Previous Reunion Weekend
“Alumni Relations throws a great party.”
For the first time in nearly a decade, the undergraduate Reunion Weekend was moved from a summer event to the early fall and dubbed Destination Creighton, a weekend of events brought students, parents, and alumni together on campus. With the academic year recently underway, students, faculty, and Jesuits were on campus and Creighton University was bustling with activity. In addition, this year’s reunion was held in conjunction with Family Weekend, so parents (not to mention alumni) were visiting their Creighton students during the weekend of September 21 and 22, 2007.
On Friday night, the reunion activities began across campus with the receptions for the College of Business and the School of Nursing. Deans of the schools mingled with alumni, students, and faculty in the atrium of the Hixson-Lied Science Building and outdoors the Reinert Alumni Memorial Library Garden.
“I had a great time-beyond any expectation.”
The Class of 1957 from the Creighton College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Business and both the St. Joseph’s and St. Catherine’s Schools of Nursing had a Golden Jays Reception and Dinner with Fr. John P. Schlegel, S.J. in the Ahmanson Law Center. Residence Life sponsored a Resident Advisor Reunion Gathering with wine and cheese in the Java Jay, located in the Fr. Richard D. McGloin, S.J. Residence Hall.
Down on the east end of campus, alumni were invited to attend the student-sponsored Inter-Residence Hall Government “Getting Blue BBQ” prior to the women’s soccer game against the University of Iowa.
“All of my classmates had a great time.”
The second-annual Alumni Association event, the Hilltop Jam, brought Omaha favorites, The Confidentials, to campus for music and dancing under the stars on the new George and Susan Venteicher Mall, on California between 19th & 20th Streets. A picket-fenced beer garden in the courtyard of the new Opus Hall junior/senior town-homes hosted young alumni for “Mai Tais on the Mall” and nearly 400 alumni from Omaha and beyond. Residence Life hosted tours of the loft-style campus apartments throughout the evening.
“I expected our 20th reunion to reconnect me socially, but I had not planned on spiritual renewal, which was the outcome. Each event provided an opportunity to celebrate our shared past and rekindle our identity as a class. The weekend elevated a gathering of classmates to a ‘Creighton family’ reunion.”
Saturday on campus was filled with activity beginning with the JayWalk 5K walk/run fundraiser for the Omaha Jesuit Middle School. Alumni, students, parents, friends, and community members followed up the race with the Creighton Student Union’s Pancake Feed in front of the Rev. Michael G. Morrison, S.J. Stadium. Alumni were able to take student-guided campus walking tours of campus, Ollie the Trolley tours of downtown Omaha and the new Riverfront development, and were invited to stop by events like the Creighton Army ROTC Alumni barbeque, the Freshman Leadership Program 20th Anniversary celebration, and the College of Arts & Sciences Open House.
The bookstore and undergraduate Admissions office were open. Mass at St. John’s included the St. John’s parishioners, alumni, parents, and students. Rev. Richard J. Hauser who presided over the Mass quipped that there had never before been so many hosts shared in St. John’s Church.
"I had an utter ball."
Following Mass, alumni and friends gathered in the Jesuit Gardens for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres with Deans Robert Kennedy of the College of Arts & Sciences, Anthony Hendrickson of the College of Business, Eleanor Howell of the School of Nursing and Gail Jensen of the Graduate School.
Saturday evening, alumni cheered on their friends at a Soccer Alumni vs. Alumni game, followed by the men’s soccer game against Tulsa.
"Wow, the campus has so much more to offer than when we were in school!”
Members of the Classes of 1967, 1982, 1987, and 1997 rode the Bluejay Shuttle to the Qwest Center Omaha for the Class Reunion Gatherings later that evening. Each class had a private party room but shared the lobby space that overlooked the Riverfront, complete with a DJ spinning songs on request and professional portraits with Billy Bluejay.
With magnificent fall weather, students, families and Creighton friends on campus all weekend, Reunion Weekend: Destination Creighton might be best summed up with a reunion guest’s quote: “As my good friend the sociologist used to say: ‘A day at Creighton is like a day in heaven.’”
