University News

Creighton Names New Deans for
College of Arts & Sciences, School of Law

College of Arts and Sciences
Robert J. Lueger, Ph.D., is the new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He will replace Robert Kennedy, Ph.D., who has served as interim dean since 2006.

Lueger, associate provost for St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, has served in academic administrative roles for more than 14 years. He was the associate dean of Academic Affairs at Marquette University in Milwaukee from 2002 to 2005 and chair of Marquette's Department of Psychology from 1993 to 2002.

"I have known Bob Lueger for some 20 years from my days at Marquette. I am gratified that Creighton has attracted such an accomplished administrator, prolific researcher and successful teacher. His commitment to the Jesuit tradition and his fit with Creighton's mission bodes well for Creighton's largest college," said the Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J., Creighton president.

A 1971 graduate of St. Benedict's College in Kansas, Lueger received a master's degree in 1974 and a doctorate in 1977 in clinical psychology from Loyola University Chicago.

He served as director of the Center for Psychological Services at Marquette from 1987 to 1993. He has twice served as a visiting scholar at Northwestern University in Chicago. Lueger is licensed as a psychologist in Wisconsin.

School of Law
Creighton University has named Eric A. Chiappinelli dean of the School of Law. He will replace Marianne Culhane, who has served as acting dean since Patrick Borchers was named vice president for Academic Affairs in July.

Chiappinelli now serves as associate dean for Alumni and Professional Relations at Seattle University School of Law, where he has taught for more than 20 years.

"We are extremely fortunate to be able to attract a teacher, scholar and administrator of Dean Chiappinelli's caliber," said Borchers, law school dean from 1999 to 2007.

"Creighton University's national reputation and Jesuit, Catholic values help make our University attractive to scholars of this quality," said the Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J., Creighton president.

A 1975 graduate of Claremont McKenna College in California, Chiappinelli earned his law degree in 1978 from Columbia University School of Law, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He served as a clerk with the Supreme Court of California and the U.S. District Court, Central District of California. Chiappinelli practiced law in Los Angeles with the firms of Munger, Tolles & Olson and Jones Day.

His teaching and writing have been primarily in the area of business law, and he has published numerous law review articles on corporate and securities law topics. His latest scholarly project is a casebook on business entities. Chiappinelli's current research interests include nonprofit governance and the relationship between corporate law and family dynamics.