Carnegie Community Engagement Classification
How it Works
The Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement provides a way for Colleges and Universities to gain national recognition for community engagement efforts with their campus and community. Campuses must apply for the distinction.
In 2006, the CCE (then known as the Alliance for Civic Engagement) first applied and was awarded the Carnegie Community Engagement classification during the inaugural application round. Middlebury then reapplied and was reclassified in 2010, 2015, and most recently in 2026, reaffirming the institution’s long-standing commitment to community engagement.
2026-2032 Carnegie Classification
On January 12, 2026 the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education awarded Middlebury College distinction through the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification.
For decades the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has helped frame and articulate best practices in higher education, and for the past several years, those best practices included community collaboration.
In 2006 the Foundation offered the first elective “Community Engagement” classification. Middlebury’s Alliance for Civic Engagement (ACE, a predecessor of the current Center for Community Engagement) applied, receiving recognition in the inaugural round on behalf of Middlebury.
In both 2010 and 2015, Center for Community Engagement reapplied for the Carnegie Community Community Classification, and Middlebury College was successfully reclassified.
This designation recognizes excellent work by faculty, staff, and students from multiple areas across campus, including:
- Academic departments in the Arts, Humanities, Languages, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and other interdisciplinary programs
- Collaboration with Monterey and Schools Abroad
- Middlebury offices and programs such as Community Engagement, Privilege & Poverty, the Center for Social Entrepreneurship, MiddCORE, Programs on Creativity and Innovation in the Liberal Arts, FoodWorks, Athletics, the Center for Careers and Internships, the Scott Center, CTLR, Orientation, JusTalks, the Commons, and more
- Dozens of collaborating community partners
Middlebury demonstrated engagement as a core value in its institutional mission and priorities through outstanding examples of the following:
- Community-connected teaching, learning, and research initiatives
- Faculty-advised and student-led projects
- Volunteer efforts; internships
- Off-campus federal work study commitments
- Grant opportunities
- Alternative break trips
“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 usable knowledge, and catalyzing real world learning experiences for students.”
- Timothy F.C. Knowles, President of the Carnegie Foundation
“The institutions receiving the 2026 Community Engagement Classification exemplify American higher education’s commitment to the greater good. The beneficiaries of this unflagging dedication to public purpose missions are their students, their teaching and research enterprises, and their wider communities.”
- Ted Mitchell, President of the American Council on Education
“Over the last 10 years community engagement has become a central pillar supporting our mission of preparing students for engaged, consequential, and creative lives. It is a dynamic force that enriches students’ learning experiences, strengthens our ties with the broader community, and answers the call of the liberal arts to serve the public good.”
- From the nomination letter by Michelle McCauley, Executive Vice President and Provost
In the 2026 cycle, Middlebury is one of the 237 institutions in the country to earn the Community Engagement Classification. Of the four NESCAC institutions who now hold the classification, only Middlebury and Tufts have held it since its inception. Of all the Vermont institutions, only Middlebury has held it since the same.
A full list of all the certified institutions is available through the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. This reclassification is valid until 2032.
Contact
For further information about the classification process, contact the Director of Middlebury College Center for Community Engagement Kailee Brickner-McDonald at kaileebricknermcdonald@middlebury.edu or (802) 443-3010