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Carnegie Community Engagement
Carnegie Community Engagement
The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification is one way colleges and universities are recognized for their work with communities. Instead of looking only at research or test scores, this classification asks, “How is the institution showing up for its community over time”
The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification is one way colleges and universities are recognized for their work with communities. Instead of looking only at research or test scores, this classification asks, “How is the institution showing up for its community over time”
What is the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification
The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification is an elective label that colleges and universities apply for. It recognizes institutions that have a deep, long-term commitment to working with their local, regional, national, or global communities through teaching, research, and service.
It is “elective” because campuses choose to apply. They complete a detailed application that describes how they partner with communities, support students and faculty who do engagement work, and track the impact of those efforts.
Link to Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement Page: Community Engagement - CARNEGIE CLASSIFICATION OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION
TAMU-CC Alternative Spring Break delegation 2025
What campuses have to demonstrate
To earn the Community Engagement Classification, institutions have to show evidence of things like:
Clear language about community engagement in the mission or strategic plan
Courses that include service learning or community based projects
Co curricular programs like volunteer centers, days of service, and Alternative Breaks
Long term, two way partnerships with community organizations and schools
Systems for tracking engagement and listening to community partners
Support for faculty, staff, and students who lead engagement work
Why this matters for service
The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification helps move service from “nice extra” to “part of who we are as a university.” When an institution tries to earn or keep this classification, it often:
Invests more in offices and programs that support service and civic engagement
Encourages faculty to design service learning courses
Builds stronger, longer term partnerships with community organizations
Pays more attention to how students, families, and community members experience the institution
In other words, national service laws helped create the industry of service, and the Carnegie Classification helps keep that work visible, organized, and valued.
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