Three Worcester universities have been recognized for their commitments to civic engagement, earning themselves 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement Classifications, a prestigious designation bestowed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and American Council on Education.
UMass Chan Medical School, Clark University, and the College of the Holy Cross were among 237 institutions that earned the CE Classifications this year, according to Carnegie’s list published on Jan. 12.
CE Classifications have been awarded to U.S. colleges and universities in rounds for 19 years, setting a framework for acknowledging community engagement, including through teaching and research opportunities.
“Since receiving the initial Carnegie classification in 2008, our institution has been intentional about strengthening and broadening our commitment to the communities we serve,” UMass Chan Chancellor Dr. Michael Collins said in a Jan. 13 university press release. “This steadfast commitment is a hallmark of our special public service mission as the commonwealth’s public medical school.”
In the university’s application for re-classification, UMass Chan highlighted its UMass Chan Cares giving campaign, the work of its Diversity and Inclusion Office, and its interprofessional Center for Experiential Learning and Simulation lab
Clark University originally received its CE Classification in 2010, according to a Jan. 15 article published by ClarkU News.
“We are proud of, and celebrate, our commitment to creating partnerships that lead to collaborative and meaningful change within the community shared by Clark, the Main South neighborhood, and the city of Worcester,” Clark President David Fithian said in the article. “We are living when pluralistic civic engagement is urgently needed to better serve the common good, and where shared responsibility for one another is essential to shaping a stronger future for all.”
In a letter to Clark regarding the university’s reclassification, Cammie Jones-Friedrichs, director of Carnegie’s Elective Classification for Community Engagement, said the school’s mission, culture, leadership, and resources amalgamated to support its noteworthy community engagement, according to the article.
Like UMass Chan, Holy Cross received its first CE Classification in 2008.
“This recognition affirms what has long been central to our Jesuit, Catholic mission, that education is most powerful when it is rooted in relationship, solidarity, and service to the common good,” Holy Cross President Vincent Rougeau said in a Jan. 13 release. “Guided by the ASPIRE strategic plan and our commitment to being ‘In and of Worcester,’ our students, faculty, and staff work alongside community partners every day to address real-world challenges, and this classification honors those shared efforts.”
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare, manufacturing, and higher education industries.
