Sacramento State on Jan. 5 was awarded with a Carnegie Community Engagement Classification for its commitment to the community.

With hundreds of applicants waiting for a response, Sac State was one of 115 institutions that received the Carnegie Honor.

The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification recognizes higher education’s overall commitment to community engagement. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, which recognizes committed institutions, is sought out by institutes of higher education that want to further strengthen the relationship between the campus and its community.

Jana Noel, professor of teacher education, as well as the applications author and an active member for the Community and Civic Engagement, said only a few institutions nationwide make the cut.

“Only those who can provide strong evidence of their commitment to the community engagement are eligible,” Noel said.

Noel’s passion for teacher education and engagement to the community landed her in an opportunity to apply for the honor, believing Sac State had what it takes to receive such an honor. With Noel’s dedication to Sac State, she was able to gather more than160 surveys from Sac State’s faculty to present to the Carnegie Foundation in order to be considered for the Classification.

Although Sac State has been recognized before by the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll in recent years, Noel said this is the first time Sac State applied for the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification.

The classification impacts a number of areas. It gives added importance to requests for donations and grants to further strengthen the bond between higher learning and the community, as well as expose those involved in community engagement to other faculty and students doing similar work.

“It is heartening to see this level of commitment and activity,” said Carnegie President Anthony S. Bryk.

According to Noel, the classification is a collaboration of four years of service that was initially started by Sheila Macias, director ofSac State’sCommunity Engagement Center. The Center oversees many projects and services that have been provided by students and faculty.

Some of the services provided include Alternative Break, which is when students donate time to specific community projects. Sac State Serves, which is open to faculty, staff, students, and alumni and partners with local non-profit organization, is another such project.

The commitment provided by students and faculty to its community has developed a wide range of partnerships with the state, county and city of Sacramento to further involve students and faculty to engage in community projects. Some partnerships include Harvest Sacramento, Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services and Habitat for Humanity.

“All of us at Sacramento State are very proud of the extensive work we do to enhance the Sacramento region,” said Sac State President Alexander Gonzalez. “Our students also benefit directly from our commitment, through service learning projects and by forming connections to important causes that can last a lifetime.”

Yvette Villasenor can be reached at [email protected]