Carnegie Classification
In 2015, the University of Michigan-Dearborn proudly earned the Carnegie Foundation Elective Community Engagement Classification. We are 1 of 13 college campuses in the state of Michigan to hold this classification.
About the Classification
The Carnegie Foundation's Classification for Community Engagement is an elective classification. Classification is a years long process including data collection and documentation of important aspects of institutional mission, identity and commitments, and requires substantial effort invested by participating institutions.
The classification is not an award, rather, it is an "evidence-based documentation of institutional practice to be used in a process of self-assessment and quality improvement". The documentation is reviewed to determine whether the institution qualifies for recognition as a community engaged institution.
Currently, a total of 357 campuses have the Community Engagement Classification.
What is "community engagement"?
According to the Carnegie Foundation, "Community engagement describes collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity."
Learn more about The Elective Classification for Community Engagement.
The Road to Reclassification - 2026 Cycle
After earning the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement in 2015, University of Dearborn is due to re-classify by 2026.
Present-2024: Continue promoting curricular and co-curricular engagement, continue embedding engagement best practices into UM-Dearborn's culture and identity; and continue building, tracking, and assessing engaged relationships between campus and community.
November 2022: University of Michigan-Dearborn begins onboarding Collaboratory, an engagement database software
January 26th, 2024: Framework and applications are released
November 4th, 2024: Deadline to purchase and start an application
April 1st, 2025: Deadline to submit the application
December 2025: Campuses are notified of re-classification results
January 2026: A public announcement of nationwide re-classification results is released
In November 2022, University of Michigan-Dearborn officially purchased a state-of-the-art engagement database software called Collaboratory. This milestone is crucial to reclassification efforts because it vastly improves and transforms the way we collect, analyze, and assess engagement data across campus and in the community. Some fast facts - Collaboratory is:
- A publicly searchable, fully transparent platform
- A tool that will inform future engaged coursework, institutional strategy, promotion and tenure, engaged scholarship, and much more
- Used widely among other Carnegie Classified institutions
- User friendly and provides beautiful, easy to understand visuals with campus data
See how University of North Carolina-Greensboro currently uses Collaboratory in the context of their own campus.
Watch a recorded walkthrough of the software by Collaboratory staff.
Comprised of staff and faculty from various offices and colleges, this working group brings a wide range of expertise to University of Michigan-Dearborn's Carnegie reclassification effort. Thank you for your help maintaining, promoting, and advancing our institution's classification for community engagement!
Gabriella Scarlatta, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Jean Song, Director of Mardigian Library
Amy Finley, Dean of Students
Kristin Palm, Director of Communications
Rick Michalski, Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness
Maureen Linker, Associate Provost
McKenna Maurino, Special Projects Manager - Office of the Provost
Jessica LaGrange, Director of Academic Success
Molly Manley, Outreach and Engagement Specialist - Office of Community-Engaged Learning
Elspeth Muzzin, Engagement Strategist - Office of Community-Engaged Learning
Office of Community-Engaged Learning
4901 Evergreen Rd
Dearborn, MI 48128
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