{"id":120379,"date":"2026-01-12T21:06:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T21:06:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/120379\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T21:06:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T21:06:06","slug":"university-again-recognized-with-carnegie-community-engagement-designation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/120379\/","title":{"rendered":"University again recognized with Carnegie Community Engagement designation"},"content":{"rendered":"

The University of Texas at San Antonio has been reclassified with the\u00a02026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement<\/a>, reaffirming its\u00a0national leadership in fostering meaningful partnerships that advance student success, research\u00a0excellence\u00a0and community impact.<\/p>\n

UT\u00a0San Antonio\u00a0is\u00a0among\u00a0only\u00a0277\u00a0of more than 4,000 degree-granting\u00a0institutions\u00a0nationwide to earn the designation, which is\u00a0awarded\u00a0by\u00a0the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.<\/p>\n

The designation\u00a0recognizes colleges and universities for deep, sustained collaboration with their communities through initiatives grounded in reciprocity, mutual benefit and the public good.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe university\u2019s designation as a Carnegie Community Engagement institution affirms our deep commitment to intentionally creating opportunities that advance the trajectories of our students, their families and our community at large,\u201d said UT San Antonio President\u00a0Taylor Eighmy. \u201cWe are proud to serve as an anchor institution for our community, and our recent integration with UT Health San Antonio and launch as UT San Antonio will only further amplify the reach of this work to strengthen\u00a0our ability to grow the knowledge economy, advance discovery and make lives better for all those we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

First\u00a0awarded the classification in 2015, the university\u2019s reclassification reflects\u00a0a\u00a0decade\u00a0of continued growth and investment in community-engaged teaching,\u00a0research\u00a0and service.<\/p>\n

Though\u00a0UT San Antonio\u00a0has changed\u00a0in many ways\u00a0since 2015,\u00a0the university\u2019s\u00a0commitment to the communities it serves has only grown stronger,\u00a0driven in part by\u00a0Eighmy\u2019s\u00a0strategic vision.<\/p>\n

Deepening\u00a0the university\u2019s relationships with San Antonio and the greater South Texas region\u00a0is\u00a0a\u00a0focus of that vision.\u00a0Community engagement is embedded in the university\u2019s strategic plan, ensuring sustainability,\u00a0accountability\u00a0and impact for generations to come.<\/p>\n

A core team within Academic Affairs led the\u00a0reclassification effort<\/a>,\u00a0which\u00a0was\u00a0spearheaded by the\u00a0Center for Civic and Community-Engaged Leadership<\/a>, in collaboration with stakeholders across the university.<\/p>\n

During the 2024\u20132025 academic year, the team documented the university\u2019s extensive engagement activities, which span academic programs, applied research, experiential learning and co-curricular experiences that connect students, faculty and staff with partners across education, healthcare, industry, government and nonprofit sectors.<\/p>\n

Opportunities for students<\/p>\n

Several\u00a0initiatives, research\u00a0projects\u00a0and partnerships\u00a0exemplify the university\u2019s deep commitment to student learning and community impact.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Classroom-to-Career Initiative<\/a>\u00a0is a\u00a0university-wide effort\u00a0to\u00a0ensure\u00a075% of students\u00a0graduate\u00a0with career-related experiences, including community-engaged learning.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Westside Community Partnerships<\/a>\u00a0is a\u00a0presidential initiative driving over 30 high-impact projects focused on education, housing, public\u00a0health\u00a0and economic development in historically underserved neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

Community-embedded experiential learning programs\u00a0connect UT San Antonio students with nonprofits, businesses and public agencies through initiatives such as\u00a0Rowdy Corps Community Scholars<\/a>,\u00a0Citymester<\/a>,\u00a0Najim Strategists<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0H-E-B\u00a0Community Innovation Scholars<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These programs provide hands-on opportunities for students to apply academic knowledge to real-world challenges, strengthen workforce pipelines and deliver measurable impact for community partners.<\/p>\n

For example,\u00a0the Rowdy Corps Community Scholars program, which began with just 15 students, has grown to more than 60 participants annually, providing paid, community-based work-study placements with nonprofits and public agencies. Rowdy Corps scholars contributed more than 22,000 service hours in 2023 alone.<\/p>\n

Founded\u00a0in 2020,\u00a0the\u00a0College for Health, Community and Policy<\/a>\u00a0leads\u00a0community-based research and policy innovation\u00a0to improve health equity and social well-being. Through the Institute for Health Disparities Research,\u00a0the college\u00a0partners with local organizations to address healthcare access, mental\u00a0health\u00a0and chronic disease, while preparing students for careers in health and policy through experiential learning.<\/p>\n

Advancing scholarship<\/p>\n

Community-engaged learning is a key\u00a0component\u00a0of UT\u00a0San Antonio\u2019s student success strategy, ensuring that students graduate with the skills, experiences and civic awareness needed to thrive in a complex, interconnected world.<\/p>\n

Faculty across disciplines integrate community-based research and experiential learning into curricula, advancing scholarship while addressing real-world challenges. A partnership between the Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design and The DoSeum is one example.<\/p>\n

The partnership works to create immersive exhibits like the 4D Helicopter Experience as part of its Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) curriculum. Through EPICS courses, students work as professionals with community partners to design, build, and maintain systems that address project-based challenges.<\/p>\n

Regional support<\/p>\n

The university\u2019s\u00a0commitment to community engagement is reinforced by strong regional support.<\/p>\n

In its most recent capital campaign, the university\u00a0surpassed its $500 million goal<\/a>\u00a0two years earlier than expected, signaling broad confidence in the university\u2019s mission and role in advancing student success, research\u00a0excellence\u00a0and community impact.<\/p>\n

Also of note is UT San Antonio\u2019s\u00a0growing downtown presence\u00a0which\u00a0strengthens engagement with\u00a0the city\u2019s business,\u00a0technology\u00a0and research sectors, reinforcing\u00a0its role as a regional anchor\u00a0institution.<\/p>\n

The university advances workforce training and lifelong learning through\u00a0professional and\u00a0continuing\u00a0education, while the\u00a0Valdez Institute for Economic Development\u00a0drives economic growth through its 10 public service centers.<\/p>\n

In 2024, the institute\u00a0generated\u00a0$1.8\u00a0billion<\/a> in direct economic impact for the state of Texas by supporting over 46,000 businesses with free and low-cost services, including training, advising, mentoring, research as well as support for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses.<\/p>\n

APLU awards<\/p>\n

In addition to the\u00a0Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement, UT San Antonio\u00a0has\u00a0earned\u00a0the\u00a0Innovation and Economic Prosperity University designation<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0IEP\u00a0Place Award<\/a>\u00a0from the Association\u00a0of\u00a0Public\u00a0and\u00a0Land-grant Universities\u00a0(APLU)\u00a0for its community engagement efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis reclassification reflects the collective work of faculty, staff, students and community partners who make engagement a shared responsibility and a defining strength of UT\u00a0San Antonio,\u201d said\u00a0Heather Shipley,\u00a0provost\u00a0and\u00a0senior\u00a0executive vice president for\u00a0academic\u00a0affairs. \u201cBy\u00a0continuing to\u00a0invest in our people and our partnerships, we strengthen student success and expand the university\u2019s ability to serve the public good.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement is valid through 2032.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The University of Texas at San Antonio has been reclassified with the\u00a02026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":120380,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[52437,18977,82,84,83,19923],"class_list":["post-120379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-back-to-class","tag-local-impact","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news","tag-ut-san-antonio-integration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}