University News

Creighton Degrees Conferred at Winter Commencement

More than 225 students received degrees during commencement ceremonies last December. The University also recognized the following individuals and organization for their contributions to education and the community.

Alumni Achievement Citation
Robert Townley, MD’55, received the Alumni Achievement Citation. Townley has been a pioneer in the study, research and practice of allergy and immunology for the region with a lifelong career goal of finding a cure for asthma. He has spent the majority of his professional life at Creighton University, serving as chief of the Division of Allergy/Immunology from 1969 to 2000.

Honorary Degree
John Gottschalk, chairman of the Omaha World-Herald Co., received a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, for his dedication and commitment to the city of Omaha and the state of Nebraska and for his longstanding service to Creighton University and not-for-profit organizations and agencies throughout the nation. During his remarks at the ceremony, he reminded students that you “make a living on what you have; you make a life on what you give.”

Presidential Medallion
The Rev. Arturo Aguilar, SSC, regional director for the Missionary Society of St. Columban, USA, accepted the University’s Presidential Medallion on behalf of the Society, which is celebrating the 90th anniversary of its founding. Since 1921, the Society’s United States headquarters have been in the Omaha area, adjacent to Bellevue, Neb. Today, nearly 700 Columban missionaries — priests, seminarians and lay people — work in Australia, New Zealand and countries in Europe, Asia, southeast Asia and South America, in addition to Mexico and the United States. A community of religious women, the Columban Sisters, often work alongside the missionaries.