Creighton University is a private Jesuit

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kno ...

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska, Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. List of ...

. Founded by the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

in 1878, the university is accredited by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate and undergraduate students on a campus just outside Omaha's downtown business district. It is

classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper *The Classified, a 1980s American roc ...

among " R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".

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 Charles Creighton (August 31, 1820 – November 5, 1874) was a prominent pioneer businessman in early Omaha, Nebraska. The elder brother of John A. Creighton, the Creightons were responsible for founding many institutions that were ce ...

. Edward's brother,

John A. Creighton John Andrew Creighton (October 15, 1831 – February 7, 1907) was a pioneer businessman and philanthropist in Omaha, Nebraska who founded Creighton University. The younger brother of Edward Creighton, John was responsible for a variety of instituti ...

, is credited with fostering and sustaining the university's early growth and endowment. In 1958, the college split into Creighton Preparatory Schools and the present-day Creighton University.

Academics

The schools and colleges at Creighton are: * College of Arts & Sciences * Heider College of Business (formerly known as the College of Business Administration) * College of Nursing * School of Dentistry *

School of Medicine A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, MB ...

* School of Pharmacy & Health Professions * School of Law * Graduate School * College of Professional Studies The College of Arts & Sciences is the largest school, containing about 28% of the university's enrolled students.2015-2016 Creighton University Fact Book
Creighton.edu. Retrieved August 22, 2016. Creighton's acceptance rate is 72.7%. In 2018, the university announced a Phoenix Health Sciences Campus, which opened in 2021.

Athletics

Creighton competes in

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...

athletics as a member of the Big East. Nicknamed the Bluejays, Creighton fields 14 teams in eight sports. Notable basketball players at the university include Paul Silas, Benoit Benjamin, Kyle Korver, and current coach Greg McDermott's son Doug McDermott, while famous former Bluejays coaches include Eddie Sutton, Willis Reed, and

Dana Altman Dana Dean Altman (born June 16, 1958) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach of the Oregon Ducks men's team. Previously he was head coach at Creighton, Kansas State and Marshall. Altman has won conference coach of the y ...

. 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 The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

tournament appearances between 1992 and 2008. During that time, the Bluejays made three College Cup appearances, including one championship game appearance (2000). It plays all home games on campus at Morrison Stadium. Creighton's baseball team has one appearance in the

College World Series The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divis ...

(1991). Jim Hendry, the former general manager of the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

, 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 The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States. Eight teams participate in the WCWS, which begins with a double-elimination tournament. In other wo ...

(1982 and 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 Bluejays history to earn first-team all-conference honors in four consecutive seasons.

Demographics

, Creighton's enrollment was 8,435, of whom 4,163 were undergraduates. 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.

Student clubs and organizations

The university has more than 200 student organizations:

Halls of residence

There are currently eight halls of residence: Davis Square, Deglman Hall, Heider Hall, Kenefick Hall, Kiewit Hall, McGloin Hall, Opus Hall and Swanson Hall. They are all

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

. A ninth, currently unnamed residence is (as of January 2022) under construction on 23rd Street, south of Burt Street. Expected to be completed in August 2023, it will be able to accommodate 400 first-year students. It is Creighton's first new residence hall since 2006, and the first built exclusively for first-year students since the 1960s.

Academic honor societies

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

– National Honor Society * Alpha Sigma Nu – Jesuit Honor society *

Sigma Pi Sigma Sigma Pi Sigma (), founded at Davidson College on December 11, 1921, is the oldest and only American honor society for physics and astronomy. It is an organization within the Society of Physics Students and the American Institute of Physics a ...

– Physics * Psi Chi – Psychology *

Phi Sigma Phi Sigma () is an honor society for students of biological sciences, formed at Ohio State University. History The Phi Sigma honor society was founded on March 17, 1915 at Ohio State University to honor excellence in biological research. In 192 ...

– Biology * Theta Alpha Kappa – National Honor Society * 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 * Sigma Theta Tau - Nursing

Student government

* Creighton Students Union (CSU) is Creighton University's comprehensive student government, consisting of students from each of Creighton University's schools and colleges. CSU has served as the student body's official voice to faculty, staff, and the outside community since 1922. CSU also devotes significant resources to other student organizations, including a large part of its budget dedicated to funding student organizations; its former name was Student Board of Governors. * Each school has its own student advising body for academic affairs. *Inter Residence Hall Government (IRHG) was formed in 1984 by Steven Conroy and serves as the voice for all students who live on Creighton's campus. IRHG represents all of Creighton's residence halls and sponsors programs and legislative actions.

