TEMPLE'S COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION

By Hillel Hoffmann

Temple University has earned the 2010 Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, a national acknowledgement of the degree of mutually beneficial collaboration between Temple and its greater community.

The Carnegie Foundation, an independent policy and research center, cited Temple's "excellent alignment among mission, culture, leadership, resources and practices that support dynamic and noteworthy community engagement."

"Community engagement has been part of Temple's mission since the university was founded," said Temple President Ann Weaver Hart. "This spirit of collaboration and partnership with the community has been woven into the Academic Strategic Compass and will continue to be a part of all we do."

Temple is among 115 colleges and universities selected for the classification in 2010, bringing the total to 311. For 2010, unlike previous years, all selected institutions had to demonstrate substantial commitments to both curricular engagement with the community as well as community outreach and collaborative partnerships.

Unlike the Carnegie Foundation's other classifications that rely on national data, the foundation describes the Community Engagement Classification as "elective" — institutions elect to participate by submitting required documentation describing the nature and extent of their engagement with the community. This approach enables the foundation to address elements of institutional mission and distinctiveness that aren't represented in national data on colleges and universities.