May 7, 2007

May is all around us—a quieter campus, renewed landscaping, a sense of accomplishment and anticipation of graduation. It has been a very busy last six weeks since my last update. I apologize for the delay, but my schedule has been hectic, albeit, interesting.

Graduation is May 12 at the Civic Auditorium for the last time. We move to the Qwest Center in 2008. The University commencement at 9:30 a.m. will feature an honorary degree for actor/comedian Bob Newhart; Presidential Medallions celebrating the 25th anniversary of Holy Name Housing Corporation and the centennial of St. Cecelia’s Cathedral. The Alumni Achievement Award will be featured at the morning ceremony and the Alumni Merit Award during the afternoon ceremony.  The Spirit of Creighton awards will be presented at both ceremonies.

Search for the Academic Vice President is under way. As you know three candidates are presently being interviewed on campus. The committee will convey its determination to me in late May.

On the enrollment front, we are on target for meeting our freshman class of 970. Again this incoming class has the highest academic profile ever and represents an enhanced ethnic and geographic diversity. Enrollments for the professional schools and other programs are all healthy and on budget.

The NCAA Division I 2005-06 academic progress report has been made public. As I explained last year, all sports programs are evaluated in terms of academic progress toward degree completion and graduation. All individual sports are ranked on a 1,000-point scale with 925 being the cut-off point and 1,000 being a perfect score. All of Creighton’s eight women’s programs had a composite score of 987/1,000. Two teams had a perfect score—tennis and cross country. Creighton’s five men’s programs had a composite of 978. Again two teams had a perfect score of 1,000—men’s golf and tennis.  Congratulations to our student athletes, who excel on and off the courts and fields!

On the construction front:

• Visible progress can be seen on the Harper Center for Student Life and Learning. Completion date is August 2008.
• The St. John’s renovation is proceeding at a good pace. Interior work—painting and lighting—is presently being done before placing a new floor and seating. We expect to conduct services in the main church by mid-July.
• And the other major construction project for the summer is the extension of the mall. Phase IV will run from Morrison Stadium westward to 20th Street, fronting Opus Hall. An early August completion date is expected.

Also Creighton has been pre-selected for inclusion in the inaugural edition of Guide to Service-Learning Colleges and Universities. The selected institutions demonstrate that they integrate community service with academic study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities while using a deliberate and planned approach in order to fulfill the standards of service-learning. Congratulations to all involved!

Thank you for a very successful semester, not without its challenges, however. But we do end the year with historic enrollments, solid finances, talented students, committed teacher-scholars, generous and supportive staff, engaged alumni and solid support from the Omaha community. So we are grateful and count our blessings, as we bid over 1,300 graduates Godspeed and much success. Enjoy the summer!

John P. Schlegel, S.J.
President