Creighton Leads Boldly Into the Future

A new era has begun at Creighton University, ushered in by the unprecedented support of the transformative Willing to Lead campaign. The campaign surpassed its $350 million goal with more than $395 million in gifts and commitments thus far, expanding the University’s boundaries — academically, physically and spiritually — and breaking all kinds of records.

“This is an incredible milestone in the life of the University,” Creighton President the Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J., said. “It is the result of many gifts — small, medium and historically large — all of which are testimony to the affection and respect with which this institution is held by our alumni and friends.”

Fr. Schlegel emphasized that the Willing to Lead campaign is not a concluding event, but the beginning of a new era of philanthropy and growth for the University.

“Our task is not yet complete,” Fr. Schlegel said. “Let me say in no uncertain terms — we are not done. Our Board and donor community are enthusiastically pushing us forward. They are calling on us to double our efforts — encouraging us to build on this unprecedented momentum and reach for our vision with renewed vigor and purpose.”

Lisa Calvert, vice president for University Relations, said the support of donors nationwide is allowing Creighton to realize its vision of securing its place at the forefront of the leading Catholic, Jesuit universities in the United States.

The multi-year campaign, which began its public phase in December 2005, received historic gifts and participation, with more than 60,000 individuals contributing (more than half being new donors). Creighton also experienced a record number of $1 million or greater gifts and the largest donation in its history, a transformational $50 million gift from an anonymous donor.

More than half of the campaign’s contributions infused the University’s academic mission by providing funding for hundreds of student scholarships and endowment for faculty, programs and service projects — including 14 endowed faculty chairs, five professorships and innovative programs such as the nationally recognized Werner Institute for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution.

The remaining portion of the extraordinary Willing to Lead results allowed Creighton to achieve key elements of its award-winning campus master plan. The campus has grown by 40 acres and has been revitalized to create a 21st century learning environment that now spans 130 acres. Numerous buildings have been renovated or constructed to support academics and student life.

“We have an extraordinary journey ahead of us, with extraordinary challenges and extraordinary opportunities,” Fr. Schlegel said. “I truly believe that more than a few transformative opportunities lie ahead of us.”

Creighton University is supported and encouraged by the members of its Board of Directors and donor community, who, mindful of the current economic environment, are pushing the University to build on the momentum and continue the Willing to Lead campaign — citing that Creighton’s mission is more vital than ever.

“I am a believer in our future. … Our bold tomorrow is here, and an even bolder tomorrow awaits us!” Fr. Schlegel said. “I invite you to join us on this journey, to help us write the next chapter in the unfolding history of Creighton University.”

Education with a Higher Purpose

When the Rev. Andy Alexander, S.J., listens to students talk about their Creighton experience, he is heartened and inspired by what he hears. He joyously shares some of their observations:

• What happened to me is I learned to reflect here …

• What happened to me is I found that I was invited to be a woman for others …

• I didn’t expect that when I was going through my rotations, someone would show me how to pray with patients …

“That’s what students learn here,” Fr. Alexander said. “That’s what makes it a very special place.”

Dan Reznicek was drawn to Creighton and its spirit of cura personalis — or care of the individual person. The Cadillac, Mich., native earned a business degree from Creighton in 2006 and is now attending Creighton medical school. He has found, both at the professional and undergraduate level, a faculty and student body truly concerned about his success.

Creighton also has afforded him opportunities to share his talents with others less fortunate. This past summer, Reznicek and nine other Creighton medical students traveled to Romania as part of Project CURA (Creighton Medical School United in Relief Assistance). Project CURA is a student-founded and student-organized effort to provide health services to those in need domestically and abroad.

“We got to shadow doctors and help out with the clinics in the area,” Reznicek said. “It was an amazing experience.”

Allison Kinney-Walker, BA’06, had been involved in service while in high school. But at Creighton, she found something more – a call to act for justice.

“What that means to me is going beyond just serving or helping people, or trying to fix a problem, but really trying to understand the issues that make that service needed,” Kinney-Walker said. She said her Creighton experience — which included several spring and fall break service trips, along with volunteering at a homeless shelter and teaching English as a second language — has emboldened her to “be a voice for those who are often unheard.”

