April 27, 2009

 A walk across campus tells you that spring has come to Omaha.  Frisbees, daffodils, students rushing to/from the library and hanging out on the mall with laptops and iPods suggests the end of the semester is near and finals are imminent. Soon we will launch our graduates into the next chapter of their lives!  There is no lack of news!  What follows are some significant updates to help you tell the Creighton story.

Undergraduate Enrollment:

Freshman deposits are on target to meet budget.  Over the past three weeks, our deposits have run ahead of the pace from 2008 by 7 percent.  If we continue to maintain the current trend, we will likely reach close to 1,000 deposits by May 8. 

Many Midwestern private universities are reporting that deposits are lower by double digits over this time last year.  These colleges have speculated they expect the public is delaying deposits until the last moment before May 1.  Within the next 10 days, we shall see if this suspected dynamic is true. If it is, we will certainly reach our goal of 1,000.

Last year, we enrolled the second largest freshman class ever at Creighton at 985. This year, if we reach 990, we will set an all-time record, and our goal is to achieve 1,000 freshmen.

Currently, several favorable early trends are in evidence: we have more deposits from males; our mix of students continues to be more national; the high-ability students are picking Creighton at a healthy rate; and we have had an increase of 25 percent in the number of admitted students attending our Admitted Student Day events this spring—625 compared to 502 last year.

Many families have continued to report a loss of income over the previous year, and we have personally assisted each family with a review of their aid packages and tried within reason to meet their growing need.  This highly personalized effort by our financial aid and admissions staffs has lead to more contact and service with families than any other year.  We also have seen more contact by faculty and staff with our prospective students.  The entire Creighton community has come together in this recruitment effort.  Thank you for those efforts!

Don Bishop, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management, noted that “This is the first year Undergraduate Admissions has operated out of the Harper Center, and visiting prospective students and their families have been impressed.  The constant improvements to campus, despite a weakened U.S. economy, have sent an important signal to the public that Creighton continues to boldly move forward – offering an astounding sense of community and quality worthy of the investment of time and funds from our students and their families.  Creighton is the investment in a brighter future and an active, focused and happy four years of college.”

Obviously, I concur with Don’s observations!!

At the same time, retention appears solid and enrollment for all of the professional programs looks good, with the Law School showing a significant increase in deposited students. Dean Barb Braden did inform me that she expects summer school to be down somewhat from last year. She also noted that most, if not all, of the on-line summer courses are fully subscribed.

Budget:

My March Update contained the most recent information about our fiscal wellness and steps we have been taking to address the economic challenges.  Division budget targets for next fiscal year have been established and the process of developing and reconciling detailed budgets is well under way.  I gratefully appreciate your patience and understanding as Creighton navigates the economic challenges of the times and request your continued assistance in identifying ways we can be more efficient with our resources.  Before the end of the school year, I will provide you with a thorough briefing of where we are as we enter the summer in anticipation of a successful new academic year.

While much work lies ahead, it is important to note that there has been considerable progress in addressing the various changes and efficiencies necessary in the School of Medicine and Creighton Medical Associates.  Again, I will provide an important update on this progress after the June 1, 2009 board meeting.  At the same time, it should be noted that the Creighton University Medical Center has been recognized by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSN) as part of its quality program.  BCBSN recognized hospitals that achieve notable levels of performance in nationally established, evidence-based health care quality programs.

Construction:

The major campus construction project currently under way – The Ryan Athletics Center and D.J.Sokol Arena – is on schedule for an August opening.  The city’s construction zone around the campus remains a work in progress and will be with us at least through the next semester.  But there are signs of progress and streets are gradually opening to routine traffic, and landscaping will gradually yield a more user-friendly east campus.

The landscaping across campus will be somewhat reduced this year because of the budget, but I think you will find a welcoming Midwestern garden come June.

 On April 21, after a three-year delay, a previously budgeted partial exterior restoration of the original Creighton Hall building is under way.  The focus will be on a new roof and stone repair and replacement on the 1878 building.  This is a multi-month project.  Safety and preservation are the immediate motivations of moving this project forward as we head toward the end of the academic year.

Information Technology:

Creighton University is a recipient of the Lenovo Self-Maintainer Excellence Award for 2008.  The award is given for achieving outstanding computer/ laptop warranty performance.  Of all Lenovo Warranty Self-Maintainer service locations in the U.S., less than 10 percent had similar success on par with Creighton’s and less than 5 percent were recognized for this annual award.   Congratulations to the women and men in DoIT.

The Creighton Calendar: http:\\calendar.creighton.edu

After some tentative hits and misses and while not yet universally embraced, the Creighton Calendar has been a great success in the coordination and promotion of events across campus.  The functionality and friendly interface have also attracted attention from other universities.  Creighton’s DoIT team recently signed a deal with a few universities for the purchase of our calendar application.  Interest from other universities is also beginning as institutions seek a quality calendar application that addresses diverse environments and is easy to use.  The ripple effect from institutions looking to Creighton for ITS solutions is positive public relations and marketing for which we can all be proud.

Health Alert: 

As mentioned in my cu_official notice on April 27th, the Creighton community should be mindful of the recent Swine Flu Health Advisory and take appropriate precautions.  Information is available at the following link:    http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu

 In closing, I note this has been a challenging year on many fronts.  I appreciate your understanding, patience and participation in resolving some of these challenges.  The University is solid and the future holds promise.  I believe we face the future with strong faith, renewed spirit and bold confidence.  So now bring on the annual rites of passage in our graduation events. I thank all of you for what you do for Creighton.  We live in interesting times, and I assure you I will keep you in the loop as things change and move forward. 

With all best wishes.

John P. Schlegel, S.J.
President