UNC Charlotte’s community engagement recognized again by Carnegie

UNC Charlotte recently received reaffirmation of its community engagement classification from the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

UNC Charlotte earned its original classification in 2008, with reaffirmations in 2015 and 2025. A total of 277 institutions currently hold the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, including 13 in North Carolina.

“This reaffirmation reflects UNC Charlotte’s deep and sustained commitment to community engagement through teaching, research and service, and to the faculty, staff, students and community partners whose work shapes the progress of our University and the Charlotte region,” said Jennifer Troyer, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “Through efforts that advance economic mobility, strengthen connections across urban and rural communities and support entrepreneurship, we are preparing students for professional and civic leadership while driving Charlotte’s growth and momentum.”

The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification is an elective designation for colleges and universities with a demonstrated institutional focus on community engagement. Unlike other Carnegie classifications that rely on national data, institutions seeking this designation voluntarily submit detailed materials documenting the scope, depth and impact of their community engagement efforts.

This reaffirmation aligns with the University’s aspiration to define success by the outcomes it creates for students, community partners, employers and the greater Charlotte region. Community engagement serves as a core way the University measures that success, reflected in how teaching, research and service translate into meaningful and sustained impact.

As part of the 15-month reaffirmation process, UNC Charlotte outlined how community engagement is integrated into the University’s day-to-day teaching, research and service. Contributing core, advisory and leadership teams included faculty and staff from more than 20 University units.

That work surfaced UNC Charlotte’s distinct strengths in community engagement: economic mobility as a central objective of ongoing efforts; engagement that spans both urban and rural communities; and entrepreneurship as an emerging signature strategy that creates new pathways for community building.

During the past decade, curricular engagement at Charlotte has evolved significantly, reflecting the University’s commitment to community-based experiential learning and partnership. Several graduate and undergraduate programs include mandatory community engagement components, including teacher preparation and licensure, social work, systems engineering, community/public health nursing, urban design and community psychology.

Community engagement is embedded across the University’s divisions:

• The Division of Academic Affairs created urbanCORE, now a part of the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, to expand support for faculty developing community-engaged teaching approaches and leads the Community Engagement Orientation for new faculty and staff.
• The Division of Research has funded Ignite Planning Grants for community-engaged research, supported faculty through the Center for Research Excellence and facilitated partnerships through the Office of Research Commercialization and Partnerships.
• Student affairs created the Leadership and Community Engagement office, manages Niner Engage for civic engagement tracking and supports student-led initiatives such as the Jamil Niner Pantry.

Across campus, the University Advancement Division has strengthened civic partnerships and tracked alumni engagement; the Career Center has expanded community-focused internships and career programs; and University Communications has aligned institutional messaging around engagement.

The University’s commitment to community engagement is reflected in its investments. In FY24, the University allocated $33.6 million toward community engagement–related efforts and secured $2.6 million in philanthropic support for these initiatives.

During the 2022–23 academic year, 107 community-engaged courses were taught by 94 faculty members — a 17% increase. From 2021–24, faculty submitted 255 funded proposals totaling $68.9 million in projected awards for research connected to community engagement.

Tamara Johnson, director of engaged scholarship for the Urban Institute, and Byron White, former associate provost for urban research and community engagement, led the reaffirmation process.