The theology and justice and peace studies major is currently attending graduate school at Creighton with the hopes of someday establishing her own “social business that works to bring about financial stability, financial education and financial empowerment for low-income people.”

Fr. Alexander said the experiences of Kinney-Walker and Reznicek, while powerful and life-affirming, are not unique.

“Our purpose, in the Jesuit tradition, is to help our students become women and men for others,” Fr. Alexander said. “We help them become people of conscience; we help them become people of compassion; we help them grow as people who can make a difference in this world.

“Alumni will tell us, ‘I may not have become some deeply spiritual person while I was at Creighton,’” Fr. Alexander explained. “‘But when I faced a crisis … something deep in my experience at Creighton held me together and allowed me to find God.’ And that’s the great jewel in the Creighton experience.”

Dedicated to Patients, Students, Research

Creighton University maintains unique strengths in the health sciences, with schools of medicine, dentistry, nursing, and pharmacy and health professions. Across these disciplines, Creighton is educating the health care professionals of tomorrow, contributing to new research and innovations, and providing quality patient care in the Jesuit tradition of cura personalis — or care of the individual.

Rowen Zetterman, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine, said Creighton is dedicated to providing the finest medical education in the world. He added that Creighton must stay at the forefront of new discoveries that lead to a healthier society. And Creighton must continue to deliver quality, compassionate care to those suffering from pain, sickness and disease — especially the underserved, the vulnerable and the needy. But, he added, the medical school, as well as Creighton’s other health sciences schools, cannot do it alone.

Through philanthropic support, Creighton and its health sciences schools can provide the support necessary to attract the best and brightest students, faculty and scientists. Endowed scholarship support allows students more freedom upon graduation to pursue careers caring for the underserved. Endowed chairs and professorships and enhanced facilities can attract the top researchers, scholars and teachers.

Creighton is poised to address the critical shortages of health care professionals and to bring a full complement of health care research, treatments and prevention to new levels of excellence and impact.

“Progress to improve human health in the last 100 years has been astonishing,” said Robert Heaney, BS’47, MD’51, interim vice president for Health Sciences and the John A. Creighton University Professor. “Creighton’s scientists, faculty-scientists, scholars and students have contributed to the advancement of health in these critical areas: cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, obesity, neurosciences and cardiovascular disease. Philanthropic support for research at Creighton University is an investment in our shared future, as we seek new discoveries, new treatments and new options to improve lives.”

A Healthy Endowment Helps Build Healthy Bones

As the first to hold an endowed chair in nursing at Creighton University, Joan Lappe, Ph.D., MS’85, is keenly aware of the importance of endowed chairs at a university.

“Endowed chairs are a symbol for how universities value scholarly endeavors,” said Lappe, who was installed as the first holder of the Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss and Drs. Gilbert and Clinton Beirne Endowed Chair in Nursing at Creighton in 2007. “Pragmatically, endowed chairs help to attract and retain distinguished faculty and outstanding students.”

Lappe and her colleagues in the Osteoporosis Research Center at Creighton are conducting cutting-edge research in the area of osteoporosis and bone health; Lappe is the principal investigator for a landmark study linking vitamin D to a reduction in cancer risk.

Budding Scientist, Well-Rounded Person

Sarah Fredrick absolutely loves science. And thanks to several scholarships, the senior chemistry major from Denver has had plenty of hands-on opportunities to engage in scientific research and inquiry during her undergraduate career at Creighton.

But, she says, her Creighton education has provided her something even more.

“I’ve appreciated the well-roundedness in my Creighton experience,” Fredrick said. “I’m not leaving here with a science degree. I’m leaving here as a well-rounded human being.”

And that’s what she really loves about Creighton — even more than the science.

As part of her Creighton education, Fredrick spent three weeks in a small, poor community in El Salvador — studying theology, learning about the culture and doing service work.

“Creighton’s hard and it’s been tough academically, but I’ve also been challenged emotionally and spiritually,” Fredrick said. And she’s thankful for that.

“I think the opportunities I’ve had at Creighton have pushed me in amazing ways. I’ve been able to pursue my dreams of science, but also have had the best of social justice and theology.

“All of that has been so important for my personal development — constantly pushing me to do more, to be more, to be better.”

