Bucknell Receives 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification

Bucknell University has received the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement (CE) Classification, a national designation that recognizes an institution’s commitment to meaningful, mutually beneficial community engagement. The elective classification is awarded by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Bucknell is among 237 colleges and universities nationwide to earn the designation in the 2026 cycle, joining a total of 277 institutions that currently hold the CE Classification. The recognition highlights colleges and universities that demonstrate deep, institution-wide integration of community engagement into teaching, learning, research and service.

"Higher education is a vital economic engine for us all. Our colleges and universities not only fuel science and innovation, but they build prosperity in rural, urban and suburban communities nationwide," said Timothy F.C. Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation. "We celebrate each of these institutions, particularly their dedication to partnering with their neighbors — fostering civic engagement, building usable knowledge, and catalyzing real-world learning experiences for students."

Andy Hamelly, Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity Director of Construction, explains the next process of cutting boards for the side porch to Dominic Viozzi '27, civil engineering; and Dominic Varley '28, civil engineering. The Bucknell campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity volunteered to build a home in South Williamsport. Photo courtesy of Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity

The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification is awarded following a comprehensive self-study process through which institutions examine how they collaborate with community partners and assess the impact of those partnerships. For nearly 20 years, the classification has served as the leading national framework for recognizing excellence in community engagement across U.S. higher education.

"The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification is both an honor and a responsibility," says Lynn Pierson, director of Bucknell's Center for Community Engaged Leadership, Learning & Research (CCE). "It acknowledges and celebrates the strength of Bucknell's partnerships with local and regional communities and affirms our belief that lasting change comes from working alongside community partners as co-educators, co-creators and leaders."

Bucknell's designation reflects recent strategic investments that have strengthened the University's community engagement infrastructure. In 2024, the University launched the Center for Community Engaged Leadership, Learning & Research, transforming the former Office of Civic Engagement. The new center is designed to enhance coordination, deepen partnerships and support community-identified priorities through teaching, scholarship and leadership development.

In conjunction with the center's launch, the University introduced a new community engaged leadership minor, providing students with an academic pathway to connect coursework with hands-on engagement and leadership practice.

The establishment of the center also marked the adoption of a renewed mission and vision guiding Bucknell’s civic engagement efforts. That mission emphasizes building intentional, equitable and transformational opportunities for Bucknell students, faculty and staff to collaborate with community partners around shared strengths and priorities to create positive impact.

Bucknell students engage with the community through a wide range of avenues, including volunteer work, community-engaged courses, internships, student organizations, athletics, clubs, and fraternity and sorority life. These opportunities allow students to contribute their skills locally while developing leadership, collaboration and civic responsibility that extend beyond their undergraduate experience.

Ralf Cesar '25 helps out at DIG Furniture Bank in Milton. Photo by James T. Giffen, Marketing & Communications

In the 2026 cycle, institutions receiving the CE Classification represented a broad cross-section of American higher education. Of the 237 institutions recognized this year, 48 earned the designation for the first time, while 189 had previously held it.

"The institutions receiving the 2026 Community Engagement Classification exemplify American higher education's commitment to the greater good," says ACE President Ted Mitchell. "The beneficiaries of this unflagging dedication to public purpose missions are their students, their teaching and research enterprises, and their wider communities."

Bucknell's receipt of the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification affirms the University's long-standing commitment to civic learning, community partnership and public purpose as central elements of its educational mission.