The American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has this week announced that Farmingdale State College (FSC) has received the esteemed 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement. FSC is one of 237 U.S. colleges and universities to receive this honorable distinction, which indicates institutional excellence in community and civic engagement.  

In 2020, FSC received its first Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement, marking the College’s extraordinary commitment to public involvement and community building. There are currently three Carnegie Elective Classification themes: community engagement, leadership for public purpose, and sustainability.

“Higher education is a vital economic engine for us all. Our colleges and universities not only fuel science and innovation, 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 neighbor--fostering civic engagement, building useable knowledge, and catalyzing real world learning experiences for students.”

“Being awarded the Carnegie Elective Reclassification for Community Engagement designation is a testament to our collective hard work, shared vision, and sustained commitment to public purpose,” said Yetunde Odugbesan-Omede, PhD, director of FSC’s Office of Community and Civic Engagement (OCCE). “Our collaboration, thoughtful engagement, and willingness to work across roles and units were essential to achieving this goal and advancing a model of community and civic engagement that is embedded, sustainable, and impactful across the College.”  

Utilized frequently by policymakers, funders, and researchers, Carnegie Elective Classifications serve as one of the nation’s leading frameworks for categorizing and describing colleges and universities in the United States. Since 2006, the community engagement classification, awarded following a robust process of institutional self-study and a national review committee assessment, has been a critical benchmarking tool for community engagement among postsecondary institutions.

“Our reclassification application required us to submit a very large body of evidence for review,” said Karen Gelles, FSC acting associate provost. “Yetunde recognized early on that the College needed a centralized data-gathering mechanism that institutionalized reporting on activities related to community and civic engagement. Having that data-gathering mechanism in place made the application process much smoother than we could have anticipated and well positions the College for continual tracking of our progress towards our civic and community engagement objectives, stewarded by OCCE.

“For FSC to be recognized for its commitment to community and civic engagement is especially rewarding as Farmingdale is one of only three State University of New York campuses to receive the classification,” added Gelles.

In total, 277 institutions currently hold the community engagement designation. Of the institutions recognized in 2026, 48 are receiving the classification for the first time, while 189 have previously held it. The 2026 cohort includes a diverse range of institutions, with 157 public institutions, 80 private colleges and universities, and 81 Minority Serving Institutions represented among the recipients.

“The institutions receiving the 2026 Community Engagement Classification exemplify American higher education’s commitment to the greater good,” said 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.”

Enacted by an act of Congress in 1906, the Carnegie Foundation has a rich history of driving transformational change in the education sector and making the postsecondary sector a more vital engine for economic mobility. FSC will hold Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification until 2032, when the next reclassification cycle begins.

“This prestigious designation will continue to reflect what we can accomplish together when we align our efforts in service of students, community partners, and the broader public good,” said Odugbesan-Omede. 

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