Creighton president named to higher education advisory board

Creighton President the Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD, has been named to a 13-member advisory board that will provide oversight for a new consultation group that will engage challenges and provide resources for discernment for Church-related higher education.
 
The “Future of the Church-Related University” consultation was established recently with the support of the Lilly Endowment Inc. and the Lilly Fellows Program, and is based at Valparaiso University in partnership with Indiana Wesleyan University’s Lumen Research Institute.
 
“As our world continues to transform, our institutions must be prepared to adapt, grow and innovate to ensure their continued roles in our communities,” said Fr. Hendrickson. “I am honored to be part of this critical effort to help universities better equip students with the skills needed to secure successful and purposeful futures.”
 
The consultation will begin with the “Funding the Future” initiative led by Jon Kulaga (president, Indiana Wesleyan University) and Beck Taylor (president, Samford University). A second initiative, “Minding the Mission,” will be led by David Wright (president emeritus, Indiana Wesleyan University), Barry Corey (president, Biola University) and Perry Glanzer (professor of educational foundations, Baylor University). Subsequent initiatives may focus on administrators, curriculum, faculty, students and trustees.   
 
According to Lilly Fellows Program Director Joe Creech, “Everyone acknowledges that the funding model for higher education—church-related higher ed. included—is broken, so I’m excited about the opportunity to address this issue head on. But we need to do more than just survive. We need to move forward with a sense of purpose that permeates our institutions, and so it’s critical that this funding conversation take place within the larger context of mission.”  
 
With Creech serving as chair, a 13-member advisory board will provide oversight for this consultation as well as review efforts made by the initiative leaders. Board members include:

• Joe Creech – Director, Lilly Fellows Program
• Heather Templeton Dill – President, John Templeton Foundation
• Rev. Peter Donohue, OSA – President, Villanova University
• Romanita Hairston – Chief Executive Officer, The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust
• Marjorie Hass – President, Council of Independent Colleges
• Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ – President, Creighton University
• Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, CM – President, Association for Catholic Colleges and Universities
• Shirley Hoogstra – President, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
• David King – Associate Professor of Philanthropic Studies & Karen Lake Buttrey Director of the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
• Linda Livingstone – President, Baylor University
• Philip Graham Ryken – President, Wheaton College   
• Molly Schaller – Professor of Higher Education & Associate Dean of the School of Education, Saint Louis University
• Laurie Schreiner – Professor of Higher Education, Azusa Pacific University

The first meeting of the advisory board is scheduled to take place in Chicago in late October. On dates to be determined, the spring 2024 meeting will take place in Dallas.
 
Further details concerning the “Future of the Church-Related University” consultation can be found here.