Fielding Athletic Success

As one of only four NCAA Division I men’s soccer programs in the country to have appeared in the NCAA tournament 17 consecutive times — and counting — Creighton is in elite company.

And, thanks to the Willing to Lead campaign, Creighton soccer now has a facility that matches that stature — with the Rev. Michael G. Morrison, S.J., Stadium. A gift from Suzanne and Walter Scott Jr. helped make the stadium a reality.

“It’s pretty hard not to be impressed with Morrison Stadium,” said Creighton men’s soccer coach Bob Warming. “It’s a first-class facility representing a first-class institution.”

“The first time I saw Morrison Stadium was on my recruiting visit,” said Chris Schuler, a junior MIS (management information systems) major from Aurora, Ill., and a second-team All-American defenseman for the Jays. “I flew in at night. I came out on the field; the coach had the lights on. It was an amazing experience.”

The facility has enlivened Bluejay spirit on campus; Creighton men’s soccer ranks second nationally in attendance among Division I schools. Morrison Stadium, named after Creighton’s 22nd president, is also a community asset — hosting Nebraska’s high school state soccer championships as well as outdoor concerts and other activities.

It has been a welcome environment for Creighton’s men’s and women’s soccer teams.

Creighton University athletics, as a whole, has found equal success inside the classroom — earning national recognition from the NCAA.

“Creighton is a great institution,” said Seth Sinovic, a senior economics major and midfielder from Leawood, Kan., who earned second-team Academic All-American and all-conference honors last season. “The faculty is extremely supportive.”

For Coach Warming, support for Creighton — whether for scholarships, for facilities or for programs — is a wise investment.

“What you’re investing in at Creighton is social capital, because you are investing in the future of America.”

Juggling Life, Pursuing Justice

Scholarships have helped Lecia Robinson Wright, BA’07, juggle a busy life as a wife, mother and second-year Creighton law student. She is a recipient of the Frances Ryan Scholarship and the John P. Fahey Annual Law Scholarship.

“That has really helped me because we’ve had a lot of expenses as a young couple,” Wright said. “It’s enabled me to remain at Creighton — which is the institution that I love — and has helped me pursue my career goals.”

And those goals are lofty.

Wright has dreamed of attending law school since she was about 12 years old. The Bellevue (Neb.) East High School graduate hopes to use her legal degree to tackle issues relating to civil rights and race relations.

“I’m very passionate about civil rights and race relations and having the scholarship has enabled me to pursue that career path and make a difference,” Wright said.

Wright came to Creighton for her undergraduate education on a Creighton University Diversity Scholarship. She earned her undergraduate degree in psychology and sociology in 2007. When she began investigating law schools, Creighton was a natural choice.

“It’s just an atmosphere that’s very welcoming,” Wright said.

Creighton Education Seeks ‘The More’

With nine schools and colleges and more than 70 undergraduate, graduate and professional programs, Creighton University is the only institution of its size to offer such a broad range of academic opportunities. However, in this diverse environment, Creighton heralds a common commitment: to seek the magis — or “the more” — in its education, service, research and patient care.

“We think we do a superb job of giving our graduates that education to go out and be very successful in today’s business environment,” said Anthony Hendrickson, Ph.D., dean of the College of Business. “But above and beyond that, we believe in building extraordinary lives.”

For Hendrickson, that means a Creighton business graduate, perhaps nearing the end of her or his career, could look back and reflect with pride: “Yes, I was financially successful and did the things that I wanted to do from a business standpoint, but I also had the right relationships with my faith, my friends, my family, my community. I gave back in some way.”

The Creighton School of Dentistry is considered a national leader in preparing dentists for practice, which hasn’t gone unnoticed by interested students. Nearly a third of the nation’s dental school applicants last year applied to Creighton. Steven Friedrichsen, D.D.S., dean of the School of Dentistry, said clinical excellence is only part of the equation: “We really want our students to view dentistry … as a vocation in service to mankind.”

Donor support allows Creighton’s deans to pursue new academic initiatives, expand critical research, attract and retain world-class faculty, and draw the best and brightest students.

“My dream is that the best of the nation’s dental students who walk across the stage at graduation, walk across at Creighton,” Friedrichsen said.

