This is Creighton 2017 Creighton Baseball Media Guide • Page 87 Creighton University Location Student Snapshot The Creighton Campus Creighton is located in Omaha, Neb., which Creighton has more than 8,000 students: More Creighton is committed to being a model has a metropolitan area population of more than 4,000 are enrolled as undergraduates and living-learning campus environment. The 139- than 900,000. more than 4,000 are enrolled in the graduate acre campus is located within walking distance or professional programs. of downtown Omaha and many recreational, cultural and entertainment opportunities. The Creighton History One-third of Creighton undergraduates partic- campus design and master plan have received Founded in 1878, Creighton University is a ipate in research before graduating. Last year, top awards in landscape and architecture. private university, one of 28 Catholic, Jesuit 200 of these students presented their research colleges and universities in the United States. findings at local, state and national profession- Since 2000, Creighton has invest- al conferences. ed more than $300 million in on-campus improvements and planned expansion to Creighton Today create a more vibrant and robust campus: Creighton is nationally recognized as a Campus Life leading university in the Midwest, known Creighton offers more than 200 student • Michael G. Morrison, S.J., Stadium, the for student-centered education and signifi- clubs and organizations, including academic, region’s only athletic facility designed cant undergraduate student research oppor- athletic, cultural, Greek, political, profession- exclusively for soccer. The stadium hosts tunities. As a Jesuit university, Creighton is al, service, social and spiritual groups, as well high school, club and international soccer committed to academic excellence and service as opportunities to work on campus publica- events and a variety of Omaha communi- to others and seeks to create an inclusive, tions. ty events. diverse community. Nine sophisticated on-campus living • The Hixson-Lied Science Building, the renovated Rigge Science Building In addition to the College of Arts and Sciences, environments include two junior/senior and Criss Health Sciences Building the University’s oldest and largest college, townhome residence halls with form the centerpiece of Creighton’s Creighton includes the Heider College of technologically rich furnished apartments and undergraduate and health profes- Business, the College of Nursing, the College complete kitchens. sions’ leading approach to teaching and of Professional Studies, the Graduate School, research. and the Schools of Dentistry, Law, Medicine, Last year, Creighton students took part in • Davis Square and Opus Hall are and Pharmacy and Health Professions. more than 1 million hours of community service at local, national and international upperclassman townhome residence halls located on the east side of campus. The freshman academic profile community organizations. • The Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic places Creighton among the Top 10 private Center and D.J. Sokol Arena serves as an Midwestern universities with more than Creighton welcomes students of all on-campus home to Creighton women’s 4,000 undergraduates and among the Top 10 religious beliefs and the University basketball and volleyball. Catholic universities in the nation. encourages students to participate in retreats, faith-sharing opportunities and multi-faith • The Rasmussen Fitness & Sports Center opened in the fall of 2012. For the 14th year in a row, Creighton is the services. • The Mike and Josie Harper Center No. 1 Midwest regional university in the became the home of the Heider College of annual U.S. News & World Report magazine’s Students may enroll in Creighton’s Business in the fall of 2013. college rankings. U.S. News also again ranked service-learning semester in the Dominican • The Championship Center opened in the University No. 1 in the Midwest region for Republic, faculty-led courses taught abroad, 2014. veterans. Creighton was also named among or study at one of 161 institutions located in only 36 schools nationally as a top school for 53 countries through exchange or affiliate At the center of campus is the heart of the undergraduate research opportunities for the programs. University, the historic and recently restored third consecutive year, and among only 22 St. John’s Church, as well as the California schools nationwide for internship opportuni- Creighton also offers online education and Street Mall, the Lied Education Center for ties available for students. has campuses outside of the Omaha area, including our School of Medicine Regional the Arts, the V.J. and Angela Skutt Student Center and the Kiewit Fitness Center. The Princeton Review listed Creighton as one Campus at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical of the nation’s top 381 colleges and universi- Center in Phoenix; an occupational therapy The University recently undertook the largest ties in its latest college guide. partnership with the University of Alaska in Anchorage; and a campus for nursing students renovation project in its history, with more in Hastings, Neb. than 100,000 sq. ft. of academic space being remodeled. Our Alumni More than 60,000 Creighton alumni live in 90 countries, with 30 percent living in Nebraska. The largest number of alumni who live outside the United States reside in Canada, Japan and Malaysia. 