Nazareth Earns Carnegie Foundation 2015 Community Engagement Classification
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has selected Nazareth College to receive the 2015 Community Engagement Classification. Nazareth is one of just 240 U.S. colleges and universities to hold the prestigious honor in the community engagement classification. Of this number, 83 institutions are receiving the classification for the first time, while 157 (including Nazareth in 2008) are now re-classified, after being classified originally in 2006 or 2008. These 240 institutions join the 121 institutions that earned the classification during the 2010 selection process. 361 campuses total now hold this important designation. The classification achieved by Nazareth is valid until 2025.
Colleges and universities with an institutional focus on community engagement were invited to apply for the classification, first offered in 2006 as part of an extensive restructuring of The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Unlike the Foundation's other classifications that rely on national data, this is an "elective" classification. Institutions participated voluntarily by submitting required materials describing the nature and extent of their engagement with the community, be it local or beyond. This approach enabled the Foundation to address elements of institutional mission and distinctiveness that are not represented in the national data on colleges and universities.
“Community service is a hallmark of the Nazareth education. Nazareth is known in Rochester and beyond to have students who are committed to working and serving within our local and global communities,” said Nuala Boyle, Nazareth’s director for civic engagement. “This is the first time Carnegie has done a re-classification process, so it is a true honor to again be recognized for our renewed institutional commitment and deep community partnerships.”
The Foundation, through the work of the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, developed the first typology of American colleges and universities in 1970 as a research tool to describe and represent the diversity of U.S. higher education. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education (now housed at Indiana University Bloomington's Center for Postsecondary Research) continues to be used for a wide range of purposes by academic researchers, institutional personnel, policymakers and others.
A listing of the institutions that hold the Community Engagement Classification can be found on NERCHE's website.
For More Information
Julie Long, Nazareth Chief Public Relations Officer: (585) 389-2456; jlong2@naz.edu
Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for nearly 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.
Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.