Professorship Bridges Cultural Divide

As a leading scholar in the study of the modern Middle East, with a particular focus on Islamic fundamentalist movements, Creighton history professor John Calvert, Ph.D., believes he has an opportunity to bridge the gap between cultures. Being chosen as the first to hold the Fr. Henry W. Casper, S.J., Professorship in History has allowed him to more robustly pursue that goal.

“It’s really important that Creighton establish relationships with scholars from other cultures,” Calvert said. “We live in an increasingly pluralistic and multicultural world. Not only are Americans more and more going out into the world, to make their careers and so forth, but the world is coming to us in all kinds of ways.”

The Casper Professorship was established through a $1 million gift from Wayne, BS’49, MS’51, and Eileen Ryan. The gift honors the late Fr. Casper, a former history professor at Creighton.

Calvert said the professorship has allowed him to bring world-class speakers in the area of Middle East studies to Creighton, where they have delivered public lectures and met face-to-face with students.

“This professorship has really allowed me to bridge the gap — create bridges — between the United States and the Islamic world,” Calvert said. “And I think the fruit of that has been a widening of knowledge.”

In addition to being quoted in the national media, Calvert is the author of Islamism: A Documentary and Reference Guide and co-editor and translator of Sayyid Qutb’s A Child from the Village, and he recently submitted a manuscript for a new book on the radical Islamic thinker Qutb. He added that the professorship has been “invaluable” in advancing his scholarship.

“I think endowed professorships are very important in retaining quality faculty at the University,” Calvert said. “I think these professorships also gain Creighton a national reputation.

“Quality professors stay at the University; they produce nationally, internationally renowned work; and that enhances the reputation of Creighton at a national level. It also helps to attract and draw students to the University.”

School of Law Service and Justice Fund

Several years ago, law professor Ron Volkmer, BS’66, JD’68, heard this momentous call: “Students … must let the gritty reality of this world into their lives, so they can learn to feel it, think about it critically, respond to its suffering and engage it constructively.” For “when the heart is touched by direct experience, the mind may be challenged to change.”

The speaker was then the Very Rev. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach of the Society of Jesus, and Volkmer took these words to heart. How could he bring this gift of vision to his students? How might he inculcate in them the fact that most of the world lives in poverty — and why should it matter to the students at Creighton law?

These questions inspired Volkmer, who began taking life-changing cultural “immersion” trips with students to the Dominican Republic. Funds for the trips were always cobbled together, until a Creighton law alumnus came knocking on Volkmer’s door. He wanted to do something special for the law school to honor his favorite professor. Volkmer’s response?

“I said that whatever the alumnus did would be wonderful, but if he wanted to know what I was passionate about for the students and the school, it would be related to social justice.”

And that’s exactly the kind of gift the donor has made to the school in Volkmer’s name, without fanfare — or, for that matter, even attribution. The anonymous gift, which honors Volkmer, established the new Service and Justice Fund in the School of Law.

Endowments at Work on the Prairie

Senior Abby Locke had a unique opportunity to study tallgrass prairie this summer as a full-time research assistant to Creighton biology professor Mary Ann Vinton, Ph.D., thanks to the Ferlic Summer Scholarship for Undergraduate Research.

The scholarship provides funding for 10 to 15 undergraduate students in the sciences to work shoulder-to-shoulder with Creighton faculty on research full time during the summer. It was established during the Willing to Lead campaign through the generous support of Creighton alumnus Randolph Ferlic, BS’58, MD’61, and his wife, Teresa Kolars Ferlic.

“Tallgrass prairies are one of the most endangered ecosystems,” Locke explains, while looking out over her “lab” — a beautiful expanse of prairie located on the outskirts of Omaha. “Invasive species can greatly alter the native landscape and displace the native biota and animals. We want to understand how these invasive grasses invade and work, so we can better understand how to prevent them from displacing native plants.”

Creighton has been recognized nationally for providing opportunities for undergraduate students to engage in research.

Vinton said that undergraduate research, supported by endowments, helps prepare students for a variety of disciplines, as they learn to sift through and analyze evidence and ask critical questions.

“I really think it enriches the Creighton experience for our students,” Vinton said.

