Utah Valley University was one of the first universities in Utah to receive an Elective Community Engagement designation from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (2008). As recipient of the designation, Utah Valley University has demonstrated commitment to community engagement and has worked diligently to develop organizational structures, policies, and programming that facilitate student, faculty, and staff involvement in the community.
In 2015, Utah Valley University received this designation for a second time, one of 361 colleges and universities who have been given the designation.
The Carnegie Foundation stated the following in regard to Utah Valley University's reclassification, "Your application documented excellent alignment among campus mission, culture, leadership, resources, and practices that support dynamic and noteworthy community engagement, and it responded to the classification framework with both descriptions and examples of exemplary institutionalized practices of community engagement. The application also documented evidence of community engagement in a coherent and compelling response to the framework’s inquiry."
The application process was spearheaded by the Office of Engaged Learning, with significant support campus wide. “We are pleased to have received the Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation, and it is due to a concerted effort on the part of faculty, staff, students and university administrators in making engaged learning a priority on this campus,” said Frederick H. White, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs, Engaged Learning. “Moving forward, we see greater opportunities for engagement in the classroom and with the community in efforts related to faculty and undergraduate research, internships, academic service learning, and global and intercultural activities, and we will use the Carnegie classification as momentum in driving efforts in engaged activities across campus.”
