The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Ohio University Athens Campus is preparing for its application for the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s elective Community Engagement Classification at the request of President Lori Stewart-Gonzalez. This process is led by University College leadership and the Center for Community Engagement. The Ohio University Community Engagement Committee and several Carnegie Application Committees, comprised of key stakeholders across the institution, will also be contributing. As part of this process, we will provide an extensive collection of documentary evidence to demonstrate that OHIO's community engagement in curriculum, research, co-curriculars, and scholarship are aligned with the Carnegie Foundation’s community engagement definition and national best practices.
Elective Community Engagement Classification
Defining Community Engagement
Community engagement describes 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. The purpose of community engagement is the partnership of college and university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching, and learning; prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the public good.
The Elective Community Engagement Classification
The Carnegie Foundation’s Elective Classification for Community Engagement is a way for Colleges and Universities in the US to gain recognition for institutionalizing community engagement. Campuses must apply for the classification, which is offered every 2 years.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching sponsors Elective Classifications for those institutions that have made extraordinary commitments to their public purpose. Elective Classifications are not awards. They are evidence-based documentation of institutional policy and practices focusing on areas such as institutional culture and mission, curricular and co-curricular programming, continuous improvement activities, and the recruitment and reward of faculty, staff, and students. Becoming a classified institution requires the investment of substantial effort by participating institutions to provide evidence of the commitment to a special purpose, demonstrated with precision across the breadth of the institution. These Classifications are an institutional recognition given to an individual campus and as such requires that the self-study process consider and document many aspects of the institutional life of a campus.
Why it matters and how OHIO will benefit
The Carnegie Foundation strengthens Institutional Identity: declares an institutional identity and mission that distinguishes the institution from peers
Institutional Self-Assessment and Self-Study: brings the disparate parts of the campus together to advance a unified agenda and identify promising practices that can be shared across the institution
Accountability: demonstrates that the institution is fulfilling its mission to serve the public good, as well as heightened legitimacy, public recognition, and visibility for community engaged work.
Catalyst for Change: fosters institutional alignment for community-based teaching, learning, and scholarship.
What Is The Carnegie Foundation?
The mission of the Carnegie Foundation is to catalyze transformational change in education so that every student has the opportunity to live a healthy, dignified, and fulfilling life.
The Carnegie Foundation Elective Classifications serve as the premier framework for categorizing and describing colleges and universities across the United States. The Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement offers an independent and thorough evaluation of an institution's exceptional dedication to, investment in, and achievements in community engagement.
Ohio University Athens Campus 2026 Application
Center for Community Engagement and Committees
Application Timeline
Framework (application questions) released and application available: January 26, 2024
Purchase/Initiate an Application by: November 4, 2024
Application Deadline: April 1, 2025
Campuses Notified: December 2025
Public Announcement: January 2026