On April 10, Missouri State University submitted its Carnegie Community Engagement recertification application. This 104-page application was the culmination of many months of work and many on-campus contributions. Maintaining certification for 15 years, Missouri State was first certified in 2010. This is our second recertification application.
Kathy Nordyke, director of citizenship and service learning, and Mary Ann Wood, director of public affairs support, led this effort.
What’s the community engagement classification?
I think we’re all familiar with Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education research designations. Missouri State was recently reclassified as a Research College and University under the updated Carnegie classifications. Previously, we were designated as a professional doctorate institution under the old classifications.
Beyond research, Carnegie also oversees three elective classifications:
- Community Engagement
- Leadership for Public Purpose
- Sustainability
Per Carnegie: Community engagement describes collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.
The purpose of community engagement is the partnership of college and university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching and learning; prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the public good.
As community engagement is a pillar of our public affairs mission, we have many programs and examples to present in our application. We focus on several areas, including:
- Service learning
- Center for Community Engagement programs: Bear Breaks and Bear Pantry
- Education abroad
- Public Affairs Conference
- Excellence in public affairs staff and faculty awards
But when recertifying, you can’t rest on your laurels. You must demonstrate new endeavors that demonstrate the university’s continuing commitment to community engagement. So, we included many new things like activities spurred by Community and Global Engagement, the Alliance for Healthcare Education and the critical role community engagement plays in our new strategic plan. This is why our recertification application was 104 pages.
Data collected for our application was provided in part by the office of institutional research, financial services, administration, faculty members, promotion and tenure policies, the university’s strategic plan and the community at-large. This was important to note that the application reflects the depth, breadth and pervasiveness of community engagement and commitment to community engagement across campus.
As you can see, many people across campus played a role in the application. We can’t name everyone but thank you to Kathy and Mary Ann for leading the charge and all who provided information and support.
We likely won’t hear from Carnegie until late December 2025 or early January 2026. We’ll keep you posted with any updates.
Thanks for checking in. It’s a great day to be a Bear!
Biff