Printer-friendly versionThe Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching invites colleges and universities with an institutional focus on community engagement to apply for the elective classification, previously developed and offered in 2006 as part of an extensive restructuring of The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
The elective Community Engagement classification provides a way for institutions to describe their identity and commitments to community with a public and nationally recognized classification. It extends and refines the classification of colleges and universities. Amy Driscoll, a consulting scholar at the Foundation, coordinated the development of the classification and oversees the application and review processes. She describes the classification as “a significant affirmation of the importance of community engagement in the agenda of higher education.”
The Foundation defines community engagement as “the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.” That definition and the documentation framework for the classification are intentionally inclusive to honor the diversity of institutions and their approaches to community engagement.
Those institutions interested in the 2008 classification are urged to review the application process, documentation framework, FAQ’s, and other information on the Carnegie website before making a decision to apply. Those institutions that were classified in 2006 do not need to apply again. March 1, 2008 is the deadline for declaring the intent to apply. The intent must be communicated electronically to driscoll@carnegiefoundation.org along with the name of the institutional contact person. That person will coordinate the application process of the campus and will receive information about how to begin the process. The application process and data collection will open on April 1, 2008 when institution-specific invitations will be emailed to institutional contact persons. Completed applications are due on September 1, 2008 and classifications will be announced in December 2008.
It is expected that all interested institutions will be accommodated in the 2008 application process; however, if the response to the call for applications exceeds the capacity to conduct a thorough review, it may be necessary to limit the applications. Selections will be guided primarily by the date of the declaration of intent, with additional consideration given to diversity of institutional types.
Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an Act of Congress, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center with the primary mission "to do and perform all things necessary to encourage, uphold, and dignify the profession of the teacher and the cause of higher education." The improvement of teaching and learning is central to all of the Foundation’s work.
