Donor-funded ‘Fly Together’ initiative invests in CU’s future
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY
Amid ongoing construction of a new sophomore residence hall, the Creighton Quad and softball and baseball practice fields, Creighton University unveiled a $300 million, donor-funded initiative set to transform its athletic and recreation facilities across a 12-block radius.
Backed by a historic $100 million gift from the Heider Family Foundation — the largest gift in Creighton’s history — along with $200 million from other donors, including C.L. and Rachel Werner, Larry and Linda Pearson and Don Scott, the Fly Together project, announced on Sept. 18, is entirely donor-funded. The investment will expand Creighton’s partnerships into the Omaha community and enhance campus facilities to meet the evolving recruitment standards.
“We’re proud to be in the urban core [of Omaha]. We can’t be more excited about the Gene Leahy Riverfront development … Millwork Commons, Civic Square [and] of course, the Builders District, our neighbor on 17th Street. A lot’s happened in Omaha in this past decade, and we’re part of that story,” Creighton University President the Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, S.J., said at the press conference.
The Fly Together project involves 11 new or upgraded facilities and nearly 700,000 square feet of athletic and recreation space on campus.
To accommodate Creighton’s 300 student-athletes and the growing competition to recruit high-class athletes, Fly Together will fund construction of a brand-new sports performance center and a team facility; additionally, the project will renovate the D.J. Sokol Arena, the Ruth Scott Training Center and the McDermott Center.
Set to open by the summer of 2027, the Sports Performance Center will include spaces for nutrition, sports medicine, academic advising and sport psychology, as well as almost 10,000 square feet designated for strength and conditioning.
“We anticipate holding a groundbreaking ceremony for the Sports Performance Center before the end of the year. This is going to take the student-athlete experience to a whole new level,” McCormick Endowed Athletic Director Marcus Blossom said at the Fly Together announcement conference.
Other updates to Creighton’s athletic facilities will stretch across the current sports complex, with D.J. Sokol Arena and the Ryan Athletic Center gaining a new public concourse, media rooms, offices, training spaces, renovated locker rooms and an upgraded gymnasium, according to Blossom.
The McDermott Center will also receive a facelift. The men’s basketball practice facility will have a renovated atrium, lounge and locker rooms, along with new hydro-training spaces and practice courts.
Creighton’s softball and baseball practice fields, which are currently undergoing construction, will be the first two projects in the Fly Together plan to be completed. According to Blossom, the softball field is near completion and is set to open this fall, while the baseball practice field will be ready to open next June and serve as the College World Series’ official practice site.
Between the baseball and softball fields will stand a facility providing nearly 38,000 square feet dedicated to batting cages, locker rooms, team lounges and offices.
Each building on the east side of Creighton’s campus is part of what will become the Athletic Village. For Blossom and the other innovators of the Fly Together initiative, the Athletic Village will serve as a pathway to elevate Bluejay athletics on the national stage.
“Fly Together will enhance the student experience greatly. It will help us to continue to recruit some of the best student-athletes in the country and help us win against our toughest competition,” Blossom said in the announcement. “Our vision is to be the model program in the Big East conference, and Fly Together will help us realize this vision.”
More than just catering to the 300 student-athletes on campus, the Fly Together project plan appeals to the rest of Creighton’s students, staff and faculty by constructing a new Student Fitness Center across 17th street from the Builder’s District — an urban district just to the east of campus.
“We know that students are not only seeking and searching for excellent academic programs, but a living environment that will support their active lifestyle. About 75% of our freshmen lettered in at least one sport in high school and many are looking for a competitive outlet and a sense of community upon arriving here at Creighton,” Hendrickson said during the press conference. “Fly Together offers top-tier spaces for student fitness, intramurals, club sports and the recently added Premier Club Sports program, which will provide students with an elevated level of intercollegiate activity.”
Across the Jaywalk — a pedestrian passage that will be constructed to unite Creighton with the Builders District — Creighton’s new 86,400-square-foot fitness center and the renovated Rasmussen Center will be linked by a skybridge. The fitness center will feature courts, training spaces, golf and yoga areas, as well as a lounge and café, while Rasmussen will add multi-purpose courts, outdoor pickleball and an indoor track.
On top of these campus-centered projects, Creighton and Kiewit will partner to expand the development more urbanely through the 10-block Builder’s District, adding an urban park, community space, hotel, retail, restaurants, entertainment, offices and 600 apartments.
Beyond bricks and mortar, Hendrickson said the heart of the campaign is scholarships investing in students’ futures by making a Creighton education more affordable.
“The scholarship [has] been the face of this campaign. We’ve raised nearly $250 million dollars to get kids on campus who want to be here and they just can’t make it happen, but they’re coming,” Hendrickson said.
With so many changes coming to Creighton thanks to the Fly Together campaign — rooted in partnership and community with those surrounding the university — Hendrickson said Jesuit values align with this next phase of growth.
“Jesuit values are about partnership and community … Jesuits first started building colleges and universities in the urban core, in the metro areas, to be near politics, to be near entertainment and to have a sense of leadership influence for its students and for its community,” Hendrickson said.
Backed by record-breaking gifts, the developing Fly Together campaign aims to reshape Creighton’s campus, athletic programs and engagement with the larger Omaha community. The project’s lead donor, Scott Heider of the Heider Family Foundation, said the initiative will elevate the university and transform the surrounding North Downtown area.
“What I would say to you, Bluejay Nation, what I would say to you, Omaha, … and the state of Nebraska, I assure you that Fly Together will have this university flying at an absolute new elevation. I can assure you [that] the city of Omaha with [the] North Downtown area will never be the same. I promise you that. We’ll execute on both of those,” Scott Heider said in his speech during the press conference.