Campus News

Rockford University is one of 237 institutions that have been awarded the 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement, announced in a press release from the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education (ACE) on Monday, January 12.

Elective Classifications are awarded to institutions “that have made extraordinary commitments to their public purpose,” according to carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu. In being awarded the Community Engagement elective, Rockford University has proven to be committed to a “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” (carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/elective-classifications).

“Enriching our students’ educations and lives by engaging them with the community is a vital part of our institutional identity and rooted in the enduring legacy of alumna Jane Addams, founder of Hull-House and Nobel Peace Prize winner,” said Dr. Mary Weaks-Baxter, professor and Director of the Jane Addams Center for Civic Engagement at Rockford University. “We are honored to have received the Classification for Community Engagement from the Carnegie Foundation and the recognition that it brings to Rockford University’s commitment to community and civic engagement.”