Mercer University is one of 237 U.S. colleges and universities to recently receive the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement (CE) Classification, an elective designation awarded by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching that highlights an institution’s commitment to community engagement.

“We are thrilled to once again earn the Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement Classification, after having initially received the designation in 2008 and reclassification in 2015,” said Mercer President Dr. Penny L. Elkins. “It further validates the emphasis we place on changing the world and improving the human condition, beginning with the Georgia communities where we have campuses.”

Mercer University has adopted the Carnegie definition of community engagement, defined as “the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. The purpose of community engagement is the 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.”

“Mercer provides meaningful and impactful opportunities for students to serve in their campus neighborhoods, throughout Georgia and around the globe,” said Vice Provost of Engaged Learning Dr. Kathryn D. Kloepper. “In this work, Mercer centers and prioritizes a deep commitment to learning, creativity, empowerment and service that prepares advocates for positive change locally and globally.”

The CE Classification has been the leading framework for institutional assessment and recognition of community engagement in U.S. higher education for the past 19 years, with classification cycles in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2020, 2024, and now 2026. 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.”

A listing of all the institutions that currently hold the classification endorsement can be found here.