As part of the University of Minnesota's systemwide strategic plan, MPact 2025, all five campuses of the system are conducting work to achieve the Carnegie Foundation's Elective Classification for Community Engagement by 2025.
The Carnegie classification is a way for U.S. colleges and universities to gain recognition for institutionalizing community engagement and institutional diversity. The designation is a voluntary effort that involves extensive data collection and detailed documentation of key aspects of an institution's mission, its commitment to its broader community and stakeholders, and its support of community-engaged teaching, research, and outreach among its faculty, staff, students, and community partners.
The Morris and Twin Cities campuses were designated in 2015 (with the Twin Cities receiving a resignation and Morris receiving a first-time designation). Morris and Twin Cities will seek redesignation in the 2026 cycle.
Crookston, Duluth, and Rochester have campus teams, supported by the Office for Public Engagement, to prepare applications due May 1, 2023. If successful, these campuses would receive the designation in 2024.