UNC Greensboro has once again received the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. The elective designation from the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation indicates institutional commitment to community engagement and is currently held by 368 campuses. UNCG has held the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification since 2008.
“Community engagement is at the center of who we are at UNC Greensboro,” said Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr. “In line with our motto of ‘Service,’ we strive to build meaningful partnerships with mutual outcomes. It is an honor to see this important work valued and our leadership acknowledged by the Carnegie Foundation.”
This important classification is awarded following a process of self-study by each institution, which is then assessed by a national review committee. A listing of all the institutions that currently hold the Classification endorsement can be found here.
“UNCG is currently one of 60 high research activity doctoral granting universities to hold this classification,” said UNCG Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement Terri L. Shelton.
“It takes an ongoing, intentional, and strategic commitment on the part of faculty, staff, and administration to successfully enact community engagement at this scale and duration, which includes not only community engaged research but authentic collaborations across student learning and service. That work is being recognized, from UNCG’s 2021 national APLU Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award to our designation last year as an APLU Innovation & Economic Prosperity (IEP) University. We have become a national leader when it comes to fostering publicly engaged scholarship at an institutional level.”
Of the 40 institutions classified in the 2024 cycle, 18 are receiving the classification for the first time while 22 are now re-classified. Among the 2024 recipients of the classification, 25 are public institutions and 15 are private. Nine, including UNCG, are Minority Serving Institutions and three are community colleges.
“We recognize these institutions for their exceptional commitment to community engagement, and their work to transform knowledge into meaningful action,” said Timothy Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. “They exemplify the true spirit of the Carnegie endorsement and the power of serving the public good.”
The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification has been the leading framework for institutional assessment and recognition of community engagement in U.S. higher education for the past 19 years with classification cycles in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2020, and now 2024.
“Now is the opportune moment to pay attention to these recently classified and re-classified institutions, as they dedicate themselves to fortifying their public purpose missions. Let us draw inspiration from their remarkable contributions through community engagement, enhancing both teaching and research, and simultaneously benefiting the wider community,” said Ted Mitchell, president of ACE.