Morehead State University has been selected to receive the Carnegie Foundation’s 2015 Community Engagement Classification. MSU is one of 361 institutions in the country, and one of six Kentucky higher education institutions to earn the classification.
The classification includes institutions such as Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin, long recognized as the national leaders in outreach. MSU’s classification is valid until 2025.
“We are honored to receive this national recognition for our faculty and student engagement,” said Dr. Wayne D. Andrews, president of Morehead State University. “Outreach is a defining aspect of our mission, and this classification reflects MSU’s significant commitment to serving the public in East Kentucky and beyond.”
Colleges and universities that focus on community engagement were invited to apply for the Community Engagement Classification and detail their initiatives. Institutions are assessed on their engagement in curriculum, faculty scholarship, community partnerships and student life. In order to be selected for the classification, institutions had to provide detailed descriptions of institutionalized practices supporting community engagement and demonstrating alignment among mission, culture, leadership, policies, administration and resources.
“Receiving the Carnegie Foundation’s recertification as an engaged campus validates what we do. We are truly thankful and humbled by being included in the relatively small group of colleges and universities that have been recognized nationally for regional engagement. Much of our success can be attributed to the great external partners, and dedicated faculty and students we work with in our 22-county service region,” said Dr. J. Marshall, executive director for regional engagement.
“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,” said John Saltmarsh, director of the New England Resource Center for Higher Education. “These are campuses that are improving teaching and learning, producing research that makes a difference in communities, and revitalizing their civic and academic missions.”
MSU’s application, which included materials submitted by each school and college, was prepared by the Center for Regional Engagement. The application cited the importance of service in the institution’s culture and the extensive array of outreach programs and services at the university. Louise Cooper, service-learning coordinator, and Dr. Steve Chen, associate professor of sports management, led the submission effort.
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 in the Community Engagement Classification can be found at NERCHE’s website.
Additional information is also available by contacting Cooper at 606-783-5493.
