November 19th, 2012

Dear Students:

We are entering a special time of year when we are especially grateful for all of the blessings we have received. Before you leave to enjoy your well-deserved Thanksgiving break, I want to congratulate several of you on your achievements and give you a few updates.

Thanksgiving Dinner
Congratulations to the Freshman Leadership Program on it successful 8th annual Thanksgiving Dinner on Saturday. A record 267 were in attendance and more than $3,000 was raised for Precious Memories Daycare.

Phi Beta Kappa Installation
A significant event takes place on campus November 29 as our University’s chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society is installed and the first members are inducted. Thirteen Creighton students will join Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and prestigious academic honor society in the United States. All are invited to the ceremony, which is at 3:30 p.m. in the Harper Center’s Hixson-Lied Auditorium, with a reception following. RSVP here.

Law Students Win
A team of five Creighton law students won the American Bar Association (ABA) Arbitration Midwest Regional Competition November 10-11 in Columbia, Mo. The team, one of three from Creighton that participated in the event, will advance to national competition January 25-26 in Chicago. Congratulations to Sarah Schaerrer, Sean Schaerrer, John Matson, Grant Mullin and Jen Varon who were undefeated, as well as law students Larry Roland, Tom Gross, Ryan Reynolds, Audrey Carey, Cory Becker, Nick Sullivan, Michael Guy, Sean Lynch, Kelli Olson and Brian Graf, who also represented Creighton well.

Ed.D. Students Defend Dissertations
Anand Pereira, S.J., a doctoral candidate in Creighton’s Interdisciplinary Ed.D. in Leadership program, successfully defended his dissertation on November 8, the first for the new degree program. Congratulations to Fr. Pereira and to Ed.D. in Leadership candidate Joe Hare, who successfully conducted the program’s second dissertation defense last Friday.

Who Says There’s No Free Lunch?
Please email Matthew Gillespie, the Creighton Student Union President, at csupres@creighton.edu if you are available to join me for lunch on Wednesday, November 28, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Please include your name, your school/college and your anticipated graduation year in your email.  Matthew will make the selection and confirm your attendance.

Athletic Successes
A number of our athletic teams are having great success. The No. 8 Creighton men's soccer team defeated Washington at Morrison Stadium Sunday evening to advance to an NCAA third-round match on November 25 in Akron, Ohio. With the win, the No. 12-seeded Jays improved to 16-3-2 on the year. In men’s basketball, Creighton is ranked 12th in the USA Today Coaches Poll and 14th by the Associated Press. Creighton has now started 3-0 for the 12th time in 14 seasons. And in volleyball, the Jays moved up to No. 21 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 Coaches poll. The ranking is the highest for the team in program history. The MVC Tournament begins November 22 in Springfield, Mo. Go Jays!

Shoo the Flu
Shoo the Flu at CU is once again a tremendous success. So far, 2,913 students have received a dose of flu vaccine in preparation for the 2012-2013 flu season. Contact Student Health Services at 402-280-2735 to schedule your appointment for a free dose of vaccine against this highly contagious disease.

Tree Lighting
Mark your calendars for the annual campus Christmas at Creighton tree lighting ceremony at 5 p.m. on November 28!

We have truly been blessed at Creighton University with outstanding students such as you. I thank God for each of you and for the opportunity to serve as the President of Creighton. It is a humbling and rewarding vocation. Please have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your family and friends!

God’s blessings,

Timothy R. Lannon, S.J.