Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to share that the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has been selected to receive the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement (CE) Classification, an elective designation awarded by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
The CE Classification has been the leading framework for institutional assessment and recognition of community engagement in U.S. higher education for the past 19 years. Illinois previously earned the distinction in 2008 and 2015.
In the 2026 cycle, 237 institutions, 157 public and 80 private, earned the CE Classification, joining the 40 institutions classified in 2024 for a total of 277 institutions that hold the designation. This recognition is especially meaningful given the current higher-education landscape and reflects the ways institutions are responding to societal challenges through authentic partnerships, shared knowledge creation, and public-purpose work.
The review committee noted the strong alignment across our mission, leadership, institutional culture, resources, and practices, and highlighted the depth of our approach to community engagement. Our application documented how engagement is embedded across teaching, research, service, and operations—and how this work is advanced through reciprocal, mutually beneficial partnerships.
As many of you know, the Carnegie classification process is grounded in institutional self-study. This year’s application reflected activities and data from the 2023–2024 academic year and was made possible through extensive collaboration across colleges, departments, centers, and administrative units.
Led by the Office of Public Engagement, this effort was coordinated by Kandace Turner, Director for Public Engagement, with the support of Steve Anderson, Ph.D., Chancellor Senior Advisor for Public Engagement.
This work also builds on the broader culture of collaboration and unit representation, supported by campus-wide engagement structures such as the Coordinating Council for Public Engagement (CCPE), which continues to advance alignment and shared learning around public engagement across the university.
This designation is valid through 2032, at which time the university will again seek reclassification. Later this spring, Carnegie will provide a formal feedback report, which we will use to reflect on areas of strength and opportunities for continued growth and alignment.
Thank you for the leadership, scholarship, teaching, and partnership that continue to position Illinois as a nationally recognized, engaged land-grant institution. We look forward to building on this momentum together.
With appreciation,
Wanda E. Ward, Ph.D.
Executive Associate Chancellor for Public Engagement
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign