Pitzer College Receives Carnegie Foundation 2020 Community Engagement Classification

Pitzer College has received the 2020 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, an elective designation that indicates institutional commitment to community engagement from the Carnegie Foundation for Advancement of Teaching. Pitzer has held this endorsement for 14 consecutive years since 2006 when the Carnegie Foundation first established the program to recognize colleges and universities for their public service work. This is the third re-classification for the College and is valid until 2026.

At Pitzer, five core values provide a distinctive approach to education, among which is a social responsibility requirement. One hundred percent of Pitzer students complete a community-based internship and social justice theory course prior to graduation. In addition, the faculty promotion and tenure review policies recognize public scholarships and teaching. Pitzer College established the Community Engagement Center two decades ago to support faculty, students, staff, and community partners in forwarding social responsibility and community engagement through research, service, advocacy, and social change action.

“Pitzer is honored to be recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for our long-standing commitment to social justice and community engagement,” said Pitzer College President Melvin L. Oliver. “I applaud our faculty and staff for their dedication to providing a unique educational experience for our students and their passion for the betterment of our greater society.”

This important classification is awarded following a process of extensive self-study by each institution, which is then assessed by a national review committee led by the Swearer Center for Public Engagement at Brown University, the administrative and research home for the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification.

“These newly-classified and re-classified institutions are doing exceptional work to forward their public purpose in and through community engagement that enriches teaching and research while also benefiting the broader community,” noted Mathew Johnson, executive director of the Swearer Center.

A total of 359 campuses are currently active holders of this important designation. The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification has been the leading framework for institutional assessment and recognition of community engagement in US higher education for the past 14 years with multiple classification cycles.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching aims to build a field around the use of improvement science and networked improvement communities to solve long-standing inequities in educational outcomes.