by Geitner Simmons | IANR Media
The Carnegie Foundation has recognized the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for excellence in community engagement, citing its wide-ranging outreach efforts across the state.
Nebraska is among nearly 400 U.S. universities that have received a community engagement classification from the foundation, including 40 in this round. The Carnegie organization designates universities for such achievement only after they provide an extensive review and documentation of their civic engagement activities.
“We recognize these institutions for their exceptional commitment to community engagement, and their work to transform knowledge into meaningful action,” said Timothy Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. “They exemplify the true spirit of the Carnegie endorsement and the power of serving the public good.”
The university’s outreach encompasses a broad range of departments and academic disciplines. Projects include STEM education for underrepresented youth, economic development, public health and the performing arts.
Receiving the designation will spur the university to hone its strategic vision for community engagement and build on its current efforts, said Kathleen Lodl, associate dean of Nebraska Extension.
“We see the designation as a springboard,” said Lodl, who led a team of faculty, staff and students that developed the university’s comprehensive documentation over 14 months. “It allows us to ramp up in places where we can do better, to bring more public presence to the engagement work that we’re doing, to reward those people who are doing it well and to really enhance our capacity in engagement.”
Anchoring community engagement as a university-wide priority is a key part of Nebraska’s N2025 strategic plan, a five-year plan launched in 2020. Community engagement efforts involve the full breadth of the university, Lodl said, with participation by “everyone from fine and performing artists to the hard sciences to the College of Law to ag science and natural resources.”
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https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/university-saluted-by-carnegie-foundation-for-excellence-in-community/