On January 31, 2020, Roger Williams University received the Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement. This makes RWU one of two Rhode Island universities to receive this classification alongside Brown University.
The Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement is a program under the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in partnership with the Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown University. It is meant to track the progress of an institution's voluntary participation. Data collection and documentation of the institution’s mission, identity, and commitments are reviewed by a National Review Panel to determine if the institution qualifies for certification.
“The institutions that we are recognizing today are doing extraordinary work in addressing their societal responsibilities in and through community engagement and service,” says Paul LeMahieu, senior vice president at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Each institution that gets recognized has made a tremendous impact on their local communities. Over the past fourteen years, 359 colleges and universities across the nation have received and maintained this certification; 119 of which have been certified or recertified in 2020. “It is a rigorous, accreditation-like process that we chose to pursue, not a ranking or popularity vote,” claims RWU President Ioannis Miaoulis. “So we are honored to achieve this prestigious distinction that validates the quality of our faculty’s instruction and the unique way we partner with communities to solve real problems together.”
Roger Williams University has a multitude of programs that are involved with the community. From the Community Partnerships Center and the Feinstein Center for Service Learning to Rhode Island’s first Gateway to College program, RWU and its students have spent countless hours working hard to help others in need. Our work includes everything from an American Studies class partnering with Girls Inc. of Taunton for their #GirlsToo campaign to simply cleaning the beach at Colt State Park during the Feinstein Community Connections Day. “Seeing Roger Williams students as Civic Scholars is symbolically powerful and a promise the institution has made about the character of its education,” says our new Associate Provost for Community Engaged Learning, Dr. Allen Hance.
Click here to learn more about the Carnegie Certification for Community Engagement or here to learn about RWU’s certification.
Author: Kenzie Rose
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