Jesuit Journeys
Spring/Summer 2005
50 years of Education: Wisconsin Province Universities: A tradition of excellence in Catholic higher education
BY FR. Michael Morrison, SJ
The mall at Creighton
University (above)
takes takes on a special feeling
every spring.
Over the past 50 years Creighton University and
Marquette University have successfully reflected the
changing face of Jesuit higher education in the U.S.,
preserved and enhanced academic freedom for their faculties
and students, and advanced research without undermining
student resources. This list of accomplishments gives great
hope for the future of both schools while simultaneously
emphasizing their Catholic-Jesuit identity.
Perhaps the single greatest change for both in terms of
governance (and for American Catholic higher education in general) has been creating lay-controlled boards of trustees.
 Although lay advisory boards had existed at both schools
for a number of years, beginning in the late 1960s, Catholic
higher education saw the need for greater lay involvement in
university governance as a means to increase fund raising and
broaden responsibility beyond the president and consulters
who are appointed by the Jesuit provincial.
The boards at Creighton and Marquette were expanded
to include more civic and philanthropic leaders while
preserving Jesuit membership and control of key issues such as major changes in the by-laws.
Both schools also took steps to establish separate legal
statuses for their Jesuit communities and allow them to
operate on their own.
The Marquette Jesuit Community was given separate
legal status under the title of Marquette Jesuit Associates.
MJA, as it is commonly known, maintains a services
contract on behalf of Jesuits working at the university and
receives their compensation. A similar corporation was not
created at Creighton, but the Jesuit Community receives
the compensation of the Jesuits so that no income tax
problems arise.
Author Fr.
Michael Morrison, SJ teaches history at Marquette University (pictured lower). He was president of Creighton University (shown above) from 1981-2000, the longest tenure in school history. He was succeeded by Fr. John Schlegel, SJ(below). |
Fr. Robert Wild, SJ is the current president of Marquette University (pictured lower). Fr. John Raynor, SJ (below) was one of Marquette’s most beloved presidents (1965-90). |
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