C R E S I G A H T I T S O R N E I A V I N N A U 1 8 7 8 At the close of the one hundred forty-first year Creighton University Commencement 2020 May 16, 2020 Lord, teach me to be generous; teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labor and not to ask for reward; save that of knowing that I am doing your will. A Prayer for Generosity St. Ignatius of Loyola Founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) C R E S I G A H T I T S O R N E I A V I N N A U 1 8 7 8 Commencement 2020 College of Arts and Sciences ................................................................. 8 Heider College of Business ...................................................................14 College of Professional Studies ............................................................17 College of Nursing .................................................................................18 School of Medicine ............................................................................... 23 School of Dentistry ............................................................................... 25 School of Pharmacy and Health Professions .................................... 26 School of Law......................................................................................... 30 Graduate School .....................................................................................31 Degree Conferral Creighton University confers degrees three times per year: August, December and May. Annual University commencement ceremonies are held in May. Students who complete their degree programs in August or December may attend the May commencement ceremony following completion, or with approval of the Office of the Dean, in the preceding May. Participation in a commencement ceremony does not guarantee a degree is officially earned. A degree is conferred only after the dean verifies all academic requirements are met and the degree is posted on the student’s transcript by the Office of the Registrar. 3 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD President, Creighton University Dear Creighton University Graduate, On behalf of the entire Creighton University community, I offer my heartfelt congratulations to you—as a member of the Class of 2020— on this momentous occasion. Commencement is a joyous celebration, a culmination of an enormous amount of hard work and dedication, and a new beginning full of infinite opportunities. In these unprecedented and uncertain times, in our daily lives and in our world, you have shown a tremendous resolve, flexibility, and determination that is impressive and will serve you well in your future endeavors. Like many of you, I feel a deep sadness that we cannot celebrate together in person today. However, I hope you find solace and joy in the fact that so many people are cheering you on and rooting for your success—parents, family members, friends, professors, mentors, and more. We are proud of your accomplishments, and excited to see where life’s journey takes you. While this current pandemic is frightening, seeing health care heroes on the front lines, scientists hard at work in laboratories, innovative educational methods, outreaches of emotional and spiritual care, The Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD, and more, is awe-inspiring. As we witness these expressions of humanity, completed his fifth year as president may you take this opportunity to reflect on your many gifts and talents, and of Creighton University, with the end of how you can make a difference in your profession, community, and daily life. this academic term. Indeed, the world needs your enthusiasm, leadership, critical-thinking, and creative problem solving now more than ever. You are the light of the world, as the biblical parable states. Do not hide your light under a basket, but put it on a stand so that it gives light to all. Take the best of what your Jesuit, Catholic education offers—inquiry, imagination, and inspiration— and go set the world on fire. Know, too, that you are not alone in this journey. You are now part of a Creighton alumni family that is more than 70,000 strong and stretches around the globe. Enjoy this milestone day in your life, and may God bless you and your families. Sincerely, Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD 4 DOCTOR OF NURSING | HONORIS CAUSA Linda Hunt, MSN Chief Executive Officer, Dignity Health — Arizona Service Area Under the leadership of Linda Hunt, Dignity Health Arizona has grown into a respected, comprehensive health care system that includes five hospitals and multiple imaging centers, specialty hospitals, physician groups, clinics, freestanding emergency rooms and more. As Creighton strengthens and advances its medical, nursing and health sciences presence in Phoenix though construction of the $100 million Creighton University Health Sciences – Phoenix Campus, we are proud to have Dignity Health Arizona as one of our primary partners in shaping the future of health care and health professions education. Prior to her current role, Hunt was president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, which is the busiest hospital in Arizona and attracts patients from around the world to its specialized centers and institutes. She is an important state and national voice in shaping the future of health care and medical education and has received local and national recognition for her transformational health care leadership. Hunt is currently chair of the Phoenix Forward Healthcare Leadership Council and is a member of the Governor’s Business Leadership Council, Arizona Zanjeros. Additionally, she has served on the boards of numerous bodies representing the Arizona health care industry and has represented Dignity Health in several community organizations, including Greater Phoenix Leadership and the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from William Carey College in Mississippi and her Master of Science in Nursing Administration from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. She graduated from the Johnson & Johnson Fellows Program in Management at the prestigious Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and was on the faculty at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and Regis University in Denver. She has received local and national recognition for her leadership in the health care field, including being named one of the “Top 25 Women in Healthcare” by Modern Healthcare magazine, a “Top 25 Most Admired CEO” by the Phoenix Business Journal, and is a recipient of the “Transformational Leader” award by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 5 DOCTOR OF HUMANE LETTERS | HONORIS CAUSA Founders, Institute for Priestly Formation In 1994, Creighton University welcomed to its campus the newly created Institute for Priestly Formation, a spiritual center of learning and discernment that works to form Catholic seminarians, priests and bishops. Its mission stresses holiness along the path of spiritual growth so that the men it guides may more effectively lead others to Christ. The Institute for Priestly Formation, which just marked its 25th anniversary, sits among Creighton’s proudest contributions to the nurturing of the Catholic faith. Since its founding, when six seminarians gathered for a summer program, the IPF now offers retreats, spiritual direction and guidance based upon the teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The original summer offering is now a nine-week program that serves more than 175 seminarians annually. It also conducts retreats for bishops and seminary theologians, theological forums and days of reflection for laity. The success of the institute during its first 25 years is reflected in its numbers, which show that more than 3,000 seminarians have been served, along with more than 1,000 priests drawn from 165 U.S. dioceses and 55 international dioceses. The seeds were sown in 1992 when the Rev. John Horn, SJ, DMin, directed the Rev. Richard Gabuzda, STD, and Kathleen Kanavy, MA’93, through a 30-day Ignatian retreat on the Creighton campus. There, the idea of creating a center where spiritual support might be offered to diocesan seminarians and priests was born. For assistance, these three pioneers turned to the Rev. George Aschenbrenner, SJ, STD, the former Jesuit rector at the University of Scranton and a renowned author, retreat leader and expert on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Today, we honor these four founders of this important apostolate with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Rev. Richard Gabuzda, STD Founder and Executive Director, Institute for Priestly Formation The Rev. Richard Gabuzda, has served as executive director of the institute for 25 years. Ordained in the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, he joined the Archdiocese of Omaha in October 2015, at which time he also became moderator of the IPF Priests of St. Joseph, a Clerical Public Association of priests who make a formal consecration through vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, plus an additional vow of lifelong service to the spiritual lives of diocesan priests. In a 2019 interview on EWTN, the global Catholic television network, Fr. Gabuzda said IPF counters a cultural trend that has diluted people’s understanding of the Catholic faith. “Changes, of course, happen in culture,” he said. “[The] challenges of the culture are evermore present. I would say over time the general, average knowledge about the faith has diminished