Newswise — The Carnegie Foundation has announced that Florida Atlantic University is one of the 119 U.S. colleges and universities to receive the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification for 2020, an elective designation that indicates institutional commitment to community engagement.
This classification is awarded every five years following a process of 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.
“I’m delighted that FAU’s community engagement efforts were recognized by the Carnegie Foundation, which reaffirms the importance of our world-class educational and outreach programs and partnerships in enhancing our students’ learning experiences, while promoting community development and economic prosperity,” said FAU President John Kelly. “I’d like to thank everyone who helped the university achieve this wonderful designation, especially Dr. Ron Nyhan, who led this initiative.”
Of the 119 institutions classified in the 2020 cycle, 44 are receiving the classification for the first time while 75 are now re-classified, after being classified originally in 2010 or 2015. These 119 institutions join the 240 institutions that earned the classification during the 2015 selection process, for a total of 359 campuses who are currently active holders of this important designation. Among the 2020 recipients of the classification, 67 are public institutions and 52 are private.
“Florida Atlantic University is committed to being a force for positive change through its leadership and by leveraging the knowledge, expertise, and resources of the university along with those of the community in authentic engagement for mutual benefit,” said Ron Nyhan, Ph.D., executive director of FAU’s Office of Community Engagement. “The Carnegie designation is a reflection of this commitment, which stems from our faculty, staff and students working with, learning from and contributing to the communities FAU serves locally, regionally and internationally.”
The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification has been the leading framework for institutional assessment and recognition of community engagement in U.S. higher education for the past 14 years.
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About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
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