Creighton University

• The Fitzgerald Boardroom in the Mike and Josie Harper Center
• The Mike and Josie Harper Center for Student Life and Learning
• The Hixson-Lied Auditorium in the Mike and Josie Harper Center
• The Mutual of Omaha Center for Health and Counseling
• The Peter Kiewit Foundation Land Acquisition Fund
• Venteicher Mall at Creighton University
• John P. Fahey Career Center
• Ahmanson Ballroom in the Mike and Josie Harper Center

The Fitzgerald family’s interest in Creighton University spans three generations. Today, Mr. and Mrs. William A. “Bill and Barb” Fitzgerald’s generous investments in the University have supported every facet of Creighton, including presidential priorities, the Integrated Science Center and Bluejay athletics.  

Mr. Fitzgerald, former chairman and chief executive officer of Commercial Federal Bank, now Bank of the West, began his banking career more than 55 years ago, while still a student. He earned a Creighton bachelor of science degree in business administration in finance.  

Mr. Fitzgerald has been chair of the Creighton University Board of Directors for the past nine years and has served on the Board since 1973. During his chairmanship, the University received the largest gift in its history. His Creighton service includes membership on the Willing to Lead Campaign Steering Committee.

Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald received the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus Ignatian Leadership Award from the Jesuit Council of Omaha. Both are active in countless Greater Omaha charities, and Mrs. Fitzgerald served as a member of Creighton’s Willing to Lead Honorary Inaugural Campaign Celebration Committee.

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The Harper Center bears the names of Charles M. “Mike” and Joan F. “Josie” Bruggema Harper, whose philanthropic gifts and civic engagement have dramatically enriched Creighton, Omaha and the surrounding region.

Mike Harper is a former chairman and chief executive officer of ConAgra Foods, Inc., and RJR-Nabisco, and an emeritus member of Creighton’s Board of Directors. The Harper Center is a tribute to his beloved late wife Josie, a loving mother and ardent supporter of family, education and health care. Mrs. Harper earned a nursing degree and used her skills to care for her family. The Josie Harper Nursing Scholarship at Creighton also honors her memory.

As ConAgra CEO, Mr. Harper provided the initiative to revitalize downtown Omaha and partnered with government officials to enhance the business climate across Nebraska. Creighton conferred on him an honorary degree in 1995, to recognize his corporate and civic contributions.

A gift from the Harper Family Foundation supports the Harper Center in its role as a “front door” to Creighton University. Foundation trustees include Mr. Harper, his children and their spouses:  Carolyn Harper, Dr. Charles M. Harper, Jr., Chris Murphy and Elizabeth Harper Murphy, Dr. Halbert Wenngatz and Kathleen Harper Wenngatz. Mary Bastron Harper, a former trustee, earned a Creighton School of Law degree.

Video:

• Mike Harper comments on the decision by the Harper Family Foundation to provide support for the Harper Center.
• Elizabeth "Betsy" Murphy of the Harper Family Foundation talks about what this gift means to her family.
• A tribute to the late Joan F. "Josie" Bruggema Harper.

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Creighton University has enjoyed several generous donations from the Lied Foundation Trust, built on the legacy of the late Ernst F. Lied, a former Omaha resident, Las Vegas entrepreneur and real estate developer. Mr. Lied established the trust in 1972 to honor his parents, Ernst M. and Ida K. Lied, naming Christina M. Hixson, his associate for more than 40 years, the sole trustee.

Significant investments have been made by the trust to activities that make a difference in people’s lives at Creighton University. These investments include:

• The Creighton University Hixson-Lied Science Building, standing as an award-winning architectural and educational model of the future of science education
• The Creighton University Lied Education Center for the Arts, where students focus on fine arts education and the community benefits from outstanding performances and beautiful art
• A perpetually endowed scholarship fund focused to help first-generation students to attend the Creighton University College of Business
• The Hixson-Lied Auditorium in the Creighton University Mike and Josie Harper Center

Operating one of the largest foundations in Nevada, Miss Hixson has designated gifts to projects in several states. With a special fondness for young people, she demonstrates a commitment to invest foundation resources with projects that rely on a Lied Foundation Trust pacesetting gift.

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The goal of the Mutual of Omaha Foundation is to help people improve their overall quality of life. The foundation’s gift to Creighton affirms that mission by focusing on the well-being of our students. The Mutual of Omaha Center for Health and Counseling combines student health services, which promote health, and counseling, which guides students toward practical help and treatment to handle the daily challenges of life and encourages their personal growth and development.

Founded in 1909, Mutual of Omaha is a full-service, multi-line organization providing insurance and financial products for individuals, businesses and groups throughout the United States. Across the years, the company and its leaders have supported the University in many ways.

Founder C.C. Criss, a young Creighton medical student who graduated in 1912, and his wife Mabel began the company in 1910. Their foundation has made multiple gifts in support of education and research at Creighton. In 1962, Creighton conferred on Mrs. Criss an honorary degree and, in 1963, she received the title of foundress of the University and of the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus, to which Creighton belongs.

V.J. Skutt, chairman and executive for 33 years with Mutual and a Creighton 1923 School of Law graduate, and with his wife, Angela, have supported the University’s mission. The V.J. and Angela Skutt Student Center bears their names.

