Carnegie Foundation Classifies Mizzou as Community-Engaged Campus

Feb. 11, 2009

Story Contact:  Christian Basi, (573) 882-4430, BasiC@missouri.edu

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Recently, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching announced that the University of Missouri was one of 173 institutions, or less than 5 percent of colleges and universities nationwide, and one of eight public institutions in the Association of American Universities (AAU)  that has been classified as a “Community Engaged Campus.” The classification describes institutions where teaching, learning and scholarship engage faculty, students and the community in mutually beneficial and respectful collaboration, according to the foundation.

“We’re very proud that we were the only Missouri university and one of only 13 land-grant universities to receive this classification,” MU Chancellor Brady Deaton said. “In our application, we were able to describe a range of outreach efforts, including partnerships with businesses across the state. We also highlighted our service learning and community-engaged curriculum opportunities for our students and our outreach and extension efforts for all Missourians. Finally, the discoveries of our researchers are instrumental in our effort to improve the quality of life for the citizens of the state and nation.”

Examples of these community outreach programs include:
 Show-Me State Games
 Missouri’s Telehealth Network
 MU student-athletes participating in community life-skills programs
 Family Violence Clinic
 Mizzou’s partnership for Education Renewal
 MU Area Health Education Center
 MU Study Abroad programs
 Pasture-based dairy programs for farmers across the state

To qualify for the classification, MU officials were required to describe teaching, learning, and scholarly activities that addressed community-identified needs, deepened students’ civic and academic learn¬ing, enhanced the well-being of the community, and enriched the scholarship of the institution. Administrators also were asked to describe the use institutional resources for the community in ways that benefited both the campus and the community and collaborations and faculty scholarship that constituted a beneficial exchange, exploration, discovery, and application of knowledge, information and resources.

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