Six schools in the Bonner Network were recognized in the 2024 cycle for the Carnegie Classification: Bates College, Bellarmine University, High Point University, Rutgers University-Camden, Siena College, and Washington & Lee University.
Photo Credit: Bellarmine University
Read more about High Point University, Bellarmine University, and Rutgers University-Camden, and Washington & Lee University’s achievements in their press releases.
This recognition is awarded by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification is a significant acknowledgment of an institution's dedication to making a positive impact beyond the campus. Each recipient goes through a rigorous self-study process to demonstrate their community engagement efforts. Over the past 19 years, the classification has become a leading framework for assessing and recognizing community engagement in higher education.
Photo Credit: High Point University
The Bonner Network, known for its commitment to sustained, reciprocal community engagement, is well-represented among the institutions holding the classification. These institutions have demonstrated their dedication to community engagement, benefiting their students, institutional recognition and strategic outcomes, and the broader communities they engage.
In higher education broadly, only 350 institutions (out of 5,999 total institutions including 2,520 four-year institutions) are classified. Over half (53%) of institutions in the Bonner Network have received this classification at least once. The 41 colleges and universities in the Bonner Network that have received the prestigious Carnegie Community Engagement Classification are:
Rutgers University-New Brunswick (2020)
Sewanee: The University of the South (2020)
Siena College (2024)
Slippery Rock University (2020)
Spelman College (2006)
Stetson University (2015)
Stockton University (2020)
The College of New Jersey (2015)
The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (2015)
The University of North Carolina - Wilmington (2015)
Tusculum University (2020)
University of Houston (2008)
University of Nevada, Reno (2020)
University of Richmond (2020)
Wagner College (2015)
Warren Wilson College (2015)
Washington & Lee University (2024)
Widener University (2015)
Allegheny College (2015)
Augsburg University (2015)
Averett University (2020)
Bates College (2024)
Bellarmine University (2024)
Berea College (2015)
Berry College (2020)
Brown University (2020)
Capital University (2020)
Davidson College (2020)
Edgewood College (2015)
Elizabethtown College (2020)
Emory & Henry College (2015)
High Point University (2024)
Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (2015)
Macalester College (2010)
Maryville College (2020)
Montclair State University (2015)
Nazareth University (2015)
Oberlin College (2010)
Rhodes College (2015)
Rollins College (2015)
Rutgers University-Camden (2024)
These institutions, along with others recognized through the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, serve as beacons of community engagement in higher education. Their commitment to transforming knowledge into meaningful action exemplifies the true spirit of the Carnegie endorsement and the power of serving the public good.
To learn more about the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification and the institutions that hold this designation, please visit here.