The University of Wisconsin–Madison community gathered on Thursday, June 18, 2026 to celebrate an institutional milestone: receiving the Carnegie Elective Community Engagement Classification.
The designation, awarded by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, recognizes university-wide excellence in collaborative, mutually beneficial partnerships that enrich scholarship and address societal challenges.
The achievement was honored at a campus reception attended by UW–Madison faculty, staff and administrators who collaborated extensively over several months to compile the rigorous institutional application. Lisa Chambers, administrative director of the Morgridge Center for Public Service, thanked attendees for playing a role in a massive, campus-wide achievement.
“This isn’t just a badge of honor for our institution,” says Chambers. “It is a validation of the deep, intentional and reciprocal work you all do every single day.”
The evaluation process required an exhaustive self-study to catalog and evaluate the ecosystem of engagement across campus. This included tracking extensive institutional data, documenting community-based learning courses, evaluating co-curricular civic initiatives and examining Extension programs, departmental outreach and community-based research.
Crucially, the process relied on testimonies and survey responses provided directly by regional and community partners to verify the equitable nature of the university’s outreach.
“Compiling a Carnegie application is no small feat. It required digging into data, self-reflection, and countless hours of writing and organizing,” Chambers expressed, extending a deep appreciation to the application team and contributors. “But more importantly, this application reflected real relationships. You didn’t invent community engagement examples for the application; you documented a living, breathing culture that already exists across campus. You are the engine behind this work.”
The Carnegie Classification serves as institutional proof that the Wisconsin Idea—the long-standing principle that education should influence people’s lives beyond the boundaries of the classroom—remains an active, modern practice.
The Carnegie Classification recognizes that community engagement isn’t an ‘add-on’—it is core to our mission as a public land-grant university. It proves that The Wisconsin Idea is not just a phrase we use; it is a living practice. It shows that we are committed to reciprocity—that we listen, we collaborate, and we co-create knowledge with our community partners to contribute to solving real-world problems.
Looking to the future, Chambers emphasized that the reclassification should serve as a launching pad rather than a finish line. The high benchmarks established by the process challenge UW–Madison to continuously improve systemic institutional support for community-engaged scholarship and ensure all future external initiatives remain equitable, transparent and mutually beneficial.
The event concluded with a collective toast to the attendees and partners.
“This Carnegie Classification isn’t just a win for UW–Madison,” says Chambers. “It’s a celebration of what happens when we listen, collaborate and grow together. Here’s to the countless hours of dedication represented in this room, and to the enduring strength of our community partnerships.”