Creighton's Menard Family Institute for Economic Inquiry seeks to generate robust discussions on campus about markets and how economic freedom affects human flourishing. The Institute supports programs that analyze economic and social outcomes from a variety of academic perspectives, including economics, ethics, and entrepreneurship.
The Institute upholds the University's commitment to examining issues from diverse perspectives, including that of Creighton's Jesuit, Catholic faith. Institute faculty draw inspiration from Jesuit thinkers including Francisco Suárez and Juan de Salas, leaders of the sixteenth-century counter-reformation in Catholic thought.
Critical thinking is a cornerstone of a Creighton University education. The Institute's programs build on this tradition by pairing students with dedicated faculty mentors who inspire their mentees to learn more about the free-market economy.
Institute programming includes reading groups and research programs that challenge students to define the characteristics of a free society and then critically examine the impact of policy on human flourishing, from economic, philosophical, and political perspectives. Through research seminars, student events, and large public lectures, the Institute engages the public in the greater Omaha area and the state of Nebraska.