The University of Houston-Downtown joins more than 230 U.S. colleges and universities receiving the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement (CE) Classification, an elective designation awarded by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching that highlights an institution’s commitment to community engagement. A listing of all the institutions that currently hold the classification endorsement can be found here.
“This prestigious classification, which is held by fewer than 10% of degree-granting higher education institutions nationwide, only reinforces what we already know: UHD continues to embody a culture of care,” said UHD Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Dr. Deborah E. Bordelon. “We are one of only 189 institutions that have previously held the designation, marking our third time. We know it is because our students, faculty and staff from across the university engage actively and earnestly with all segments of our region’s communities.”
“Whether it be our Centers (such as Center for Community Engagement & Service Learning, Center for Public Service and Community Research, and Center for Urban Agriculture & Sustainability); our Houston Laboratory for Crime and Justice; our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance; or our Service, Teaching, Aging, and Research (STAR) Lab, to name a few, the UHD campus community is out in the field conducting research and helping others year-round,” said Bordelon. Furthermore, this culture of care is mirrored in the Impact Learning happening in UHD’s classrooms and its Study Abroad program.
“I could not be prouder that UHD has been recognized once again for the impact it is making in community engagement as an anchor institution for the region,” said Bordelon.
The Carnegie Classifications are the nation’s leading framework for categorizing and describing colleges and universities in the United States. Utilized frequently by policymakers, funders, and researchers, the Classifications are a critical benchmarking tool for postsecondary institutions.
“Higher education is a vital economic engine for us all. Our colleges and universities not only fuel science and innovation, they build prosperity in rural, urban and suburban communities nationwide,” said Timothy F.C. Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation. “We celebrate each of these institutions, particularly their dedication to partnering with their neighbors — fostering civic engagement, building useable knowledge, and catalyzing real world learning experiences for students.”
Meanwhile, ACE and the Carnegie Foundation are also pleased to announce that the University of San Diego (USD) will serve as the administrative and operational host for the CE Classification for the next two cycles (2029 and 2032).
“Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification is a mark of excellence for schools like USD that prioritize active collaboration with our public, private and nonprofit partners to address humanity’s urgent challenges and serve the public good,” said USD President James T. Harris III, D.Ed. “As a Catholic university and an anchor institution, we are proud to serve as operational host and assist other campuses in their journey of earning the Community Engagement designation while illustrating the tremendous impact institutions of higher education have in our communities.”
The CE Classification is awarded following a process of self-study by each institution. The classification has been the leading framework for institutional assessment and recognition of community engagement in U.S. higher education for the past 19 years with classification cycles in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2020, 2024, and now 2026. The 2029 cycle will be for first-time applicants.
In the 2026 cycle, 237 institutions earned the CE Classification, joining the 40 institutions classified in 2024 for a total of 277 institutions that currently hold the designation. Of the institutions recognized in 2026, 48 are receiving the classification for the first time, while 189 have previously held it. The 2026 cohort includes a diverse range of institutions, with 157 public institutions, 80 private colleges and universities, and 81 Minority Serving Institutions represented among the recipients.
“The institutions receiving the 2026 Community Engagement Classification exemplify American higher education’s commitment to the greater good,” said ACE President Ted Mitchell. “The beneficiaries of this unflagging dedication to public purpose missions are their students, their teaching and research enterprises, and their wider communities.”