What a decade in the BIG EAST has meant for Creighton
There were many good reasons to join the BIG EAST — the powerhouse basketball programs, for starters. But scaling up Creighton's name and reputation was a big one.
When Creighton joined the BIG EAST Conference — officially on July 1, 2013 — a Chronicle of Higher Education writer put plainly the benefit of the conference swap … "Creighton is an outstanding institution," he said. "But a lot of people haven't heard of it." There were many other good reasons to join the BIG EAST — the powerhouse basketball programs, for starters. But scaling up our name and reputation was a big one. Joining the conference would put us in the mix with schools like Georgetown and Villanova. It would broadcast our logo to households across the country. It would introduce more people to Creighton. And not just our athletics. Our academics, our community, our values.
This month, Creighton will cap off a decade in the conference with the BIG EAST men's and women's basketball tournaments. So we thought it was a good time to ask the question: What has 10 years in the BIG EAST meant for Creighton University? "From the perspective of the whole University, it has promoted us and continues to promote us and elevate our profile," says Marcus Blossom, McCormick Endowed Athletic Director. "It's getting our excellent athletic and academic programs noticed," he says. "It's attracting quality students and quality professors to teach them. It's a fantastic conference, and I'm excited for the ways it will continue to put the University on the map."
Our decade in the BIG EAST has made tangible gains for Creighton in such areas as admissions. "It's brought more students to Creighton, though not in the way you might think," says Mary Chase, EdD, vice provost for Enrollment Management "We're not attracting more students from the east. What joining the conference has done is make Creighton relevant in the minds of more prospective students from our traditional markets. Because they now see that Creighton can compete with a school like Villanova on and off the court."
Under the leadership of Creighton President and BIG EAST Board of Directors chair the Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD (and, before him, former President the Rev. Timothy Lannon, SJ, BS'73), the University has flourished these past 10 years. Yet it's not simply because of the bigger platform the BIG EAST has given us. It's what Creighton's coaches, players, students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and fans have done with that platform — taken every opportunity to show the larger world who we are. To celebrate our decade in the conference, we asked a former athletic director and six head coaches who have been here since 2013 to reflect on what the BIG EAST has meant for their players, their program and Creighton as a whole.
