Jesuits founded Creighton University here in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1878. It was founded by the Society of Jesus and established as Creighton College on September 2, 1878 through a gift from Mary Lucretia Creighton, who stipulated in her will that a school be created in memory of her husband, Omaha businessman Edward Creighton. That first year the college began with 120 students taught by five Jesuits and two lay teachers.
John A. Creighton is credited with fostering and sustaining the university’s early growth and endowment. In 1878 the College of Arts and Sciences was established and remains the university’s largest college today; shortly after, in 1885 the Creighton University Observatory was built on campus. Today Creighton is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity.
In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate and undergraduate students on a 140-acre campus just outside of downtown Omaha. The university operates the Creighton University Medical Center and maintains a second campus focused on health sciences in Phoenix, Arizona. Across these 140 acres, the college that opened with 120 students and five Jesuits enrolled 8,393 by 2015.