By Steve Gilliam, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 12-19-08
GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG is among 119 universities and colleges nationwide to be selected by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for its 2008 Community Engagement Classification.
UNCG received the classification in two categories: curricular engagement, and outreach and partnerships. The designation recognizes colleges and universities with an institutional focus on community engagement. Unlike Carnegie's other classifications that rely on national data, this is an "elective" classification – institutions elected to participate by submitting required documentation describing the nature and extent of their engagement with the community.
UNCG submitted a detailed report about its partnership activities in Greensboro and the Triad, which included:
• Wachovia Teacher Mentoring Network, with 16 school districts in the Piedmont Triad.
• Piedmont Triad Film Commission, seven counties in the Triad, including Greensboro/Guilford and Winston-Salem/Forsyth.
• School of Nursing Wellness Centers, with nursing students helping residents of Hampton Homes, Alonzo Hall Towers, Gateway Plaza, among others.
• Center for Business & Economic Research, Bryan School of Business & Economics, working with multiple area agencies and businesses.
• N.C. Kids Adoption & Foster Care Network, part of the UNCG Center for Youth, Family & Community Partnerships, working with social services departments in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties.
• My Sister’s House/Urban Studio 2, several departments working with local agencies to plan, design and build a home for homeless pregnant teens.
Other North Carolina universities receiving the community engagement classification are Appalachian State University, Duke University, East Carolina University, Elon University, N.C. Central University, Pfeiffer University, UNC Charlotte, UNC Wilmington and Western Carolina University. Two other schools, UNC Chapel Hill and N.C. State University, received the designation in 2006.
UNCG’s national recognition, and that of other UNC campuses, is a natural outgrowth of the UNC Tomorrow initiative, through which all UNC campuses are seeking to increase their outreach to their surrounding communities and the state as a whole.
“In order for UNC to be the most engaged university in America, our campuses must continue to be responsive and valuable partners in solving real problems,” said Leslie Boney, UNC Associate Vice President for Economic Development Research, Policy, and Planning. “The fact that over half of North Carolina’s public universities have been nationally recognized for their commitment to working with communities sends a strong message for the future of our state.”
To receive the community engagement designation, institutions had to provide descriptions and examples of institutionalized practices of community engagement that showed alignment among mission, culture, leadership, resources and practices. Institutions were classified in one of three categories:
• Curricular Engagement and Outreach & Partnerships includes institutions with substantial commitments in both areas described below.
• Curricular Engagement describes teaching, learning and scholarship which engage faculty, students and community in mutually beneficial and respectful collaboration. Their interactions address community-identified needs, deepen students' civic and academic learning, enhance community well-being and enrich the scholarship of the institution.
• Outreach and Partnerships describes two different but related approaches to community engagement. The first focuses on the application and provision of institutional resources for community use with benefits to both campus and community. The latter focuses on collaborative interactions with community and related scholarship for the mutually beneficial exchange, exploration and application of knowledge, information and resources (research, capacity building, economic development, etc.).