2017 Creighton Baseball Media Guide • Page 88 Creighton University For More Information History of Billy Bluejay For more information on Creighton University, check out the University’s website at Billy Bluejay is the official mascot of the Creighton University Athletics Department. www.creighton.edu, or call the Admissions Creighton is a private, Jesuit NCAA Division I school in Omaha, Neb., founded in 1878. Office at 1-800-282-5835 (toll free) or 402-280- 2703. Prior to 1924, with no official athletics nickname, University publications and news media often referred to Creighton athletic teams by the school’s colors – the “White and Blue,” or Bluejay Athletics on the Web vice versa. Because of Creighton’s location atop a bluff, the team was occasionally designated Visit the official home page of the Bluejays at unofficially as the “Hilltoppers,” but the name lost favor because at least six other teams in www.gocreighton.com to get the latest news on the country went by the same nickname. At the behest of Creighton’s Athletics Board and Creighton athletics. The site contains updated Alumni Association, the Omaha Bee newspaper coordinated a public contest in late 1923 to as well as archived rosters, schedules and sta- select a nickname and mascot for Creighton University athletic teams. After reviewing 200 tistics, media guides, photo galleries and links entries, the Athletics Board decided upon “Bluejays” because the color of the bird was in on everything related to Bluejay athletics. keeping with school colors. • Free live video for home games in the The Bluejays were originally depicted by an ornithologically correct rendition of the following sports: baseball, men’s and bird. In 1941, Creighton alumnus Joseph P. Murphy, a 1931 graduate of the College of women’s basketball, men’s and women’s Business and, at the time, a Creighton journalism professor and the head of its pub- soccer, softball as well as volleyball. lic relations department, designed a graphical image of the bird with a more human • Live audio for men’s and women’s soccer, stance and expression. Murphy’s 1941 design remained largely intact for the past softball, baseball and volleyball, as well 72 years with only minor revisions. While it is unclear on the exact year the first as men’s and women’s basketball. walking costume mascot modeled after Murphy’s 1941 graphical image appeared publicly or the first time the image or mascot were referred to as “Billy Bluejay,” many costumes Social Media Links were created, changed/re-designed over the past seven decades as Billy became a fixture at For more information about Creighton Creighton Athletics events, roaming the sidelines to cheer on his beloved Bluejays. University, visit us on Facebook or Twitter at: Facebook.com/creightonuniversity In October, 2013, in conjunction with Creighton’s move to the BIG EAST Conference, Facebook.com/gocreighton the University unveiled a new Athletics brand – athletic logo, sport-specific logos and Twitter.com/creighton corresponding secondary marks designed to increase overall awareness of the Creighton Twitter.com/gocreighton University Bluejays - locally, regionally and nationally. The new logo was designed to build on the history, tradition and love of previous Billy Bluejay icons while maintaining the integrity of the past and establishing the new Creighton Bluejay brand as a distinct and recognizable identity in the BIG EAST. Creighton Directory Creighton Athletics turned to Street Characters to provide an updated Billy Bluejay walking mascot costume, one that was more vibrant, more athletic and one that more Campus Operator 402-280-2700 closely resembled the new athletics brand. The new-look Billy Bluejay walking mascot costume made his first public appearance in front of over 17,000 fans when the Creighton men’s Admissions (toll free) 800-282-5835 basketball team hosted Nebraska on Dec. 8 at CenturyLink Center Omaha. College of Arts and Sciences 402-280-2800 Athletics Department 402-280-2720 Bookstore 402-280-2796 Heider College of Business 402-280-2850 School of Dentistry 402-280-5060 Financial Aid 402-280-2731 Graduate School 402-280-2870 Law School 402-280-2872 School of Medicine 402-280-2900 School of Nursing 402-280-2004 Pharmacy & Health Professions 402-280-2950 Public Safety 402-280-2104 Registrar 402-280-2702 Residence Life 402-280-2717 Student Activities 402-280-1715 Student Support Services 402-280-2749 College of Professional Studies 402-280-2424 2017 Creighton Baseball Media Guide • Page 89 Creighton Administration Director of Athletics President Bruce Rasmussen Daniel Hendrickson, S.J., Ph.D. The Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, S.J., Ph.D., is The 2016-17 vice chair and 2017-18 chairman of the the 25th president of Creighton University.