University News

Creighton Seeks Support for Institute for Catholic School Initiatives

Creighton University is creating an Institute for Catholic School Initiatives to better serve the largest network of private schools in the world — the Catholic school system. In the United States, 7,498 Catholic elementary and secondary schools enroll more than 2.3 million students. Yet Catholic schools face their own unique challenges; chief among them, preparing the next generation of teachers and leaders for the specific apostolate of Catholic education.

Creighton’s Institute for Catholic School Initiatives will be multifaceted — including professional outreach, research and education. The Institute is seeking the support of Creighton alumni and friends to endow the following components:

• The Magis Catholic Teacher Corps. This program allows students to pursue their graduate degrees in education tuition-free while teaching in under-resourced Catholic schools.

• Institute administration. A director, associate director and administrative assistant are needed to advocate for and organize the Institute’s initiatives.

• Catholic school leadership preparation. Creighton is home to a nationally award-winning, online leadership certificate program for Catholic school administrators who have not been educated at Catholic institutions.

• Religion teacher certification. With an urgent need for religion teachers in Catholic schools, Creighton is the only university in the U.S. that has a Catholic religion teacher certification program.

• Professional development opportunities. With online offerings, this can apply to Catholic educators worldwide.

• School consulting. While Creighton education faculty are often sought by Catholic schools for their expertise in areas such as enrollment management, finance, curriculum and marketing, the department does not currently have the staff to fill all requests.

• Research and an endowed chair. This positions the Institute as a valuable resource and contributor on critical issues in Catholic education.

Learn more about Creighton’s Institute for Catholic School Initiatives online at:

http://www.creightonmagazine.org/CurrentIssue
/CatholicSchool.pdf