Enhancing the Campus Environment

Since 2000, Creighton University has invested about $225 million into campus improvements, through the renovation and construction of facilities, and added 40 acres to its physical footprint — with one primary goal in mind.

“They were all done to directly enhance the student experience,” said Dan Burkey, vice president for Administration and Finance. “I can probably best sum up the reaction that we get from various people who come to campus as, ‘Wow!’”

“I think the expansion and modernization of the facilities have really added to the Creighton experience,” said Neil Bhattarai, a senior biology major.

Bhattarai is the current president of IRHG, Creighton’s inter-residence hall government, and lives in Opus Hall. He said the new town homes for juniors and seniors — Opus Hall and Davis Square — have been “extremely popular” with students. Opus Hall was made possible by a generous gift from the Opus Corporation and Creighton alumni Mark Rauenhorst, BA’75, a member of Creighton’s Board, and his wife, Karen Dolan Rauenhorst, BSN’75, a 2008 Alumni Achievement Citation recipient. Davis Square is named for Thomas Davis, one of Omaha’s early business leaders, and is funded by the Davis and Lauritzen families, founders and top executives of First National Bank of Omaha.

Bhattarai said that living on campus allows him to be more available to freshman and sophomore students and use his leadership skills to serve as a mentor to those students adjusting to college life. He added that, living in Opus, he can more fully participate in campus events and activities and enjoy the feeling of community.

Scholarships Open Opportunities for First-Generation Students

As the first member of her family to attend college, scholarship recipient Amber Bennett feels a sense of pride and responsibility in attending Creighton University.

“Being a first-generation college student, I do have a lot of expectations placed upon me,” said Bennett, a sophomore from Omaha and a recipient of two scholarships, including the Haddix Scholarship, established by George Haddix, Ph.D., MA’66, and his late wife, Sally Hansen Haddix. “My family is extremely proud that I attend Creighton. It was actually their number one choice, and they’re very proud that I am here.”

Bennett, a sociology major, eventually hopes to attend law school. “I want to be a voice for those who have to face discrimination, inequality and injustices,” she said.

Bennett said that without scholarship assistance, she would not have been able to attend Creighton. “This has given me an opportunity to further my education, to advance as a person, and not fall into some statistical category,” she said. “The education I’ve received at Creighton thus far has been excellent. It’s amazing.”

Waite Leadership Scholars Program, Chair in Jesuit Education

“Anna and I are big believers in education,” Donald Waite, BSC’54, said by phone from his California office. “This is what we want, not just for our kids but for everyone.

“When it comes to dollars that could be put to use for others, the leadership program was just a wonderful idea. And we owe that idea to Creighton and people like Bob Moorman (Ph.D.) in the College of Business. Dr. Moorman just took this idea and carried it to fruition.”

When Don Waite and his wife, Anna, approached Creighton several years ago to fund a program in Creighton’s College of Business, the idea of building leadership skills throughout a student’s college career was a perfect match for them. What’s more, the Waites wanted those skills to reflect a Jesuit education, with its underpinnings of ethics and service to others. And they wanted to help meet students’ expenses during each undergraduate year.

Today, that dream the Waites sowed with their generous funding is being realized … in the lives of the hundreds of students who have gone through the Anna Tyler Waite Leadership Scholars Program. This year alone, 20 scholarships are funding students as they develop the values and skills needed to lead effectively in a socially responsible way.

The Waites also see very clearly the character that the leadership program can build, as students develop confidence in their decisions. It’s a trait that Don believes Creighton naturally builds in its students.

But the Waites have not stopped giving to Creighton — and society — with the Leadership Scholars Program.

Chair in Jesuit Education
“Anna and I wanted to do more,” Waite said. “So, we approached Fr. Schlegel, asking, ‘How can we continue to help?’”

The Creighton president’s answer was quick and forthright: a chair in Jesuit education. And that’s what the Waites have funded.

The Anna and Donald Waite Chair in Jesuit Education will bring qualified Jesuit scholars and teachers to Creighton beginning this fall.

To be inaugurated when the Rev. Frank Brennan, S.J., an Australian Jesuit lawyer and aboriginal rights specialist, comes to the Creighton School of Law, the Waite Chair will be filled through the years with outstanding Jesuits from around the world.

