Big changes are coming to Creighton’s campus; the new sophomore residence hall is set to open in the fall of 2026, and will include two bedroom, one bathroom apartment-style dorm rooms

The makeup of Creighton University’s Omaha campus is continuing to change, with big projects like a new green space and a new sophomore residence hall currently underway. These projects follow on the heels of other recent changes, including updates to the Skutt Student Center, opening Graves Hall and redoing the fountain in front of St. John’s Church.  

“[University President] Father [Hendrickson] has some terrific plans in terms of … how we activate our campus,” University Provost Mardell Wilson, Ed.D., said. “There’s been sort of a master plan all along of thinking about the more west end [of campus] is the academic side of things, the more central part [of campus] is the residential and the more eastern part [of campus] is athletics or recreation. And I think with some of the changes that we’re seeing, we’re seeing that migrate in that direction … I think all of the connection points still keep us a very small, walkable campus, but in a way that provides sort of that … larger campus feel.” 

The new fully donor-funded green space, called the Creighton Quad, will be located near Burt Street and 22nd Street, next to the Mike and Josie Harper Center. It’s currently under construction and, according to Wilson, is set to open in Spring 2027.  

The Creighton Quad will include over five acres of green space, with areas to study, play games like frisbee and a small amphitheater, Wilson said. 

“I can only imagine the traffic that it will receive, and something we’ve been hearing from students is [they want] the opportunity to have more green space on campus,” Wilson said. “Father [Hendrickson] really sees it as an opportunity and place for us to potentially hold … commencements … and then other programming, so possibly orientation as we think about Welcome Week [and] some of that programming that we do with parents and new students. That would be a great space for that area.” 

Another big construction project on campus is the new sophomore residence hall, which is set to open in the fall of 2026. It will add 400 beds to campus. Currently, 2,288 students live on campus, according to Adam Stafford, the director of housing and auxiliary services. An additional 100 students, Stafford said, live in The Atlas or The Highline apartments, but they pay for these apartments through a Creighton-managed lease.  

“That’s a little bit higher than what we would consider our as-built capacity, which would be 2,239,” Stafford said. “The difference in that number is accomplished through the triples that we’ve set up in Swanson, McGloin and Kenefick.” 

He clarified that about six rooms on campus are open for emergency spaces in case anyone needs to be relocated for medical needs, roommate conflicts or facilities issues. 

This semester, freshmen are living Graves Hall, Deglman Hall, Swanson Hall and McGloin Hall; sophomores are in McGloin Hall, Kenefick Hall, Heider Hall, Davis Square and Opus Hall; and upperclassmen who choose to continue living on campus are in Opus Hall or were moved by Creighton into an off-campus apartment. Most students in these apartments are living in The Atlas, but about 20 students are in The Highline.  

Stafford said that the university isn’t planning to have students in apartments after this academic year. 

From new green space to expanded housing, Creighton University’s campus is evolving to meet students’ needs, and plans will accomodate a growing student body and enhance campus life.

“We will respond to whatever set of circumstances and factors we have to try and support students and their success,” he said. “But the hope is that we’ll make the adjustments necessary. That might mean that we’re not able to temporarily house as many juniors and seniors, because our commitment, first and foremost, is to freshmen and sophomores who are required to live on campus. … We communicated that to everybody with Opus [and off-campus apartments] that we weren’t able to provide an assurance that [they can re-contract]. … Normally, in the past, students who contracted at Opus knew that they could re-contract the next year in the first round. We’re not able to make that guarantee at this point.” 

The university is still unsure if opening the new residence hall will free up more space for upperclassmen in Opus Hall. 

“The thing about the biggest freshman class in Creighton’s history is it becomes the biggest sophomore class in Creighton’s history,” Stafford said. “So, we’re keeping an eye on the numbers, and we’re about a month out from really sitting down and looking at our models and saying, ‘Okay, here’s what we’re going to need to plan for.’” 

Regardless, the university hopes that the 400 beds the new hall adds to campus will be a welcome addition.  

“Everything [with the new residence hall] is still on track [and] looking good. I’ve been in a couple of times now to look at mock-ups. We’re really excited about it,” Stafford said. 

According to Stafford, the new hall’s exterior will likely be finished this fall; work on the inside of the building, such as putting up drywall and setting up rooms, will start in the spring.  

Creighton Hall is also currently under construction; renovations to the oldest building on campus began last semester. Wilson said the plan is to fully reopen the building after commencement in the spring.  

As the Creightonian reported in February, these renovations are the largest update the building has seen in over 90 years and include adding family restrooms and restrooms that meet the current American with Disabilities Act standards, new mechanical systems throughout the entire building, a space for the university’s alumni and friends and consolidating some administrative offices on the building’s south end. According to Wilson, several administrative offices, including the executive vice president’s office and university communications, will get new spaces within Creighton Hall. Some of these spaces will be where the Jesuit residence was in the building, prior to the Jesuits on campus moving into the Jérôme Nadal, S.J., Jesuit Residence. 

While Wilson said there is no timeline for this yet, another part of the university’s plan is to convert Burt Street into another pedestrian mall.  

“We’ll need some city support regarding that process, but we have received the city’s permission to go ahead and vacation Burt Street,” Wilson said. “I don’t have a specific timeline, but that is the plan, that it will become a pedestrian [mall].” 

Along Burt Street and 20th Street, Creighton recently tore down the Murphy Building, which formerly housed Creighton’s Army ROTC program, and the university has yet to announce what will be constructed in its place. According to Wilson, the Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, S.J., the university president, will announce that plan next week.  

“I think it [these campus projects] just shows the progress that Creighton is making. … I couldn’t be more proud of the beauty of our campus and the opportunities it affords our students,” Wilson said.