Three UT Campuses and Institutes Earn Carnegie Community Engagement Classification

KNOXVILLE – The University of Tennessee’s campuses and institutes play important roles in their communities by providing education, making discoveries to increase quality of life and connecting with citizens through service and cultural activities.

Three UT campuses and institutes in Knoxville, Chattanooga and the statewide Institute of Agriculture earned the 2015 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, which recognizes their collaboration with community organizations and partners.

“This achievement underscores our University’s fundamental mission and commitment to educate, discover and connect,” said UT President Joe DiPietro. “It is high praise to receive recognition for the extra efforts by our faculty, staff and students to make a difference in their communities and to demonstrate the value of our higher education institutions beyond our classrooms and laboratories.”

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga earned the designation when it first applied in 2008 and was successful in achieving continued recognition again for 2015. UTC is one of only 361 campuses to currently hold the distinction.

“Strong partnerships between UTC and our community are critical to our success,” said UTC Chancellor Steven Angle. “These relationships open doors to experiential learning opportunities such as internships and clinical placements that provide our students with the opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom to real world problems. Our commitment to community engagement drives us to be an integral partner with our community, addressing the issues and needs of businesses, agencies, and people in our community.”

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Institute of Agriculture based in Knoxville partnered on an application to seek the classification. UT Knoxville joins a group of 52 universities with both the “very high intensity” research classification and the engaged status designation. Fewer than half of the universities in Carnegie’s “very high intensity” research classification have achieved engaged status.

“Our university is an economic engine and a social change agent in our own backyard and across the globe,” said UT Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “We are proud to be recognized for our community engagement and outreach, service-learning, experiential learning and volunteerism. The new Carnegie designation will sharpen our focus on the mutually beneficial partnerships and exchange of knowledge that help improve people’s lives.”

The Institute of Agriculture includes UT Extension, AgResearch, College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

“We provide real-life solutions to our communities through teaching and research, and especially through the impact of our extension programs offered in all 95 counties in Tennessee,” said UTIA Chancellor Larry Arrington.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the New England Resource Center for Higher Education administer the classification program.

For more information about UTC’s classification, visit blog.utc.edu/news/2015/01/utc-earns-national-carnegie-classification-community-engagement/.

For more information about the classification for UT Knoxville and UTIA, visittntoday.utk.edu/2015/01/07/ut-knoxville-institute-agriculture-earn-carnegie-designation/