Leaders today, including Daniel P. Neary, Mutual of Omaha chairman and chief executive officer and a director on Creighton’s Board, continue the tradition.

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Peter Kiewit made his first significant contribution to Creighton University in 1965 when he made a gift of $1 million to name a dormitory to honor his mother.  He also contributed $4 million in 1975 to create the Kiewit Physical Fitness Center in the heart of the Creighton campus.  Mr. Kiewit, a native Omahan, developed strong friendships with the Rev. H.W. Linn, Jr., S.J. and the Rev. Carl Reinert, S.J., former Creighton presidents, that remained firm throughout the rest of their lives.  The University recognized Mr. Kiewit’s contributions to the University many times during his lifetime.  It bestowed an honorary Doctor of Laws on him in 1968, the Manresa Medal in 1976, and declared him an Honorary Founder in 1978. Mr. Kiewit also served on the Creighton Board of Governors for many years.  

Although founded by a lifelong devout Presbyterian, the private foundation Mr. Kiewit created has made grants totaling nearly $28 million to Creighton University since his death in 1979, in addition to the two earlier grants. Most recently, the Peter Kiewit Foundation committed a grant to the Willing to Lead campaign of $15 million to acquire all of the real property identified for the east campus expansion.

Mr. Kiewit created his foundation to take effect at the time of his death and to hold all of his personal wealth for philanthropic purposes. He limited its use to projects in Nebraska and western Iowa as a tribute to the work ethic of the residents of this region.

Since 1980, the Peter Kiewit Foundation has donated more than $501 million through grants ranging in size from $100 to $25 million. All Kiewit Foundation grants are matching or challenge grants. The Peter Kiewit Foundation is a private independent foundation containing Mr. Kiewit’s personal wealth. It is not connected legally or operationally with the company that also bears his name.

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Enhancing each student’s academic and learning environment has long been a priority for the Venteicher family. For example, in 2004, they established the Venteicher Scholarship at Creighton University School of Law to assist second- and third-year students who display high ethical standards and professionalism but did not receive scholarship aid upon entering law school. Whether providing funds for scholarships, supporting athletics or enhancing the eastward expansion of campus, that commitment is visually captured by a brick mall pathway that links major portions of campus and extends from Morrison Stadium to 20th Street.  

For more than 25 years, the Venteichers have developed well over 3.5 million square feet of commercial space, residential and industrial subdivisions in Nebraska, Iowa and Arizona.

A graduate of Creighton University School of Law, George Venteicher served as assistant Attorney General of the State of Nebraska from 1964 to 1967. After leaving that office, he developed a highly regarded and successful private real estate law practice in Omaha. He also became a real estate investor in his own right and was soon involved in numerous real estate partnerships and corporations. His wife, Susan, is a passionate advocate for education and is a driving force of the couple’s involvement in supporting students.

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John P. Fahey Career Center is named for the 1971 Creighton University School of Law graduate – the result of a gift from his brother, fellow Creighton alumnus and 49th mayor of Omaha Mike Fahey, BA’73.

Fahey served as mayor of Omaha from 2001 to 2009. He was instrumental in the economic development of the city and the renaissance of downtown Omaha. He was an ardent supporter of neighborhood revitalization, education and recycling efforts. A successful business executive, Fahey began a small title insurance company, American Land Title, in 1978. He sold it in 1990 but remained CEO, guiding the company to become one of the nation’s largest.

Fahey has served in a variety of leadership positions on local boards and has been involved in many Creighton University activities. He established an annual scholarship in the College of Arts and Sciences for students in need who are involved in student life and leadership.

John Fahey was a practicing attorney for most of his life, opening Missouri River Title Company in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1993. He sold that company and currently serves as president of Clear Title in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He also has funded several scholarships at Creighton, including a general minority scholarship and an annual School of Law scholarship for a deserving student.

“My brother John has been a lifelong source of support and inspiration to me,” Mike Fahey said. “His guidance saw me through the early death of our father. He loved Omaha and Creighton University, and constantly encouraged me to come here and finish my college education.”

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Over the years, the Ahmanson Foundation has stayed true to its vision of giving expression to arts, culture, humanities and education. Creighton University has been a beneficiary of that vision. Ahmanson Foundation funds have helped support the Creighton University School of Law, student scholarships and Morrison Stadium. Now, through a gift to the Willing to Lead campaign, the Ahmanson name graces the 7,000-square-foot ballroom located on the top floor of the Harper Center, which offers a commanding view of Omaha’s riverfront through its large east windows.

Ahmanson family ties have been closely aligned with Creighton for three generations. Hayden Ahmanson was a 1923 graduate of the Creighton University School of Law. The Law Center, opened in 1975, bears his name. His son Robert served as longtime president and trustee of the Ahmanson Foundation, created by his uncle, pioneering financier Howard Ahmanson.

The late Robert Ahmanson was also a moving force behind the University’s recent east-campus expansion. Active in numerous civic, community and philanthropic activities, he was an extremely capable executive who believed in the University’s ability to nourish and challenge young minds. For his drive, determination and commitment to making a difference, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Creighton in 1972. The Ahmanson Ballroom serves as a welcoming venue for students and their families, alumni and other guests and a reminder of the enduring spirit and passion of this man.

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