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

The John P. Schlegel, S.J., Center for Service and Justice (SCSJ) promotes weekly local community service projects, Fall and Spring Break service trips, student leadership development, and education about contemporary justice issues. The center helped develop the Cortina Community, a sophomore intentional-living community named for Jesuit priest

Jon de Cortina Jon Cortina Garaigorta, S.J. (Bilbao, December 8, 1934 – Guatemala City, December 12, 2005) was a Jesuit priest, engineer, and activist, founder of Pro-Búsqueda, an organization dedicated to searching for the missing children of the Salvado ...

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's eclectic 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.

Student media

* The student newspaper ''The Creightonian'', first published in 1924, is now published every Thursday during the school year. 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 Nebraska's top college newspaper in the Nebraska Press Association contest. Staff members won numerous individual awards. ''The Creightonian'' was a finalist for the 2007 and 2010 Pacemaker Award, one of the top awards in college journalism. * Creighton's literature and arts publication ''Shadows'' has 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.

Clubs

Many organizations allow students to share their common interests. Examples include: * Cultural – Hui O Hawaii, International Student Association, Spanish Club * Greek – Fraternities:

Beta Theta Pi Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, as of 2022 it consists of 144 active chapters in the Un ...

Phi Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, along with Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Chi form the Miami Tria ...

, Sigma Alpha Epsilon,

Sigma Phi Epsilon Sigma Phi Epsilon (), commonly known as SigEp, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College (now the University of Richmond), and its national headquarte ...

Delta Chi Delta Chi () is an international Fraternities and sororities, Greek letter collegiate social fraternity formed on October 13, 1890, at Cornell University, initially as a professional fraternity for law students. On April 30, 1922, Delta Chi be ...

. Sororities: Alpha Phi,

Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta (), also known as Tri Delta, is an international Fraternities and sororities in North America, women's fraternity founded on November 27, 1888 at Boston University by Ida Shaw Martin, Sarah Ida Shaw, Eleanor Dorcas Pond, Isabel ...

Delta Zeta Delta Zeta (, also known as DZ) is an international college Fraternities and sororities in North America, sorority founded on October 24, 1902, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Delta Zeta has 170 collegiate chapters in the United States and ...

Gamma Phi Beta Gamma Phi Beta (, also known as GPhi or Gamma Phi) is an international college sorority. It was founded in Syracuse University in 1874, and was the first of the Greek organizations to call itself a sorority. The main archive URL iThe Baird's Ma ...

Kappa Kappa Gamma Kappa Kappa Gamma (), also known simply as Kappa or KKG, is a collegiate sorority founded at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. o ...

, Pi Beta Phi, Theta Phi Alpha. * Political – NAACP College Chapter, College Republicans, College Democrats, Turning Point USA * Professional – Premedical Society, Predental 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, the Navigators (formerly Jays for Christ), Knights of Columbus, Student Jewish Organization * Service – Alpha Phi Omega, Colleges Against Cancer,

Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a US non-governmental, and nonprofit organization which was founded in 1976 by couple Millard and Linda Fuller. Habitat for Humanity is a C ...

, Best Buddies of America,

Circle K International Circle K International (CKI) is an international collegiate service organization that is a service leadership program of Kiwanis International. It promotes service, leadership, and fellowship. It has over 13,000 members. Organization Circl ...

* Sports – baseball, lacrosse, soccer, hockey, curling, cycling, dance, jujitsu, martial arts, rowing, rugby, running, ski & snowboard, ultimate frisbee, volleyball

Notable alumni

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

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

woman to attain the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 2020, ...

; Michael P. Anderson, an astronaut killed in the Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster; Donald Keough, once president and chief operating officer of

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atla ...

; Joe Ricketts, the founder of TD Ameritrade and owner of the

; Mark Walter, founder and chief executive officer of

Guggenheim Partners Guggenheim Partners is a global investment and advisory financial services firm that engages in investment banking, asset management, capital markets services, and insurance services. Organization The firm is headquartered in New York City a ...

, and part owner of the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookly ...

Symone Sanders Symone D. Sanders-Townsend (born December 10, 1989) is an American political strategist and commentator. She served as national press secretary for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders during his 2016 presidential campaign. She left t ...

