Carnegie Community Engagement Classification

UW Bothell first received the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement in 2020, a national designation from the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching recognizing our deep commitment to building meaningful, mutually baeneficial partnerships with communities. This initial five-year designation reflected the ways community engagement is embedded across our curriculum, research, outreach and student learning. 

In 2026, UW Bothell was awarded reclassification, demonstrating our continued progress and impact and reaffirming the depth and sustainability of this institutional commitment.

The reclassification process brought together colleagues from across campus to reflect on our approach to community engagement, assess progress since 2020 and identify opportunities for continued growth. This collaborative effort not only celebrates our collective accomplishments but also strengthens our capacity for ethical and effective community engagement moving forward.

About the Carnegie Classification

The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification 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.”