SUBJECT: 2026 Carnegie Reclassification Efforts

Dear Campus Colleagues;

As you may know, the University of Michigan-Dearborn received the highly prestigious Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching‘s Community Engagement Classification in 2015 for a 10 year period.  Unlike the Foundation’s other classifications that rely on national data, this is an “elective” classification—institutions participated voluntarily by submitting required materials describing the nature and extent of their engagement with the community, be it local or beyond.

We are excited to share that the campus has committed to apply for Engaged Campus Reclassification in the 2026 cycle, headed by a Carnegie Working Group (CWG) that will lead the self-study process to demonstrate that UM-Dearborn has deepened, sustained, and more pervasively integrated community engagement into its approach to higher education.  We are grateful to the following individuals who have graciously agreed to serve on the CWG:

• Maureen Linker
• Mitch Sollenberger
• Amy Finley
• Rick Michalski
• Carl Paulus
• Jessica LaGrange
• McKenna Maurino
• Blythe Murphy
• Noel Hornbacher
• Catie Bargerstock
• Molly Manley

Over the next 36 months, the CWG will create policy, strategy and implementation goals to advance a comprehensive picture of engagement prior to our reapplication submission in April 2025.  This will necessarily include tracking progress on the strategies to advance engagement and ensuring alignment with our campus strategic planning implementation process.

We have also joined a national community of practice focused on strategically leveraging the Elective Classification framework with hopes that this effort will further support UM-Dearborn’s deepened identification as a commuter campus committed to practice-based learning and engaged research.

Your help in lifting up and celebrating all the ways in which faculty, staff and students are engaged in our community, whether by serving on a local civic board, working with students on a project-based learning experience with a nonprofit, deploying students to serve in internships and practicums, or partnering with a business to engage in research, will be critical to our reclassification efforts.   We look forward to keeping you posted on our progress and learning about your engagement in the community.
 

Gabriella

Gabriella Scarlatta
Interim Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Tracy

Tracy Hall
Executive Director, Office of Metropolitan Impact