University of Iowa Earns Prestigious Community Engagement Recognition
The University of Iowa has once again been acknowledged for its outstanding commitment to community involvement, receiving the esteemed Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. This achievement underscores the university’s dedication to integrating education with public service and fostering meaningful connections with communities.
This classification is a significant accolade for colleges and universities that exhibit exceptional dedication to community engagement. It has been a benchmark for evaluating and recognizing community involvement in higher education for nearly two decades. The University of Iowa first attained this classification in 2015.
“This designation highlights how, as the state’s flagship university, we serve the people of Iowa through education, patient care, cultural experiences, and economic opportunity,” stated Kevin Kregel, executive vice president and provost. “Community engagement is a core component of our mission and strategic plan.”
Commitment to Community
The recent recognition not only celebrates the university’s influence on various communities through initiatives like the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities and the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Community Advisory Board but also highlights its ongoing efforts to integrate community engagement into all facets of its educational, research, and service missions.
As part of its strategic plan, Iowa emphasizes being a responsible community partner, with several strategies to extend its impact locally and beyond. Key initiatives include:
- Creating new guidelines for assessing community-engaged scholarship to value faculty contributions and enhance community-engaged teaching and research.
- Launching a short-term grant program by the Research Development Office to bolster publicly engaged scholars and foster research that benefits Iowa and its partners.
- Appointing dedicated staff in the Tippie College of Business, College of Public Health, and the Graduate College to further community engagement efforts.
- Maintaining a 40-year collaboration within the College of Dentistry that allows fourth-year dental students to provide services to underserved communities.
- Establishing a campus-wide engagement network and hosting an Engagement Summit to bring together over 100 faculty, students, staff, and community partners to discuss successes, challenges, and future opportunities.
A Collaborative Achievement
Securing the community engagement designation for a second time was the result of a collective, multi-year effort. The application process involved contributions from 120 individuals from every college and major unit at the university, led by the Office of Community Engagement with support from seven faculty and staff on the Carnegie Reclassification Leadership Committee.
“This process really showed how far we’ve come as an institution and the importance we place on this work,” said Nicholas Benson, executive director of engagement in the Office of Community Engagement. “People at nearly every level on campus, from leadership to students, played a role in the application.”
The University of Iowa is among 277 institutions recognized by the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement.
Read More Here
