We ended the 2014-15 academic year with much momentum, and we eagerly anticipate the arrival of the Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, S.J., Ph.D., on July 1, as Creighton’s 25th president.
First, let me congratulate our recent graduating class of more than 1,600. We welcome you as Creighton alumni, and we look forward to hearing about great accomplishments to come.
I also would like to congratulate commencement honorees LEO A DALY and the Hon. Michael Fahey, BA’73, HON’09. LEO A DALY, an internationally recognized architectural and engineering firm based in Omaha, received the Presidential Medallion for its history of service and leadership. Fahey, a former mayor of Omaha, was presented with the Alumni Achievement Citation, our highest alumni award.
Looking ahead, we will welcome our largest entering class this fall — with approximately 1,080 students! The quality of this class is equally impressive. More than 35 percent rank in the top 10 percent of their high school class, and nearly one-quarter scored 30 or greater on the ACT. Eighty-three percent reported being involved in service or church organizations in high school.
When it comes to service, they will find kindred spirits here on campus. Our students performed more than 1 million hours of community service during the 2013-14 academic year, according to a recent report. Our students are living out Creighton’s Jesuit mission of being women and men for others.
We continue to be recognized for our good work. The Omaha Chamber of Commerce honored Creighton with its 2015 Headliner of the Year Award for promoting a positive image of Omaha through our new affiliation with the BIG EAST Conference. And our athletic director, Bruce Rasmussen, was recently named an AD of the Year — for the third time!
This spring, thanks to the generosity of the Heider family, we dedicated a beautiful sculpture created by fine arts professor Littleton Alston. The sculpture, titled The Flame, honors our Jesuit heritage — and encourages its admirers to “Go set the world on fire.”
We also are grateful that, through the gifts of many, we could recognize former president the Rev. John Schlegel, S.J., with the renaming of the Creighton Center for Service and Justice in his honor. It’s a most fitting tribute. Let us continue to pray for Fr. Schlegel as he battles pancreatic cancer.
On a personal note, I would like to thank the entire Creighton community for your encouragement and support in my interim role. It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve in this capacity, and I look forward to continuing the conversations.
J. Chris Bradberry, Pharm.D.
Interim President
