This is Creighton Page 87 Creighton University Location Campus Life Creighton Directory Creighton is located in Omaha, Neb., which has Creighton offers more than 200 student a metropolitan area population of more than clubs and organizations, including academic, 900,000. athletic, cultural, Greek, political, professional, Campus Operator 402-280-2700 service, social and spiritual groups, as well as Admissions (toll free) 800-282-5835 Creighton History opportunities to work on campus publications. Founded in 1878, Creighton University is a College of Arts and Sciences private university, one of 28 Catholic, Jesuit col- Nine sophisticated on-campus living 402-280-2800 leges and universities in the United States. environments include two junior/senior Athletics Department 402-280-2720 townhome residence halls with technologically Creighton Today rich furnished apartments. Bookstore 402-280-2796 Creighton is nationally recognized as a Heider College of Business leading university in the Midwest, known Creighton students take part in more than 1 402-280-2850 for student-centered education and million hours of community service at local, significant undergraduate student research national and international community School of Dentistry 402-280-5060 opportunities. As a Jesuit university, Creighton organizations annually. Financial Aid 402-280-2731 is committed to academic excellence and service to others and seeks to create an Creighton welcomes students of all Graduate School 402-280-2870 inclusive, diverse community. religious beliefs and the University encourages Law School 402-280-2872 students to participate in retreats, faith-sharing School of Medicine 402-280-2900 In addition to the College of Arts and Sciences, the opportunities and multi-faith services. University’s oldest and largest college, Creighton School of Nursing 402-280-2004 includes the Heider College of Business, the Students may enroll in Creighton’s Pharmacy & Health Professions College of Nursing, the College of Professional service-learning semester in the Dominican 402-280-2950 Studies, the Graduate School, and the Schools Republic, faculty-led courses taught abroad, or of Dentistry, Law, Medicine, and Pharmacy and study abroad in nearly every country in the world Public Safety 402-280-2104 Health Professions. through exchange or affiliate programs. Registrar 402-280-2702 Residence Life 402-280-2717 The freshman academic profile Creighton also offers online education and places Creighton among the Top 10 private has campuses outside of the Omaha area, Student Activities 402-280-1715 Midwestern universities with more than 4,000 including a health professions regional Student Support Services 402-280-2749 undergraduates and among the Top 10 Catholic campus at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital universities in the nation. and Medical Center in Phoenix; occupation- College of Professional Studies al therapy partnerships with the University of 402-280-2424 For the 16th year in a row, Creighton is the Alaska in Anchorage and Regis University in No. 1 Midwest regional university in the annual Denver; and a campus for nursing students in U.S. News & World Report magazine’s Hastings, Neb. college rankings. U.S. News also again ranked the University No. 1 in the Midwest region for veterans. Creighton was also named among only 90 schools nationally as a top school for undergraduate research opportunities, and among only 41 schools nationwide for internship opportunities available for students. The Princeton Review listed Creighton as one of the nation’s top 382 colleges and universities in its latest college guide. Student Snapshot Creighton has more than 8,000 students: More than 4,000 are enrolled as undergraduates and more than 4,000 are enrolled in the graduate or professional programs. One-third of Creighton undergraduates partic- ipate in research before graduating. Last year, 200 of these students presented their research findings at local, state and national professional conferences. Page 88 Creighton University The Creighton Campus Creighton is committed to being a model living-learning campus environment. The 120-acre campus is located within walking distance of downtown Omaha and many recreational, cultural and entertainment opportunities. The campus design and master plan have received top awards in landscape and architecture. Since 2000, Creighton has invested more than $300 million in on-campus improvements and planned expansion to create a more vibrant and robust campus: • Michael G. Morrison, S.J., Stadium, hosts high school, club and international soccer events and a variety of Omaha community events. A view of the Creighton archway. • The Hixson-Lied Science Building, the renovated Rigge Science Building For More Information Social Media Links and