A smiling woman reaching over a table to grab a clothes hanger. Another woman is to her side, further along the table, hanging a piece of clothing on a different hanger.

Carnegie Elective Classification

Classification for Community Engagement

The University of Florida has earned the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement in the 2026 cycle. This mark of excellence highlights UF as a premier university beyond academics, through its integration of service and leadership across curricular and co-curricular opportunities. This classification recognizes the university’s deep, reciprocal partnerships in the Greater Gainesville community and affirms our measurable impact nation-wide.

Unlike rankings or awards, this classification results from an extensive, evidence-based, peer-reviewed process. Institutions document how community engagement is embedded throughout their mission and academic programs. Successful candidates demonstrate sustained partnerships that enrich research, teaching, and public service while addressing real community needs.

What is Community Engagement?

The Carnegie Foundation defines community engagement as 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.

Carnegie Foundation Elective Classification Logo

Looking Ahead

In receiving this classification, the university aims to continue strengthening our community and government partnerships, by showcasing our incredible displays of student, faculty, and staff leadership.

UF Carnegie Elective Classification (2026 Cycle) Contributors

This achievement would not have been possible without the leadership and vision of the individuals and units listed below. Their efforts were instrumental in identifying, documenting, and articulating the University’s deeply embedded community engagement across coursework, service, and institutional practices. Together, they helped demonstrate how community engagement is an integral part of UF’s mission and identity.

  • Dr. Heather White, Vice President, Division of Student Life 
  • Dr. Chris Hass, Associate Provost, Academic and Faculty Affairs
  • Ja'Net Glover, Associate Vice President, Division of Student Life
  • Karen Thomas, Assistant Vice President and Director, Community Relations
  • Dr. Karla Shelnutt, Professor and Associate Dean for Extension Engagement, UF/IFAS Extension
  • Jacobi Bedenfield, Previous Director, Brown Center for Leadership & Service
  • Allie Simon, Director, Experiential Learning & Academic Integration, University Career Services
  • Dr. Matthew Jacobs, Director, Bob Graham Center for Public Service & Associate Professor
  • Steve Orlando, Interim Vice President, Division of Communications and Marketing
  • Dr. Rick Stepp, Interim Director, UF Quest
  • Dr. Alexandra Bitton-Bailey, Director, Center for Teaching Excellence
  • Dr. Elaine Turner, Professor, Food Science and Human Nutrition
  • Eric Godet, Sr., President/CEO, Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce
  • Office of the President
  • Office of the Provost
  • UF Human Resources
  • Institutional Planning and Research
  • UF Division of Enrollment Management
  • UF/IFAS Extension
  • The Brown Center for Leadership & Service
  • The Career Connections Center
  • ...and numerous others across the University enterprise!

Service and Community Based Learning Projects

UF created a comprehensive workgroup of administrators, faculty, and staff to complete the application for the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement. The following is a sample of the Service and Community Based Learning Projects submitted via the application:

  • Community Dentistry
  • Family, Youth, and Community Sciences Practicum
  • GulfSouth Design Studio and Gulf Scholars Program
  • Health Services Administration
  • HealthStreet
  • Improving Community Resilience through Partnership: University of Florida and the City of Cedar Key
  • Peace Corps Prep Program
  • UF/IFAS Center for Public Issues Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (PIE Center)
  • UF/IFAS Extension Online Learning
  • UFHealth Putting Families First Program