who received an income-based federal Pell grant intended for low-income students.
  3. ^ The percentage of students who are a part of the American middle class at the bare minimum.

References

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  1. ^ U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY20 to FY 21 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  2. ^ "TC Alumnus Daniel S. Hendrickson Named President of Creighton University". Teachers College, Columbia University. February 9, 2015.
  3. ^ "Office of the Provost". Creighton University. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  4. ^ "Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ". Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d "College Navigator - Creighton University". nces.ed.gov.
  6. ^ Safety_Report.pdf "Public Safety – Campus Security Report Fall 2015"[permanent dead link]. Creighton.edu.
  7. ^ Grant, Jeff (September 15, 2021). "Creighton formally opens new $100M Health Sciences education building in Phoenix". The Catholic Sun. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  8. ^ "Creighton University". Times Higher Education (THE). June 16, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  9. ^ "History of Creighton University". www.creighton.edu. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  10. ^ Fletcher, Adam F. C. (December 3, 2019). "A History of the Creighton Observatory in North Omaha". North Omaha History. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  11. ^ "Creighton University | Private, Jesuit, Catholic | Britannica". www.britannica.com. November 23, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  12. ^ "Creighton Prep: History". creightonprep.creighton.edu. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  13. ^ "America's Top Colleges 2024". Forbes. September 6, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  14. ^ "2023-2024 Best National Universities Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. September 18, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  15. ^ "2024 National University Rankings". Washington Monthly. August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  16. ^ "2025 Best Colleges in the U.S." The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse. September 4, 2024. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  17. ^ 2015-2016 Creighton University Fact Book. Creighton.edu. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  18. ^ "Creighton University". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on October 29, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  19. ^ writer, Rick Ruggles World-Herald staff (September 19, 2018). "Creighton University plans nearly $100 million project in Phoenix". Omaha.com.
  20. ^ "College Scorecard: Creighton University". United States Department of Education. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  21. ^ "Campus Updates". Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  22. ^ "Creighton Class of 2020 a talented, diverse, service-oriented group". Creighton University News Center. Creighton University. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  23. ^ "Creighton University - Student Organizations". Creighton.edu. Creighton. Archived from the original on August 29, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  24. ^ "The Future of Living at Creighton" – Creighton University
  25. ^ Creighton University :: CSU. Creighton.edu. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  26. ^ Creighton University :: Inter Residence Hall Government :: Inter Residence Hall Government Archived August 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Creighton.edu. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  27. ^ "Schlegel Center for Service and Justice". www.creighton.edu. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  28. ^ Cole, Kevin (April 19, 2015). "Creighton center named for the Rev. John Schlegel to honor his work on social justice". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  29. ^ "Residential Life and Housing". Creighton.edu. Archived from the original on April 23, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  30. ^ Fine Arts: Fine and Performing Arts. Creighton.edu. Updated on August 6, 2011.
  31. ^ "2010 Newspaper Pacemaker Winners". Associated Collegiate Press. 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  32. ^ "Graduation outcomes". Creighton.edu. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011.
  33. ^ columnist, Michael Kelly World-Herald (May 6, 2018). "Kelly: Omaha native Cathy Hughes, the second-richest black woman in U.S., is 'thrilled' to come home". Omaha.com.
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