Under the leadership of Carol Burton, assistant vice chancellor for undergraduate studies, and Gary Jones, associate professor of computer information systems and economics in the College of Business, WCU is applying to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for designation as a “community-engaged” university.

The Carnegie Foundation defines community engagement as “the collaboration between higher education institutions and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national and global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.”

A formal designation of WCU as an engaged university would acknowledge the university’s ongoing work with various partners to identify and address issues of significance to the region and the state, said Chancellor John W. Bardo.

“Our faculty members continue to excel in teaching, research and service,” said Bardo. “They welcome opportunities to apply traditional scholarship in innovative ways.”

As part of the application process, a group of faculty and administrators recently met to discuss whether the university formally recognizes community engagement through campuswide awards and celebrations, whether students have a leadership role in engagement activities, how many “for-credit” service-learning courses are offered and how engagement is integrated into the university curriculum.

“The rigorous application process for the new Carnegie Foundation designation offers a way for us to conduct an extensive review of our current efforts, establish some benchmarks for future goals and gain external recognition for our actions in this area,” Burton said. The process also dovetails nicely with the university’s Quality Enhancement Plan, which was approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and initiatives flagged as critical to WCU in the University of North Carolina Tomorrow study, she said.

Updates about the process will be posted on the university's "Engagement at WCU" Web site beginning in July. The application is due Sept. 1, with results scheduled to be announced by the foundation in December.

“Receiving the Carnegie classification as a community-engaged university would be an external recognition of what we value internally,” said Burton. “This would be proof that we practice what we preach, and it would set us apart from other institutions.”

Only three of the 72 universities classified by Carnegie as community-engaged are in North Carolina – UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University and Elon University. 

For more information, contact Burton at (828) 227-7497 or burton@wcu.edu.

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Last Modified: Tuesday, July 8, 2008