Thanks to the Waites, the Creighton University community will be infused with the best the world has to offer in Jesuit scholarship, spirituality and mission.

McCarthy Endowed Scholarship

The years Leo McCarthy, BSBA’59, JD’63, spent at Creighton University made a lasting impression on him. “Leo was very grateful to Creighton for the education the University gave him,” said his wife, Joy Westendorf McCarthy of Dubuque, Iowa.

McCarthy, an attorney for 43 years in Dubuque prior to his retirement, passed away in December 2006. The Leo and Joy McCarthy Endowed Scholarship Fund was established in 2007 by bequest and is designated for three School of Law students per year. The McCarthys stipulated that scholarships be awarded to first-, second- and third-year students each year who demonstrate high academics and financial need.

“Leo was most appreciative of the scholarship help he received as a Creighton student,” said Joy McCarthy, “and he took the opportunity to return the favor.” The McCarthy Endowed Scholarship Fund will continue to give in perpetuity.

Joy recalled a childhood memory that has been a primary motivator in the couple’s philanthropy: “Years ago, my grandmother and mother were visiting about a local school board referendum that would raise the taxes in their small town. Mother asked Grandma if they were going to vote for it, since their children were raised. Grandma replied, ‘When we were young, we were unable to afford all the education our children needed, and the older generation helped us. Now it is our turn to help.’ That left a lasting impression on me. It has to be the older generations that help the younger ones. Leo and I have tried to instill that idea in our children.”

Two of the McCarthys’ three children attended Creighton: Scott, BSBA’87, MBA’00; and Jill, BSBA’96; as well as Scott’s wife, Laurie Williams McCarthy, BA’88, MBA’91. The McCarthys’ second son, Ross, also attended a Jesuit university.

One of the couple’s earlier gifts to Creighton was the Leo McCarthy Endowed Book Fund, which provides books for the law library. Leo was also generous with many organizations in the Dubuque area, helping foster numerous nonprofits. The community honored him as First Citizen of Dubuque in 2006 in tribute to his charitable spirit.

Werner Institute Making a Difference

Located in the School of Law, but attracting professionals from a variety of fields, the Werner Institute for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution is one of the fastest growing and most prestigious centers of its kind in the nation.

The Werner Institute offers graduate programs in a variety of specialties — from health care to education to international negotiation. The Werner Institute was established through a gift from Omaha businessman C.L. Werner and his daughter, Gail Werner-Robertson, BA’84, JD’88, a member of Creighton’s Board.

“My hope is that Creighton and Omaha become a major center in all the world for the study and advancement of approaches to conflict resolution,” said Arthur Pearlstein, the Institute’s director, “dealing with disputes both at the very personal, local level — family conflict, for example — to the international level — peace-building and peace-building processes.

“And I think we’re well on our way to realizing that dream, where Creighton is very much on the map in the world of conflict resolution.”

For Elisabeth Cortese, her reasons for enrolling in the Werner Institute were personal. Her father died in 2002, after battling leukemia and health care bureaucracy. He needed a bone-marrow transplant that, at the time, was considered experimental. His insurance company, after weeks of discussions, refused to pay for the transplant. He eventually paid for it himself. The transplant was a success, but, his body weakened, he contracted a viral infection and died at the age of 61.

“I never want to feel that helpless again,” said Cortese, who is pursuing both a law degree and health care collaboration and conflict resolution specialization.

Building on Our Success

By Lisa D. Calvert, Vice President for University Relations

As vice president for University Relations, I have been privileged to witness our alumni and friends enthusiastically answer Creighton University’s bold call, through the Willing to Lead campaign, to “dream big” and to transform this University.

We thank you for being such great ambassadors for Creighton University and for helping us to reach a defining milestone in a remarkable journey. Thanks to you, Creighton is securing its place at the forefront of the leading Catholic, Jesuit universities in the United States.

In December 2005, the Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J., Creighton’s president, publicly announced the launch of the Willing to Lead campaign. With a $350 million goal, the campaign represented the largest fundraising effort in the University’s history.

Our alumni and friends responded in dramatic fashion. Our benefactors embraced Creighton’s vision of being one of the outstanding Jesuit universities in the United States and displayed an outpouring of love and commitment that exceeded our dreams. We are inspired and humbled by this generosity and are very, very grateful.

