Carnegie Community Engagement Elective Designation
During the 2024-2025 academic year, ETSU will prepare an application for the Carnegie Community Engagement Elective Designation. Our 2016-2026 Strategic Plan calls upon us to lead the region forward through community engagement and service by affirming a commitment to community engagement that warrants our inclusion as a Community Engagement campus.
Our Go Beyond the Classroom Quality Enhancement Plan is institutionalizing a coordinated approach to community partner development necessary for the framework to earn this designation.
The Carnegie Community Engagement application will allow ETSU to demonstrate our deep, pervasive, and integrated approach to community engagement.
Defining Community Engagement
Community engagement describes the collaboration between higher education institutions and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in partnership and reciprocity. (Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching).
ETSU follows the Carnegie Foundation's definition of Community Engagement. This definition helps guide the work of the Office of Community Engagement and lays a foundation for understanding and communicating engagement work across campus and with community partners.
Why Apply for the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement?
The Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement is an elective classification managed by the American Council for Education (ACE) in partnership with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The distinction is given to higher education institutions that demonstrate extraordinary commitments to community engagement. The Provost and the Office of Community Engagement are leading the effort to re-establish ETSU as a Community Engagement campus for the 2026 cycle.
This recognition signals ETSU’s commitment to engagement in all aspects of its operations while providing a framework to continually evaluate and improve engagement work. The Designation also establishes a standard of quality and conveys to communities, external funders, and other institution partners that community engagement is a strategic priority woven into ETSU's mission of teaching, research, and service.
The Elective Classification is an avenue for ETSU to gain national recognition for the community engagement work that is core to the institution and has been in progress for decades. It further affirms our commitment to institutionalize community engagement as a core pillar of ETSU.
For more information on the Community Engagement Elective Designation, visit: https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/elective-classifications/community-engagement/.
Timeline to Prepare the Application for the 2026 Cycle
- April 2024
Convene Carnegie Leadership Committee
- May to August 2024
Plan Subcommittee Work
- September to November 2024
Write Subcommittee Section Drafts
- December 2024
First Draft complete
- January and February 2025
Review and refine application narrative
- February 2025
Final Application Complete
- March 2025
Submit
- January 2026
Notification from ACE
Carnegie Leadership Committee
Dr. Susan McCracken, Chair
Dr. Ron Roach, Co-chair
Dr. Leah Adinolfi, Subcommittee Chair for Co-Curricular Engagement
Morris Baker, Community Partner Representative
Dr. Colin Glennon, Subcommittee Chair for Civic Learning and Agency
Dr. Karin Keith, Subcommittee Chair for Faculty and Staff
Dr. Leslie McCallister, Subcommittee Chair for Campus, Community, and Community Engagement Context
Dr. Stephen Marshall, Subcommittee Chair for Community Engagement and Other Institutional Initiatives
Sarah Mohammed, Student Representative
Dr. Jeff Snodgrass, Subcommittee Chair for Quality of Community Engagement Relationships and Academic Partnerships
Jessie Wang, Subcommittee Chair for Curricular Engagement
For a list of all subcommittee members, please see this link: Carnegie Subcommittee Members
For additional information, contact:
Dr. Susan McCracken
Vice-Provost for Community Engagement and Director of the Quality Enhancement Plan
(423)-439-6191
mccrackensd@etsu.edu