The university has received a 2015 Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The classification is based on a framework provided by the Carnegie Foundation to document an institution’s activities around community engagement and public service.
The university is only one of six research universities designated by Carnegie as having very high research activity to receive a first-time Community Engagement Classification this year. Overall, it is one of 83 institutions to receive the classification this year for the first time, joining 157 other universities that have been re-classified.
“The classification recognizes the university’s deep commitment to public service and engagement to enrich scholarship, research and creative activity, and enhance curriculum, teaching and learning. It also recognizes that UT Austin is dedicated to addressing critical societal issues and contributing to the public good,” says Gregory J. Vincent, vice president for diversity and community engagement at The University of Texas at Austin.
“The importance of this elective classification is borne out by the response of so many campuses that have demonstrated their deep engagement with local, regional, national and global communities,” says John Saltmarsh, director of the New England Resource Center for Higher Education, which oversees the application process as a partner of the Carnegie Foundation. “These are campuses that are improving teaching and learning, producing research that makes a difference in communities, and revitalizing their civic and academic missions.”
The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification began in 2006 and is now on a five-year application cycle. Institutions may hold the classification for 10 years then apply for re-classification. Currently a total of 366 institutions of higher education hold the classification out of more than 3,000 institutions nationwide. Only 12 Texas institutions hold the designation, including five in the University of Texas System.
More about the University’s Community Engagement Initiatives
All colleges and schools at The University of Texas and Austin have initiatives dedicated to meeting the university’s mission of service. A few examples of the University’s outstanding accomplishments in community engagement include its many efforts and partnerships to improve Pre-K-12 education and healthcare throughout the state, including the establishment of the Dell Medical School, the establishment of the School of Nursing’s collaborative research center and the work of the UT Outreach Centers in underserved high schools around the state; UT-Austin students’ dedication to and high level of participation in community service through the Longhorn Center for Community Engagement; and the university’s academic-service learning courses. The university was recently honored with another community engagement award in Decemberthe 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Visit the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement website to learn more about our partnerships and initiatives.
This story originally appeared on the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement’s website.
