The Creighton Difference
In this year’s Forward Blue report, we celebrate the Creighton Difference.
The Creighton Difference is the uniquely holistic education experience we offer our students. It’s the difference in who our graduates become and the effect they have on the world.
It’s the difference Creighton creates collectively, serving others across countless communities and professions. And finally, it’s the difference that donors like you inspire when you support the University and our students.
Read more about the Creighton Difference in our 2025-2026 campaign report.
Read the President's campaign report introduction.
The Difference You Make
In this year’s Forward Blue report, we celebrate the difference Creighton is:
- The experiences of reflection, service, and global outreach we create for our students.
- The growth and formation our students carry into a waiting world.
- The leadership we represent in careers and communities.
- The generosity and support you proffer, and inspire of others.
In these pages, we spotlight the actions and aspirations that brighten our University. We illustrate the difference Creighton provides to our students and alumni, and importantly, the world around us. We connect teaching, mentoring, research, and an impulse to heal and hope.
These stories demonstrate just some of the many ways that Forward Blue supports individuals and communities close to home and far afield. They are testaments of your generosity.
A Message from the President
In so many ways, you are allowing us to strengthen and extend and freshen the Creighton difference, day by day, student by student, locally and globally, and ever Jesuit.
I sincerely thank you for your friendship, sharing of resources, and conviction in our compelling mission.
Gratefully,
Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD
Creighton University President
Creighton Connected
The Creighton Difference: Community
April Dixon, BS’16, MPH’19, spent most of her life connected to no particular community. Today, she's firmly rooted in two. In fact, she carries both of them in her job title: North Omaha Community Engagement Director for the Creighton University Institute for Population Health.
Rooted in Service
The Creighton Difference: Community
Zach Stewart, PhD, BS’11, grew up on an Iowa farm and is now a global scientist leading a team of researchers working to improve smallholder agriculture and reduce poverty, hunger and malnutrition around the world.
Learning Through Action
The Creighton Difference: Community
Arrupe Global Scholars like Rockib Uddin complete a five-year program that includes extended, repeat immersions to one of four partner sites. Uddin chose Kathmandu University in Nepal, where he works alongside providers, patients and the larger community.
Just Getting Started
The Creighton Difference: Innovation
Housed in the Heider College of Business, the Greisch Center for Enterprise Value will partner with innovators throughout every school and college at Creighton. The center will put Creighton “on the map as the entrepreneurship hub of higher ed,” said Nathan Preheim, BA’96, the director.
The Faces You Remember
The Creighton Difference: Opportunity
Adrian Martinez is one of the first recipients of the Harper Nursing Scholarship, a nearly full-tuition program established with a $5.2 million gift from the Harper Family Foundation. Martinez chose to pursue this path because of the impact nurses have had on his own life.
The Best and Truest Version
The Creighton Difference: Formation
Kathryn McGovern, Class of 2026, could be a case study in how to make the most of your Creighton experience. During her time studying theology, justice and society, the Chicago native took on as many opportunities as she could.
Shaped by your generosity.
Gifts of all sizes to the campaign, collectively, help send thousands of Jesuit-educated graduates into the world each year, creating a ripple effect. These alumni embody Creighton's values as they lead and serve in their communities across the globe. Thank you for helping us prepare students to live lives of impact.
Students
have benefited from scholarships during the campaign.
New scholarships
established during Forward Blue.
Million raised
in total scholarship dollars.
With Gratitude
“I love being a Bluejay. When I joined a research lab, I initially felt unsure of my ability to keep up. However, with the guidance of my peers and professors, I have grown significantly in both confidence and skill. The encouragement and kindness I have experienced at Creighton are unmatched, and I am so grateful.”
Shalom Manyara
College of Arts and Sciences, Class of 2028
Opportunities Created
“My scholarship has given me the opportunity to learn, grow and serve others through my studies and experiences. Creighton has helped me develop both professionally and personally, shaping me into a more compassionate and confident future healthcare provider.”
Safa Abdulqader
School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Class of 2028
Mission Forward
School of Law Juvenile Justice Clinic
Creighton law students gain real-world legal experience by providing free services for youth ages 11-19 with open cases in the Separate Juvenile Court of Douglas County.
School of Dentistry Healthy Smiles Program
The Healthy Smiles Program began in 2014 to address local oral health disparities in children. Creighton dental students now provide dental sealants, fluoride varnish, dental screenings and oral health education for approximately 2,500 children annually at no cost to families.
Magis Catholic Teacher Corps
Students called to serve earn a master’s degree while also teaching in Catholic schools throughout the Midwest.
Schlegel Center for Service and Justice
Since 1983, thousands of Creighton participants have gone on more than 1,000 Service & Justice trips through the SCSJ.
Campus Ministry
Campus Ministry offers a variety of opportunities for students to deepen their faith, including worship, small groups and retreats. Each year, hundreds of students pray and connect with one another at Creighton’s Retreat Center in Griswold, Iowa.
The Success Center
Through tutoring, academic success coaching, advising, accessibility services, career development, and student and family support, The Success Center takes a proactive, high-touch approach to helping students overcome challenges and thrive.
Building for the Future
More Than Buildings
The crown jewel of the University’s growing Athletic Village, “The Bill” will be completed in 2027 and will serve all student-athletes. Named after the late Bill Scott, Creighton donor and friend, The Bill will be immediately west of The Ruth, the practice space for volleyball and women’s basketball, named in honor of Bill’s wife of 73 years.
The Bill is part of Fly Together, a $300 million donor-funded initiative to reimagine recreational and athletic facilities across campus. Fly Together launched with a $100 million gift from the Heider Family Foundation.
Other Fly Together projects include a new student fitness center, a baseball and softball team facility, and renovations to existing athletic facilities. Creighton will meet the rising Builder’s District east of 17th Street with a revitalized pathway called The Jaywalk.
Magis Sophomore Residence Hall
This fall, Creighton is completing two major campus-improvement projects: a new residence hall (pictured) and the Creighton Quad. The new four-story residence hall, located on N. 21st Street between Cuming and Burt Streets, will be home to 400 second-year students and includes communal study spaces for residents and common recreational areas for all students.
The donor-funded Creighton Quad brings 251,500 square feet of vibrant, active green space near 22nd and Burt Streets, featuring an amphitheater, pavilion, stage, fountain plaza, and an ellipse with an art installation. The Quad will mark the largest physical reshaping of the campus in Creighton’s history.
By the Numbers
Since fundraising for Forward Blue began, alumni, friends, parents, faculty and staff have made tens of thousands of gifts of all sizes to support students, academic and mission-driven programs, and campus improvements. Your generosity is inspiring.
total donors
first-time donors
gifts of $5k or under
Thank you.
Creighton community members from coast to coast (and around the globe) have invested in our students. Thank you for your faith in them, and for your faith in Creighton’s mission.
Thank you for continuing to support Forward Blue.