The University of Notre Dame has been selected as one of 115 institutions in higher education to receive the 2010 Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement.
The classification, designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, recognizes “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.”
“Recognition from the Carnegie Foundation is one of the best markers of progress in the field of higher education,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., Notre Dame’s president. “Eminently consistent with the University’s mission and Catholic character, classification as an institution of Community Engagement affirms Notre Dame’s efforts to address challenges and improve the quality of life in communities near and far.”
The Carnegie Foundation requires institutions that apply for the elective Community Engagement classification to demonstrate diverse ways that community engagement is a salient component of university life. In addition to student service, Notre Dame was able to provide evidence of faculty teaching and research that focused on community concerns, engaged learning efforts, and University contributions to community development such as funding neighborhood enhancement and fostering economic growth. These activities were found in the ongoing work of all colleges at Notre Dame, as well as many centers, institutes and administrative units, most notably the Center for Social Concerns, the Institute for Educational Initiatives, and the Office of Public Affairs and Communications.
In 1970, the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education developed a classification of colleges and universities to support its program of research and policy analysis. For over three decades, the Carnegie Classification has been the leading framework for describing institutional diversity in U.S. higher education. In 2006, the Carnegie Foundation introduced “elective” classifications. Unlike classifications based on secondary analysis of existing national data, elective classifications rely on voluntary participation by institutions, permitting analysis of attributes that are not available in the national data. The first elective classification, released in December 2006, focused on community engagement.
Contact: Jay Brandenberger, director of research and assessment, Center for Social Concerns, 574-631-5293, jbranden@nd.ed
Originally published by at newsinfo.nd.edu on January 10, 2011.