While the transition from college life to the real world is something that affects every student, it can also affect former Creighton presidents.

From 2000 until this past summer, the Rev. John P. Schlegel S.J., served as Creighton University president. Once his final school year ended, he was faced with a world of possibilities and a large amount of time on his hands.

A planned year-long sabbatical lasted only 4 months, and now Schlegel is taking on his next challenge, president and publisher of “America” magazine. He said it wasn’t an easy decision.

Schlegel was given a one-year sabbatical from both the Society of Jesus and Creighton. Schlegel said besides reading, sleeping and exercising, one of the purposes of his sabbatical was to try and experience things that he was unable to as university president.

“My intention was to spend the first six months in quiet, trying to find my vital center again,” Schlegel said. “I was determined not to do anything in higher education and not do anything where I had to make significant decisions.”

One of the new things that Schlegel was able to experience was a one-month vacation in South America. He spent a month in Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Peru. In addition he visited the Iguazu Falls, the Jesuit reductions in Paraguay, the estancias in Argentina and was able to connect with South American Jesuits.

The Jesuits in South America introduced him to the legacy of St. Alberto Hurtado, S.J., who was canonized in 2005. His legacy is encaptured in the university named after him in Chile, and Schlegel said it was something he’ll never forget.

In South America he was left to ponder what his next career step might be. After being a university president at Creighton and the University of San Francisco for the last 20 years, Schlegel was given an opportunity to explore a different occupation. He said what he truly wanted to do was to either teach or do missionary work of

some kind.

“I was looking to do whatever I could be most useful at, with my experience and skill set,” Schlegel said. “But I always lamented the fact that I had to give up the classroom.”

While Schlegel may have intended to break away from the responsibilities that come with being the leader of an institution, he said he was quickly drawn back into that role.

A few months before Schlegel began his sabbatical, the provincials of “America” magazine approached him to take the reigns. The magazine, a weekly publication by the American Jesuits that contains news and opinions about Catholicism, was looking to bring in someone who could help structure the magazine and deal with financial and subscription-based problems.

Schlegel decided to accept the position just two weeks into his sabbatical. While his decision to accept may seem quick, Schlegel said it was one of the hardest decisions he has ever had to make.

“Initially, I didn’t want [to accept],” Schlegel said. “I wanted something very different. I wanted something that was really true to my heart. The Jesuits call this the deepest desire and this was not my deepest desire. This is the other Jesuit value, magis: doing it because it has to be done.”

Schlegel said that over time, with the counseling of other Jesuits, the idea of the position grew on him.

“I really didn’t buy into [his new role] until my retreat in September,” Schlegel said. “I said ‘yeah, I’ll do it,’ but I didn’t really get passionate about it until after my retreat.”

Schlegel said that he has no regrets with taking this position and is excited for his new role. He began his job in New York City Monday as publisher and president of

the magazine.

While Schlegel admitted that his experience in running a magazine is somewhat lacking, other people like Cindy McMahon, a senior writer of “Creighton University Magazine,” said Schlegel played a key part in the success of the university publication.

“Fr. Schlegel took great pride in the magazine,” McMahon said. “It is read by more than 60,000 alumni, so it is a major communications vehicle for the university. He sometimes had suggestions for the cover or story ideas, and he always read the magazine before it went to press.”

Even though Schlegel has been at his position for less than a week, he said that he already has a plan of how he will make an impact with the magazine. He said he will try and push the comfort zone of the magazine and explore some of the more important societal issues.

“I think what’s going on in Wall Street is a very important issue,” Schlegel said. “[Others include] poverty in America, unemployment in America, the have and have-nots which we are creating for the first time ever because we have a society based on wealth rather than talent. I think this is one set of issues that is very important right now.”

Schlegel said he will focus on the magazine’s credibility and will try to differentiate the viewpoint of the magazine from the viewpoint of the Catholic Church.

“I think the sexual scandals have had a very negative impact on the credibility of the bishops,” Schlegel said. “We stress that we are not the bishops’ mouthpiece. We will reflect what the bishops say, but we are not their mouthpiece. I think there is a chill on the Catholic culture in this country right now for a variety of reasons. One is the sex scandals and one is that [the Catholic Church] is not grappling with the [important] issues in any meaningful way.”

Schlegel said the rest of his plan for the magazine is three fold: He plans to enhance the subscription base, develop a website with more impact  and enhance online advertising.

Rick Davis, the editor of “Creighton University Magazine,” said he knows Schlegel will put together a high-quality magazine as Schlegel did in his time here.

“I think Fr. Schlegel will do a wonderful job as the president and publisher of ‘America’ magazine,” Davis said. “He is really a fine writer himself. He has a wide breadth of experience and is able to examine topics from a variety of angles. I think he will thrive in this new role. I can’t wait to see where he leads

‘America’ magazine.”