A Model for Transformative Change

Seattle University has received its second Carnegie Community Engagement (CE) Classification, an elective designation, awarded by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, that highlights an institution’s commitment to community engagement. 

“Community engagement is central to the Jesuit educational model and an important expression of Seattle University’s mission to empower our students to become leaders for a just and humane world,” says President Eduardo Peñalver. “Becoming one of just 230 universities across the country to receive this recognition from the Carnegie Foundation reflects how we are living out those values every day, affording our students and faculty the opportunity to learn through service of our community.” The Community Engagement Classification is awarded following a process of self-study by each institution. It has been the leading framework for institutional assessment and recognition of community engagement in U.S. higher education for nearly two decades. 

“I am thrilled that Seattle University once again received the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification,” says Kent Koth, Executive Director of the Sundborg Center for Community Engagement. “Seattle University’s distinct place-based community engagement approach offers a national model for other institutions to draw upon to pursue transformative change. In addition, few other colleges and universities offer such an expansive community engaged learning curriculum that prepares students to address society’s most thorny issues.” 

President of the Carnegie Foundation, Timothy F.C. Knowles, says “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. We celebrate each of these institutions, particularly their dedication to partnering with their neighbors—fostering civic engagement, building useable knowledge, and catalyzing real world learning experiences for students.”