(Sioux City, Iowa – July 31, 2025) Briar Cliff University is proud to announce the launch of a new centennial documentary project, A Most Unlikely Place: A Century of Faith, Service, and Learning, which will chronicle the University’s remarkable 100-year history. The project is beginning its initial development phase this summer and has received a $10,000 grant from The Gilchrist Foundation to support this important effort.
The documentary, which is still in the early stages of development, will explore the origins, growth, and legacy of Briar Cliff University. From its founding in 1930 by the Sisters of St. Francis and Bishop Edmond Heelan to its evolution into a modern Catholic liberal arts university rooted in Franciscan values.
The Gilchrist Foundation grant will help fund the project’s pre-production phase, including story and script development, archival research, oral history interviews, and visual planning. This foundational work will result in a production-ready blueprint for a public television-quality film intended to celebrate Briar Cliff’s enduring mission of academic excellence, spiritual development, and community service.
“This documentary is not just about our past; it’s about the values that continue to guide us today,” said Dr. Matthew Draud, President of Briar Cliff University. “We are grateful to The Gilchrist Foundation for helping us begin this important work of preserving and sharing the story of Briar Cliff’s founding, its mission, and the lives it has touched over the past century.”
In keeping with Briar Cliff’s commitment to experiential learning, students and faculty from the History, Theology, and Mass Communications programs will play an active role in research, script development, and production planning.
Key elements of the pre-production process will include: