Middlebury Earns 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement
Middlebury College has earned the 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
The classification—last earned by the College in 2015—recognizes campuses that are aligned with their communities through teaching and learning, research and scholarship, and partnerships that contribute to the public good. Carnegie noted Middlebury’s alignment of mission, culture, leadership, resources, and practices that support noteworthy community engagement.
A total of 237 U.S. colleges and universities received the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement, which is valid through 2032.
“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,” said Timothy F.C. Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation. “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.”
In her nomination letter, Michelle McCauley, executive vice president and provost, praised the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) for offering programs that connect theory with practice while fostering active citizenship among students.
“Over the last 10 years community engagement has become a central pillar supporting our mission of preparing students for engaged, consequential, and creative lives,” wrote McCauley. “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.”
Kailee Brickner-McDonald, director of the Center for Community Engagement, and her staff provided descriptions of the College’s community engagement work over the past decade as part of the application process. These included the Privilege & Poverty (P&P) Academic Cluster, which integrates coursework with experiential learning to examine the causes and consequences of economic inequality, and the Project Assistant Program, which provides students training and funding to pursue community-based projects developed in collaboration with faculty and community partners.
The College was also recognized for local mentoring programs that match undergraduates with local youth, including Language in Motion, Community Friends, and Middlebury College Access Mentors, among other community-focused initiatives. Prior to graduation, 80 percent of students participate in community engagement programs.
In addition, the College has invested in community infrastructure projects such as the Otter Creek Child Center (OCCC)—a community-wide effort to address a shortage of child care in Addison County—and Stonecrop Meadows, a multi-partner initiative aimed at addressing the statewide shortage of affordable housing.
“We had reflective conversations with community partners, students, faculty, alumni, and administrative stakeholders that not only gathered relevant information but, in several cases, helped move the work forward,” said Brickner-McDonald, emphasizing the College’s deepening partnerships, emphasis on leveraging community assets, and efforts to address urgent societal challenges.
The American Council on Education (ACE) is a membership organization that leads higher education with a united vision for the future. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center dedicated to transformational change in education so that every student has the opportunity to live a healthy, dignified, and fulfilling life.