For Creighton to realize this successful campaign is the result of many gifts — small, medium and historically large — all of which are testimony to the affection and respect with which this institution is held.

Creighton is also very fortunate to have an engaged and dedicated Board of Directors and campaign leadership. Now our Board and donor community are pushing us to build on this momentum — to move forward confidently in pursuing our vision and mission. As Fr. Schlegel has said, this campaign is not a concluding event, but the beginning of a new era of philanthropy at Creighton.

Indeed, colleges and universities today, especially in these economic times, face extraordinary challenges. But these are also times of tremendous opportunity because our mission is needed more than ever. We thank you for your support, we are optimistic that more transformative opportunities lie ahead, and we look forward to your continued partnership as we realize Creighton’s ambitious dreams for tomorrow.

Moving Forward, the Journey Continues

By the Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J., Creighton University President

“Scholarship and philanthropy are each, separately, among the most powerful forces at work shaping the future of our society. In combination, they are unsurpassed in their capacity to improve the human condition,” stated former University of Oregon President William B. Boyd.

When I announced the Willing to Lead campaign in 2005, no one could have foreseen the depth of your commitment and support for this wonderful University. Your enthusiasm has allowed us to dream big dreams and reach unprecedented heights. You have made it possible for Creighton to embrace its potential and expand its boundaries — academically, physically and spiritually.

Together, through your generosity, we have secured Creighton’s place on the national stage as a University recognized for quality education, groundbreaking faculty research, remarkable student accomplishment and consistent athletic success. Thank you for bringing Creighton to this defining moment.

However, this task is not yet complete; let me say in no uncertain terms — we are not done. The Willing to Lead campaign will continue. Creighton must never settle for what is, but always aspire for the more, the magis, as St. Ignatius of Loyola called it. We have known from the outset that this campaign would not be a concluding event but the beginning of a new era for this great University.

We are harnessing your energy and good will. We will remain vigilant and continue to secure the philanthropic support needed to address new strategic initiatives. We will do so mindful of the economy’s impact across higher education and sensitive to what it means for our donors, as well as for our students and their families. It is encouraging to note that you, our donors, continue to give generously.

Our Board and the Creighton community, at all levels, are pushing us to build on our momentum. With the complexity of the issues we face today as a nation and world, we are being challenged to look beyond what we have achieved and pursue several transformative opportunities that lie ahead. Our Catholic, Jesuit mission calls us to redouble our efforts to provide the fertile ground from which our students, graduates, scholars and scientists can address major issues facing our economy and humanity.

Indeed, institutions today face extraordinary challenges. Universities confront cuts in public funding, decimated endowments, new pressures on student financial aid and rising capital costs. Hospitals and academic medical centers have the added burden of rapidly shifting health care economics. But these are also times of tremendous opportunity. Our Board and the Creighton community have clearly stated that the University’s mission is more vital than ever.

Over its 131-year history, Creighton has provided an educational and research climate that supports and encourages the critical thinking, ethical decision-making, new discovery and entrepreneurial spirit necessary to move our world forward. I have faith and confidence in the power of a Catholic, Jesuit education. We develop, empower and embolden students and graduates to become leaders who face and solve the challenges of today and tomorrow and create a more just world.

In the short-term, by increasing general contributions for current use, and in the long-term, by growing a robust endowment, philanthropy will allow us to continue to retain and attract the best and brightest teachers, scholars and students. We must continue to assist students and their families who seek the quality education Creighton provides during these challenging economic times.

These and other emerging priorities are among the academic imperatives Creighton is pursuing, as part of a focused and strategic process. We will continue our dialogue with you, our Creighton community, listening to your interests, recommendations and concerns and capitalizing on the momentum created by the Willing to Lead campaign to boldly address the challenges facing our nation and world.

For my part, I believe in our future and know the human genius can grasp and solve problems. I believe each member of the Creighton community — including our benefactors — has a role to play and a responsibility in moving Creighton’s mission forward.

I invite you on this journey. Our bold tomorrow is here, and an even bolder tomorrow awaits us! Together, let us write the next chapter in the unfolding history of Creighton University.