NC State has once again earned the prestigious Carnegie Community Engagement Reclassification from the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. This national distinction recognizes NC State’s long-standing institutional commitment to fostering mutually beneficial partnerships with our communities as part of our land-grant mission.
“Higher education is a vital economic engine for us all. Our colleges and universities not only fuel science and innovation, they build prosperity in rural, urban and suburban communities nationwide,” said Timothy F.C. Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation. “We celebrate each of these institutions, particularly their dedication to partnering with their neighbors — fostering civic engagement, building usable knowledge, and catalyzing real world learning experiences for students.”
In the 2026 reclassification cycle, 237 institutions earned the CE Classification, joining the 40 institutions classified in 2024 for a total of 277 institutions that currently hold the designation. Of the institutions recognized in 2026, 48 are receiving the classification for the first time, while 189 have previously held it.
NC State first received the community engagement classification in 2005, and has the distinction of being among the first cohort of institutions to have met the criteria for this designation. The university has maintained its classification status continuously since then. The 2026 reclassification will be valid until 2032.
Community Engagement at NC State
Illustrating engagement work spanning nearly 50 campus departments and centers, NC State’s reclassification self-study demonstrated the breadth and depth of the university’s sustained commitment to its mission of serving communities.
As a land-grant institution with a mission to partner with our communities for the greater good, NC State is deeply committed to fostering meaningful engagement opportunities locally, regionally and globally. Continued reclassification and the process by which we earn it recognizes this commitment and helps us identify opportunities for improvement.
The Reclassification Process
To receive reclassification, the university was required to undertake an extensive self-study documenting our progress in advancing community engagement efforts since our most recent classification in 2014. The self-study was then assessed by a national review committee.
The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification has been the leading framework for institutional assessment and recognition of community engagement in U.S. higher education for more than two decades. A total of 277 institutions are active holders of this distinguished designation.
In its notification letter, the Carnegie Foundation said that NC State’s application for reclassification “documented excellent alignment among campus mission, culture, leadership, resources and practices that support dynamic and noteworthy community engagement.”
A listing of all the institutions that currently hold the Community Engagement Classification endorsement can be found here.
About the Carnegie Classifications
The Carnegie Classifications are the nation’s leading framework for categorizing and describing colleges and universities in the United States. Utilized frequently by policymakers, funders and researchers, the Classifications are a critical benchmarking tool for postsecondary institutions. ACE and the Carnegie Foundation announced a partnership in February 2022 to reimagine the Classifications to better reflect the diversity of postsecondary institutions and more completely characterize the impact that today’s institutions have in society. The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification is awarded following a process of self-study by each institution. The classification has been the leading framework for institutional assessment and recognition of community engagement in U.S. higher education for the past 20 years. The university will begin working on its 2032 reclassification application in 2030.
About 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. Enacted by an act of Congress in 1906, the Foundation has a rich history of driving transformational change in the education sector, including the establishment of TIAA-CREF and the creation of the Education Testing Service, the GRE and the Carnegie Classifications for Higher Education. The Foundation was also instrumental in the formation of the U.S. Department of Education and Pell Grants, and most recently in the use of networked improvement science to redress systemic inequities in educational opportunities and outcomes.
The Carnegie Classifications are the nation’s leading framework for categorizing and describing colleges and universities in the United States. Utilized frequently by policymakers, funders, and researchers, the Classifications are a critical benchmarking tool for postsecondary institutions. ACE and the Carnegie Foundation announced a partnership in February 2022 to reimagine the Classifications to better reflect the diversity of postsecondary institutions and more completely characterize the impact that today’s institutions have in society.
This post was originally published in Outreach & Engagement.
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