Nazareth University earns national recognition for community engagement
A long-standing commitment to community partnerships that engage students earned Nazareth University the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement recognition, an elective classification from the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Nazareth is one of just over 230 institutions to earn this classification.
In a typical year, Nazareth offers 183 courses with a community engagement designation. More than 1,500 undergraduate and graduate students often enroll in at least one of these courses.
“Earning the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification for the third time affirms what we know to be true at Nazareth: Community engagement is not an add-on; it’s core to who we are,” said Emily Carpenter, Nazareth’s associate vice president for experiential impact. “Through sustained partnerships, our students develop the skills, perspective, and sense of responsibility needed to contribute meaningfully in an interconnected world.”
Nazareth has partnered with the community around community needs since Nazareth’s founding in 1924 and continues to improve on and build its next-level programs. Nazareth successfully demonstrated to Carnegie the ways the programs are consistently evaluated and assessed — and intentionally structured to serve both students and partners.
Multiple offices across campus offer and support community engagement, such as Nazareth’s Center for Life’s Work and its Weider Community Engagement office, including through cocurricular programs like Partners for Serving, Partners for Learning, and Partners for Health, and alternative breaks service trips domestically and internationally, as well as newer programs such as Bonner Leaders. Nazareth’s Center for Spirituality organizes solidarity and social justice trips.
Nazareth’s classification is valid until 2032, eligible for renewal then. The CE Classification is awarded following a rigorous self-study process by each institution.
Contact
Julie Long | Chief PR Officer | jlong2@naz.edu | (585) 389-2456 | (585) 781-8186 (cell)
Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for 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.
