Creighton University Creighton University is a private , coeducational , Jesuit , Roman Catholic university located in Omaha , Nebraska , United States . Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878 , the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities . The university is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools . Creighton is the largest private religious university in Nebraska . Sitting on a campus just outside Omaha ' s downtown business district , the university currently enrolls about 7 , 730 graduate and undergraduate students . History . The university was founded as Creighton College on September 2 , 1878 through a gift from Mary Lucretia Creighton , who stipulated in her will that a school be established in memory of her husband , prominent Omaha businessman Edward Creighton . Edward ' s brother , John A . Creighton , is credited with fostering and sustaining the university ' s early growth and endowment . Academics . The current schools and colleges at Creighton are : The College of Arts & Sciences is the largest school , boasting about 35 % of the university ' s enrollment . Creighton has an undergraduate student - to - faculty ratio of 11 - to - 1 as well as 33 endowed chairs in various disciplines . Athletics . Creighton competes in NCAA Division I athletics , within the Missouri Valley Conference . On March 20 , 2013 , the Creighton administration announced that the school will join the Big East in July . Nicknamed the Bluejays ( or Jays ) , Creighton fields 14 teams in eight sports . Bruce Rasmussen is the Director of Athletics . Greg McDermott is the men ' s basketball program ' s current head coach . Famous basketball alums include Paul Silas , Benoit Benjamin and Kyle Korver , while famous former Bluejay coaches include Eddie Sutton and Willis Reed . In addition , the women ' s basketball team won the WNIT championship in 2004 . They play all home games on campus at the new D . J . Sokol Arena . The men ' s soccer team maintained 17 straight NCAA tournament appearances , between 1992 and 2008 . During that time , the Bluejays made three College Cup appearances , including one championship game appearance ( 2000 ) . They play all home games on campus at Morrison Stadium . Creighton ' s baseball team has one appearance in the NCAA College World Series ( 1991 ) . Jim Hendry , the former general manager of the Chicago Cubs , was Creighton ' s head coach for its 1991 CWS appearance . The program ' s graduates include Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson . The women ' s softball team has two appearances in the Women ' s College World Series ( 1982 & 1986 ) , and has appeared in six of the past eight NCAA Tournaments . Tara Oltman ( 2007 – 2010 ) , the best pitcher in MVC history , was a three - time league Pitcher of the Year and finished her career with conference records for wins , innings pitched , starts , appearances , strikeouts and complete games . She remains the only student - athlete in Bluejay history to earn first - team all - conference honors in four consecutive seasons . Demographics . Creighton ' s total enrollment is 7 , 385 , of which 4 , 133 are undergraduates . For the 2010 – 2011 academic year , 20 percent of Creighton ’ s freshman class is first - generation college students and 25 percent is students of color . Fifty - seven percent of the freshman class is from more than away from Omaha ; 38 percent is from more than away . Student clubs and organizations . The university has more than 200 student organizations in various fields of interest : Student Center for Service and Justice . The Creighton Center for Service and Justice ( CCSJ ) promotes weekly local community service projects , Fall and Spring Break service trips , student leadership development and education about contemporary justice issues . The center helped develop the Cortina Community , an intentional living sophomore community . Common interest . Many organizations exist for students to share their common interests . Examples include : Notable alumni . There are more than 57 , 765 living alumni of Creighton University in 93 countries . Nearly 30 percent live in Nebraska . The largest number of alumni that live outside the United States reside in Canada , Japan and Malaysia . Alumni include : the founder of TD Ameritrade and owner of the Chicago Cubs , J . Joseph Ricketts ; the former president and chief operating officer of Coca Cola , Donald Keough ; an astronaut killed in the Space Shuttle " Columbia " disaster , Michael P . Anderson ; and several professional athletes , including Major League Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson . Marcia Anderson , the first African - American woman to attain the rank of major general in the United States Army Reserve , is a Creighton graduate .