December 10, 2014 — Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, has selected Jesuit Father Daniel S. Hendrickson as its 25th president. Fr. Hendrickson, who currently serves as associate provost of academic initiatives at Marquette University in Milwaukee, takes office at Creighton on July 1, 2015.

Current Creighton President, Jesuit Father Timothy Lannon, announced that he will step down as president due to health concerns. J. Christopher Bradberry, dean of the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions at Creighton, will serve as interim president from Dec. 21 until Fr. Hendrickson takes office in July.

A native of Nebraska, Fr. Hendrickson was born and raised in Fremont and graduated from Mt. Michael Benedictine High School in Elkhorn, Nebraska. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and theology at Marquette University and then entered the Society of Jesus.

Fr. Hendrickson began his Jesuit formation studying at Creighton in 1996. He was eventually hired to teach philosophy there and was ordained into the priesthood in 2006 at St. John’s Church on campus. He went on to earn master’s degrees from Fordham University, Santa Clara University and Columbia University, as well as a Ph.D. from Columbia. He has taught at Jordan University College in Morogoro, Tanzania, and in programs in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Guatemala and India.

After spending the last 25 years in and around Jesuit education, he is thrilled to return to Creighton as president and is personally invested in the university’s mission. “That mission is about changing the lives of students, and about changing the world,” he said.

Though he hasn’t served as a president before, Fr. Hendrickson said he works with leaders throughout Marquette in his role in the provost’s office, where he also co-directs a service leadership scholarship program, oversees an enrollment growth initiative and managed expansion of the Title IX compliance office.

As a board member at Creighton, Xavier University and Boston College, Fr. Hendrickson said he has gained an understanding of the complexity of colleges, worked closely with leaders and been involved in capital campaigns and strategic planning. “I’ve worked with the key players since day one at Marquette,” he said. “It’s been full immersion on constant and persistent issues that impact the university.”

Fr. Hendrickson wishes to articulate a vision that keeps Creighton close to its heart of undergraduate teaching and humanities, and listens to the people who care most about it. “The role of the president is really to keep cultivating a sense of engagement and commitment to the university,” he said. [Sources: Creighton University, WOWT NBC Omaha, Omaha World-Herald]