UMB Earns National Carnegie Community Engagement Classification
The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) has earned the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement, a national designation recognizing colleges and universities for deep, sustained, and reciprocal partnerships with their communities.
Administered by the American Council on Education in partnership with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the designation is awarded through a rigorous, evidence-based review process. Institutions must demonstrate that community engagement is embedded across teaching, research, and service, and that their work produces meaningful benefits in partnership with community members and organizations.
“The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification reflects how we understand our role as an anchor institution. At UMB, community engagement is integral to our mission to improve the human condition and serve the public good,” UMB President Bruce Jarrell, MD, FACS, said. “This latest recognition affirms what we have long known: our work has the greatest impact when it is informed by the people and communities we serve.”
Fewer than 10 percent of colleges and universities nationwide hold the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. Institutions seeking the honor must voluntarily apply and provide extensive documentation showing how community engagement is integrated across the institution, how partnerships are guided by community priorities, and how outcomes are assessed for both the university and the community.
At UMB, community engagement is grounded in long-term partnerships throughout West Baltimore and beyond. Faculty, staff, students, and community partners collaborate to address shared priorities related to health, education, economic opportunity, and equity.
“Earning the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification is another milestone on UMB’s long journey to fully integrate community engagement into its mission and academic culture,” William Joyner, JD, MSW, assistant vice president for Community Engagement at UMB said. “Many institutions believe that universities need to pick between meaningful academic community engagement and robust research outcomes. UMB is proof that you can do both. We are now one of the very few American universities with the Carnegie Foundation’s highest classification of research activity (R1-Very High Research Activity) and the Community Engagement Classification.”
The application process itself played a critical role in strengthening UMB’s approach to engagement. Through data collection, assessment, and partner input, the university identified both strengths and areas for growth, resulting in a clearer roadmap for improving its effectiveness as a partner to Baltimore communities in the years ahead.
About the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification
The Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement recognizes colleges and universities that demonstrate a sustained commitment to community engagement through reciprocal partnerships that shape teaching, research, and service. Institutions apply voluntarily and must provide extensive evidence of institutional alignment, leadership support, and community impact.
