New Office Name, New Director Lead Academic Service-Learning

This is the next in a series of articles in Creighton Today highlighting the newly created Office of Global and Community-Engaged Learning and the support it offers faculty in implementing and assessing academic service-learning. Today, we introduce the director, Lizzy Curran. 

Meet Lizzy Curran 

Lizzy Curran believes that education that stays within the four walls of a classroom misses out on the most impactful learning opportunities. 

As the recently appointed director of the newly created Office of Global and Community-Engaged Learning, she sees academic service-learning as furthering Creighton’s mission to contribute to the betterment of society. 

“Integrating service into the curriculum explicitly communicates to  students, faculty, and the broader community that we are indeed an institution that abides by its call to join together with local organizations to create a more just society,” Curran says, “and to form men and women who will continue to carry that torch long after they leave our campus.”   

With undergraduate degrees in linguistics and Spanish, Curran studied abroad in Cáceres, Spain, and says the experience “transformed me personally and academically. I began to see the world as a more interconnected place.” 

In her new role, her office is intentionally focusing on implementing and assessing global learning. 

Formerly associate director of Study Abroad and Special Global Programs, Curran transitioned to her new role last November and began collaborating with school/college liaisons and community representatives to connect academic courses with local and global community partners to enhance academic learning, meet community-identified needs, and foster civic perspectives through engagement and reflection. 

“I am always excited about the chance to meet and connect people to reach goals and strengthen our community,” she says. 

Attaining the Academic Service-Learning Designation

She also advises faculty on attaining the Academic Service-Learning (AcSL) course designation. While the University has had academic service-learning champions among the faculty in the past, Curran’s office looks to bolster that support. 

 “I hope to learn about what resources can build bridges for faculty to do this work, bridges between them and the community or global partners,” Curran says, “and also just create more space for them to be able to build on these creative ideas they have.” 

That support may involve coordinating with community partners or providing a stipend for class materials, transportation or other needs. 

The office collaborates with the Schlegel Center for Service and Justice (SCSJ) and other campus partners to streamline overlapping functions of community partner stewardship and with the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) to integrate community-engaged learning and assessment into curricular design considerations. 

“Honestly, I believe service-learning is the best thing students can do to test out their choice of major or minor in the ‘real world,’ be able to grow personally and professionally while gaining experiences that they will be able to reflect on as they make decisions about their career paths, and practice being a civically-engaged member of the community, which is something we should all strive for,” Curran says. 

Curran is fluent in Spanish, allowing her to quickly develop trusted relationships with individuals from Spanish-speaking cultures.  

“When I was an undergrad, I had the opportunity to serve as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking families during parent-teacher conferences at a high school,” she says. “The experience was my first look into the complexities of daily life without fluency in the de facto language, as well as the realization that school systems and social norms around education are very different in the U.S. than in other places.”   

Volunteer English-as-a-Second-Language Teacher

In addition to her job, Curran continues to volunteer as an English as a second language tutor with organizations in Omaha, which often gives her the opportunity to explain concepts in Spanish to native speakers. She also tries to take advantage of full immersion and travel opportunities whenever she can to keep her vocabulary and conversational skills sharp. 

Curran joined Creighton in fall 2013 as the international programs advisor after a short stint working in Valencia, Spain, following her graduation from Iowa State University that spring. She earned a promotion to global programs coordinator in 2015 and then became the associate director in 2021.  

“Right when I thought I'd never settle down in Omaha, the perfect position at Creighton opened up with the opportunity to manage programming for international students, specifically English language learners in the Intensive English Language Institute,” she says. “My passion for international education got me in the door, and I spent the last 10 years working with international students, study abroad students, faculty-led programs abroad, and developing the Global Scholars Program. I have felt like I’ve had the opportunity to work with all areas within the Global Engagement Office, and I have loved every minute of it. I’m enjoying the new challenges in the Office of Global and Community-Engaged Learning and look forward to continuing to grow, learn and assist faculty.”  

Curran earned her master’s in negotiation and conflict resolution from Creighton in 2018. 

Faculty who are interested in learning more about academic service-learning and the assistance available may visit the web page or contact Curran directly at OGCEL@creighton.edu.