Pitt successfully renewed its Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement

The University of Pittsburgh has once again earned the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement, a national designation recognizing institutions with strong, long-term partnerships that benefit both universities and the communities they serve.

The reclassification supports the University’s Plan for Pitt priorities around community impact, student success and engaged scholarship for research and teaching that connect academic work with real-world needs. Pitt is one of 277 institutions nationwide to receive the designation, which is valid through 2032.

“Community engagement is woven into our history and identity and is integral to the University of Pittsburgh’s mission,” said Chancellor Joan Gabel. “I want to congratulate our steering committee for successfully upholding our Carnegie Classification designation, which is a key outcome of our strategic plan, the Plan for Pitt 2028, as a reflection of our imperative to be welcoming and engaged. I look forward to seeing how our students, faculty and staff will continue to collaborate with our partners and neighbors to support and elevate our community as a whole.”

Pitt first earned the classification in 2020. Since then, the Carnegie framework has evolved to place greater emphasis on civic learning, or how students learn to participate in public life and address social challenges. Pitt was able to highlight recent work in that area, including two years of campuswide Year of Discourse and Dialogue initiatives, said Jamie Ducar, associate vice chancellor for engagement and community affairs.

“The intention is to showcase and lift up evidence for the pervasiveness and interconnectedness of our community engagement enterprise as an institution,” Ducar said, adding that engagement across every school at the University was a major part of the process. “I'm hoping this reclassification really allows us to continue our change management around community engagement, to continue to lean into our bright spots and our areas of strength that we saw.”

The designation followed nearly a year of coordinated work during the 2024-25 academic year. A steering committee of about 40 representatives from across Pitt comprising 15 schools, Student Affairs, University Relations (now External Relations) and the Office of the Provost led an institutional self-study examining how community engagement shows up across teaching, research and student experiences.

Ducar praised Amanda Brodish, the assistant provost for Institutional Research and Analytics in the Office of the Provost, and her team for “invaluable” work on this process. Brodish, who was the co-chair of the self-study group, said she was especially proud of her team for taking on the important role of gathering and translating administrative data to strengthen storytelling.

“The group’s dedication to sharing Pitt stories around community engagement was inspiring and highlighted the meaningful work being done across the institution,” Brodish said. “Together, these efforts position us well to continue tracking and showcasing the impactful community engagement work of members of the Pitt community moving forward.”

Ducar said the process was designed to look at Pitt as a whole, rather than spotlighting individual programs. Nearly every school contributed, allowing the University to show how community engagement is built into coursework, research projects and activities outside the classroom.

The self-study highlighted both continuity and change since Pitt’s first Carnegie designation. Ducar said the application reflected long-standing programs that have grown over time, alongside newer initiatives developed in response to current community needs.

“We were able to showcase a set of long-standing programs along with some new and innovative ways that we are engaging our broader communities,” she said. “That’s a best-case scenario for us — keeping what works and also being able to invest in and try new things.”

Community partners also played a role in the review process, completing surveys that assessed the strength and reciprocity of their partnerships with Pitt. Ducar said that feedback reinforced the University’s focus on collaboration rather than one-way service.

The designation is valid through 2032, but the work is far from done. Ducar emphasized that the Carnegie process focuses on progress over time, so her team is already looking ahead to the next application cycle.

Ducar also highlighted areas for improvement, including engagement data management, visibility of community-engaged courses, including at the graduate level, and shared systems that make it easier to understand where and how engagement is happening.

“We truly are a different institution than we were when we put together our first application,” she said. “The work has expanded, the capacity investments have expanded, and we’ve built a level of trust across the institution that allows this work to happen.”

See the full list of 2026 honorees.

Photography by Tom Altany