The University of Virginia is applying for the Carnegie Foundation's elective classification for community engagement. Learn more about this important initiative and how you can contribute.
What is the Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement?
The Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement is an elective classification administered by the Carnegie Foundation that recognizes institutions that have made extraordinary commitments to their public purpose. Institutions of higher education like ours can apply every two years, entailing a comprehensive process of self-study to thoroughly examine their community engagement efforts.
- What is 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."
Why we value this classification
The process is the prize: Applying for a classification in community engagement demands an intense, coordinated, pan-university self-study. Through this monthslong process, we will learn more about community engaged scholarship and activities taking place across our expansive and sometimes siloed university; we will discover synergies; build professional networks; recognize excellent work and encourage more members of the university community to consider the public impact of their work.
We strive to be a Good Neighbor: One of the key initiatives of the University’s 2030 Strategic Plan is the Good Neighbor Program, which states that the University of Virginia “will work collaboratively, and with all due humility, with our community partners to address key challenges.” Earning this classification would be a testament to the University’s progress toward the "Good Neighbor" goal.
We want UVA to become synonymous with service: Achieving a classification in community engagement will signal to prospective students, scholars, and community partners that UVA is a place where their public impact scholarship and activities will be valued and supported.
Submission Deadline
The application submission deadline is April 1st, 2025. In order to give the committee time to analyze data, craft our institutional narrative, and write the application, the deadline to receive all reports and data from reporting units is October 1st, 2024.
How to contribute
All members of the university community are encouraged to view the Carnegie Classification application framework. With nine sections of questions, exploring everything from campus culture to tenure policy, the application demands an institutional self-survey that is both broad and deep.
If you think you have information, data, perspectives, or connections to contribute to any application question, or if you have questions about UVA's Carnegie application process, please contact Eyal Handelsman Katz ([email protected]) and/or Ellen Blackmon ([email protected]).
For Questions & Office Hours
If you have any questions about the application, contact Eyal Handelsman Katz: [email protected]
If you or someone in your unit received a Carnegie questionnaire and you would like technical assistance in filling out the questionnaire, contact Kara Fitzgibbon: [email protected]
Office hours: The Carnegie committee is also offering “office hours” for anyone wishing to drop in with any questions. These will take place on Zoom from 9:00 - 10:00 AM every Friday in September. You may join any of these using this link.
Application Committee
The individuals below are part of a small but growing core committee overseeing the University's application process:
- Ellen Blackmon, Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Outreach
- C.L. Bohannon, School of Architecture
- Carolyn Dillard, Division for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Partnerships
- Alexis Ehrhardt, State Government Relations
- Eyal Handelsman Katz, Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Outreach
- Jacklene Martin, UVA Health
- Sarah Medley, Equity Center
- Catalina Piatt-Esguerra, UVA Library
- Alexandra Rebhorn, Weldon Cooper Center
- Ellen Root, Corporate & Foundation Relations
- Larry Rowley, Equity Center