Creighton Announces Harper Center
A generous gift from Charles M. “Mike” Harper, former chairman and CEO of ConAgra Foods Inc. and RJR-Nabisco, and an emeritus member of Creighton’s Board of Directors, will provide the operating support for the newly named Mike and Josie Harper Center for Student Life and Learning.
Creighton President the Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J., announced the gift — which will create one of the largest endowments in the University’s history — during his Convocation address, with Harper and several of his family members in the audience.
The 214,000-square-foot Harper Center, currently under construction on the campus’ eastern edge, will integrate academic support services with traditional student services, including admissions, financial aid, and health and counseling services. It will also serve as a front door to the campus.
Construction on the four-story building, located northeast of 21st and California streets (between the law school and the new Opus Hall student town homes), began last fall and is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2008. The Harper Center will feature: a multi-use auditorium, classrooms and seminar rooms, a book store, a sports café, an indoor/outdoor coffee shop, a 7,000-square-foot fitness area, and spaces for student clubs and organizations.
Harper guided Omaha-based ConAgra for nearly 17 years, first as president and chief executive officer and then as chairman and CEO, before stepping down in 1992. He later served as chairman and CEO of RJR-Nabisco. He also served on Creighton’s Board of Directors from 1980 to 1993, when he was named Board Member Emeritus. In 1995, Creighton conferred upon him one of its highest honors, the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.
“I witnessed firsthand, while serving on Creighton’s Board of Directors, the incredible job the University does in educating the entire person — forming women and men as leaders in their communities,” Harper said. “Building on the accomplishments of (former president) the Rev. Michael G. Morrison, S.J., and others of past decades, the mantle of leadership has been passed.
“I greatly admire Fr. Schlegel’s and other leaders’ strategic vision expanding the campus eastward. This downtown renaissance certainly reinforces the decision made years ago to anchor ConAgra on the edge of the Missouri River. I know Josie would be proud, as I am, that our names will be linked forever to Creighton and its Living-Learning Center.” “
Mike and his late wife, Josie, have been generous supporters of Creighton University over the years, providing funds for scholarships, academics and other programs at the University,” Fr. Schlegel said. “We especially thank them for this latest gift, which will benefit students and the community for years to come. When completed, the Harper Center will be a unique facility among Midwestern universities, providing a home away from home for our students.”
Construction of the Harper Center is part of the University’s strategic plan for the future and was identified as a funding priority in the $350 million Willing to Lead Campaign.