Capital was recently named one of 119 U.S. colleges and universities to receive the Carnegie Foundation’s Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, which designates the university’s commitment to community engagement.
The classification is awarded following a self-study by each institution, which is then assessed by a national review committee led by the Swearer Center for Public Engagement at Brown University, the administrative and research home for the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification.
This classification has been the leading framework for institutional assessment and recognition of community engagement in U.S. higher education for the past 14 years.
“This award recognizes that Capital, in its mission, infrastructure, curriculum, and co-curricular activities, is committed to improving the lives of our neighbors and helping our students develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will help them be engaged citizens throughout their lives,” said Dr. Stephanie Wilson, executive assistant provost of experiential learning and director of undergraduate scholarship.
She said community engagement is also important to show students how to apply things they learn in classes to real-world problems.
Wilson explained that students have been able to engage in their communities both inside and outside the classroom. Some courses in nursing, education, health and sports sciences, media, sociology, and philosophy have community service ingrained in them, and the Office of Student and Community Engagement hosts events like Crusader Day of Service and Saturday Service to get students involved.
“The opportunities for students to participate in these activities are virtually limitless,” Wilson said.
