GEO Mission

Guiding Concepts

1. A "global perspective" should be the result of an intentional process of "global learning." At Creighton University, "global learning" is understood as the encounter with and exploration of interconnections between people, places, and ideas throughout the world, which asks us to observe the similarities and differences that exist around the world today and relate them to our own (local) lives.
    
2. Global learning is not an "additional subject" to cram into an overcrowded curriculum, but rather goes to the heart of what education in the Ignatian tradition is for: to help learners imagine different futures and the roles they can play in creating a just and sustainable world.
    
3. Our "global perspective" should fundamentally serve to help students develop "an integrating vision of the world" that arises out of Creighton University's Catholic and Jesuit identity.
    
4. Our "global perspective" must challenge members of the Creighton community to "reflect on transcendent values, including their relationship with God, in an atmosphere of freedom of inquiry, belief, and religious worship."
    
5. Likewise, our "global perspective" must uphold "service to others, the importance of family life, the inalienable worth of each individual, and appreciation of ethnic and cultural diversity" as core values.
    
6. Our "global perspective" should nurture "research to enhance teaching, to contribute to the betterment of society, and to discover new knowledge" while enabling members of the Creighton University community to "stimulate critical and creative thinking and provide ethical perspectives for dealing with an increasingly complex world."
    
7. In teaching, research and collaborations, links should be made between local and global issues so that members of the Creighton University community may critically examine their own values and attitudes, appreciate the similarities between peoples everywhere, and learn to value diversity. The overarching goal is that they understand the global context of their local lives, and, ultimately, develop skills that will enable them to collaborate effectively with a variety of partners to combat injustice, prejudice and discrimination.
    
8. Consistent with our Catholic and Jesuit identity, people of the world who experience marginalization in any form should have a special consideration within global pursuits at Creighton University.

Actions

Inspired by Creighton University's Mission and Ignatian identity, the Global Engagement Office (GEO) places great value on service, resourcefulness, friendliness, caring, empowering, and networking. Faithful to the Catholic tradition, the GEO contributes to the gathering of people from many countries and cultures into a flourishing global community of mutual respect, freedom of inquiry and justice.

The GEO facilitates campus-wide advocacy, support and implementation of the university's goals for global learning and exchange as members of an increasingly complex global society. The GEO is committed to developing engaged, informed and culturally-competent critical-thinkers through diverse curricular and co-curricular programming that emphasizes cultural immersion, reflection, and experiential learning.

The GEO aims to model lifelong learning and a commitment to global learning through continuous assessment and improvement of its programs and services:

• Creighton Global Initiative
• Institute for Latin American Concern (ILAC)
• Encuentro Dominicano Program
• Office of Academic Service Learning
• Office of Sustainability Programs
• Study Abroad
• International Student and Scholar Services
• Intensive English Language Institute
• International Travel Risk Management
• International Contracts and Agreements
• Jesuit Worldwide Learning
• Office of International Relations for the Health Sciences