The Kingfisher Institute is founded on a bold vision for the future of higher education, and Jesuit and Catholic higher education, in particular: a vision that liberal arts and professional education complement and reinforce one another.
Moreover, through the formation of faculty and staff, the Institute aims to influence every single student, in all of Creighton's nine schools and colleges. It will be instrumental in developing and articulating what makes a Creighton graduate distinctive - shaping the student as a Creighton lawyer, a Creighton accountant, a Creighton dentist, a Creighton occupational therapist - unifying heart, hands and minds.
The Kingfisher Institute is inspired by the Gerard Manley Hopkins poem, “As Kingfishers Catch Fire,” which Creighton President the Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD, highlighted in his inaugural presidential address. In doing so, he challenged all members of the Creighton community to seek more and to find God in all things.
The Kingfisher Institute represents more than two years of foundational work by faculty and administrators across Creighton University as part of the University-wide strategic planning process. As part of the "Leading with the Liberal Arts" strategic planning goal, the Institute is aligned with the University's priorities, goals and strengths.
The Institute was approved in 2018. Its offices are now housed in the state-of-the-art School of Dentistry building. This arrangement symbolizes the relationship between the professions and the humanities at Creighton.
The Institute will continue to expand through a phased approach, which will incorporate feedback from the campus community on ways to best achieve the vision. In this way, it will intentionally build on each successive year while also growing organically through affiliated faculty and staff who embed the spirit of of the Institute in their teaching, research and other endeavors.
Current Themes:
For the first years of operation, the Institute will organize itself around these broad themes of critical social importance. Future themes will be determined through community input.
Tracy Leavelle, PhD, has been named the inaugural director of the Kingfisher Institute by Creighton President Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD.
Currently, Leavelle is the associate dean for the humanities and fine arts in the College of Arts and Sciences and an associate professor in the Department of History.