Criss Health Sciences Building For more information on Creighton For more information about Creighton, visit us form the centerpiece of Creighton’s University, go to www.creighton.edu, or at: undergraduate and health call the Admissions Office at 402-280-2703 Facebook.com/creightonuniversity professions’ leading approach to teaching or 1-800-282-5835 (toll free). Facebook.com/gocreighton and research. Twitter.com/creighton • Davis Square and Opus Hall are Twitter.com/gocreighton upperclassman townhome residence halls located on the east side of campus. History of Billy Bluejay • The Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center and D.J. Sokol Arena serves as an on-campus Billy Bluejay is the official mascot of the Creighton University Athletics Department. Creighton is home to Creighton women’s basketball and a private, Jesuit NCAA Division I school in Omaha, Neb., founded in 1878. volleyball. • The Rasmussen Fitness & Sports Center Prior to 1924, with no official athletics nickname, University publications and news media often opened in the fall of 2012 and serves the referred to Creighton athletic teams by the school’s colors – the “White and Blue,” or vice versa. fitness needs of all students. Because of Creighton’s location atop a bluff, the team was occasionally designated unofficially as • The Mike and Josie Harper Center became the “Hilltoppers,” but the name lost favor because at least six other teams in the country went the home of the Heider College of Business by the same nickname. At the behest of Creighton’s Athletics Board and Alumni Association, the in the fall of 2013. Omaha Bee newspaper coordinated a public contest in late 1923 to select a nickname and mascot • The Championship Center opened in 2014. for Creighton University athletic teams. After reviewing 200 entries, the Athletics Board decided • The new 200,000-square foot School of upon “Bluejays” because the color of the bird was in keeping with school colors. Dentistry building at 21st and Cuming streets opened in the summer of 2018. The Bluejays were originally depicted by an ornithologically correct rendition of the bird. In 1941, • The Ruth Scott Training Center officially Creighton alumnus Joseph P. Murphy, a 1931 graduate of the College of Business and, at the time, a opened in January of 2019. Creighton journalism professor and the head of its public relations department, designed a graphical image of the bird with a more human stance and expression. Murphy’s 1941 design remained largely At the center of campus is the heart of the intact for the past 72 years with only minor revisions. While it is unclear on the exact year the first University, the historic and recently restored St. walking costume mascot modeled after Murphy’s 1941 graphical image appeared publicly or the first John’s Church, as well as the California Street time the image or mascot were referred to as “Billy Bluejay,” many costumes were created, changed/ Mall, the Lied Education Center for the Arts, the re-designed over the past seven decades as Billy became a fixture at Creighton Athletics events, V.J. and Angela Skutt Student Center and the roaming the sidelines to cheer on his beloved Bluejays. Kiewit Fitness Center. In October, 2013, in conjunction with Creighton’s move to The University recently undertook the the BIG EAST Conference, the University unveiled a new largest renovation project in its history, with Athletics brand – athletic logo, sport-specific logos and more than 100,000 sq. ft. of academic space corresponding secondary marks designed to increase overall awareness of the Creighton University Bluejays - locally, being remodeled. regionally and nationally. The new logo was designed to build on the history, tradition and love of previous Billy Bluejay Bluejay Athletics on the Web icons while maintaining the integrity of the past and estab- Visit the official home page of the Bluejays at lishing the new Creighton Bluejay brand as a distinct and www.gocreighton.com to get the latest news on recognizable identity in the BIG EAST. Creighton athletics. Creighton Athletics turned to Street Characters to provide Free live audio/video for home games in an updated Billy Bluejay walking mascot costume, one that the following sports: baseball, men’s and was more vibrant, more athletic and one that more closely women’s basketball, men’s and women’s resembled the new athletics brand. The new-look Billy Bluejay soccer, softball as well as volleyball. walking mascot costume made his first public appearance in front of over 17,000 fans when the Creighton men’s basketball team hosted Nebraska on Dec. 8 at CHI Health Center Omaha. Page 89 Creighton Administration McCormick Endowed President Athletic Director Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, Bruce Rasmussen S.J., Ph.D.