, Democratic strategist and spokesperson for Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign; Mike Johanns, former Governor of

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...

, former United States Senator, and former United States Secretary of Agriculture; Cathy Hughes, first African American woman to head a publicly traded corporation (

Urban One Urban One, Inc. (formerly Radio One) is a Silver Spring, Maryland-based American media conglomerate. Founded in 1980 by Cathy Hughes, the company primarily operates media properties targeting African Americans. It is the largest African-American ...

) and currently second wealthiest African American woman;

J. Clay Smith Jr. John Clay Smith Jr. (April 15, 1942 – February 15, 2018) was a lawyer, author, and American educator. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He graduated from Creighton University in 1964. He received his master's and doctorate's degree from Geo ...

, former interim head of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and former dean of Howard University School of Law; novelists Ron Hansen and Theodore Wheeler; and several professional athletes, including

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson and professional basketball players Kyle Korver, Anthony Tolliver, and Doug McDermott.

Notable faculty

Raymond J. Bishop Raymond J. Bishop (January 15, 1906 – February 19, 1978) was a Catholic priest who was one of the several involved in the case of exorcising a boy in Maryland, who allegedly was possessed after using a ouija board. The case inspired author William ...

Virgil Blum Virgil Clarence Blum (1913–1990) was an American Jesuit and professor of political science at Marquette University. Early life and education Virgil Clarence Blum was born on March 27, 1913, in Defiance, Iowa, one of twelve children of Joh ...

Patrick Borchers Patrick J. Borchers (born 1961) is a lawyer, university administrator and politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. He is a member of the faculty of the Creighton University School of Law in the city of Omaha. In 201 ...

Raymond A. Bucko Raymond A. Bucko, S. J., is an American Jesuit priest and anthropologist noted for his work among the Lakota Indians. Bucko received his Ph.D. in anthropology in 1992 from the University of Chicago, where he studied under Raymond D. Fogelson. He ...

Judith M. Burnfield Judith M. "Judy" Burnfield is the director of the Institute for Rehabilitative Science and Engineering, director of the Movement and Neurosciences Center, and the Clifton Chair in Physical Therapy and Movement Sciences at Madonna Rehabilitation Ho ...

* John Calvert *

Edward P. J. Corbett Edward P.J. Corbett (October 29, 1919 – June 24, 1998) was an American rhetorician, educator, and scholarly author. Corbett chaired the 1970 Conference on College Composition and Communication, and was chair of the organization and a member of ...

* Frank Crawford * Blase J. Cupich *

Ross Horning Ross Charles Horning Jr. (October 10, 1920 – April 1, 2005) was an American historian and baseball player. He played professional baseball in the minor leagues while completing his studies. Horning was a professor of Russian history at Creighto ...

* Henry T. Lynch *

D. S. Malik Davender S. Malik is an Indian American mathematician and professor of mathematics and computer science at Creighton University. Education Malik attended the University of Delhi in New Delhi, India, receiving his bachelor's and master's degre ...

* Francis I. McKenna * R. R. Reno * Joseph F. Rigge *

William J. Riley William Jay Riley (March 11, 1947 – January 27, 2023) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Education and background Riley received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Ne ...

* Robert F. Rossiter Jr. * Roger Lawrence Schwietz *

Hugh Sidey Hugh Swanson Sidey (September 3, 1927 – November 21, 2005) was an American journalist who worked for ''Life (magazine), Life'' magazine starting in 1955, then moved on to ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine in 1957. He covered presidents, from E ...

Constantine Joseph Smyth Constantine Joseph Smyth (December 4, 1859 – April 14, 1924) was Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia. Education and career Born on December 4, 1859, in County Cavan, Ireland, Smyth read law Reading law was the ...

* William O. Stephens * Lyle Elmer Strom *

LaNada War Jack LaNada War Jack (born LaNada Vernae Boyer, 1947), also known as LaNada Boyer and LaNada Means, is an American writer and activist. She was the first Native American student admitted to the University of California at Berkeley in 1968. She led th ...

Notes

References

External links

*
Official athletics website
{{Authority control Jesuit universities and colleges in the United States Educational institutions established in 1878 Landmarks in North Omaha, Nebraska Buildings and structures in Omaha, Nebraska Education in Omaha, Nebraska Catholic universities and colleges in Nebraska Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha Creighton family 1878 establishments in Nebraska