Carnegie Community Engagement Classification

In 2020, UW Bothell received national recognition for its commitment and achievements in community engagement through the Carnegie Foundation’s Classification for Community Engagement. This five-year designation reflects UW Bothell’s dedication to fostering meaningful partnerships that benefit both campus and community. 

To maintain this recognition, UW Bothell prepared and submitted a re-classification application in April 2025, striving for renewed designation starting in 2026.  

This is an elective classification, meaning institutions voluntarily participate. The process involves data collection and documentation of important aspects of institutional mission, identity and commitments, and requires substantial effort to tell the institution’s story around community engagement. The classification is an evidence-based documentation of institutional practice to be used in a process of self-assessment and quality improvement. 

What is community engagement? 

UW Bothell recognizes the definition of community engagement developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching: 

“Collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.  

The purpose of community engagement is the partnership of university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching and learning; prepare an educated, engaged citizenry; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the public good.”