In 1999, the Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J., agreed to become the president of Creighton University, setting a personal goal of a seven-year term. Now, after almost 11 years, Schlegel has announced his retirement.

“It was a very hard to make because I’m very attached to this place,” Schlegel said. “I’ve given a decade of incredible high energy to create the Creighton we wanted. I’m very attached to my students; I’m going to find that part very hard to disengage, lots of students in particular.”

Schlegel, who said he’d been working on the choice to retire for about a year, came to the decision during his early summer retreat, feeling that “it is the right time to find a second career and for Creighton to get some new direction in leadership.”

In order to find a new president, a Presidential Search Committee – comprised of Creighton Jesuits, faculty, staff, alumni and students –was formed. No specific timeline for a decision has been announced.

Although Schlegel still has almost nine months to interact with students and faculty on campus before the academic year ends, he said the experience was something he’d never had before.

“It is a bit surreal knowing that this is the last September 3 or last Mass of the Holy Spirit that I [presided over] on Wednesday. My last December graduation,” Schlegel said. “There is a finality to a lot of this. At this point it’s not cumulative; it’s day by day.

“Come graduation day it’ll be my farewell. I’ll probably be more of a basket case than some of the graduating seniors.”

Although Schlegel admitted to not accomplishing everything he set out to achieve upon becoming president, he said he is very pleased with the time he spent at Creighton.

“Overall it’s been a resounding successful decade,” Schlegel said. “I find [it] a little self-serving, but it’s been a remarkable decade for the university — You get up in the morning, get your job done and go back to bed. It’s cumulative, and it pays off.”

A list of committee members, as well as the search criteria for the new president, can be found at http://www.creighton.edu/presidentialsearch.