New England College Selected for Community Engagement Classification by Carnegie Foundation
Dr. Michele D. Perkins, President of New England College, announces that NEC has been selected for the 2010 Community Engagement Classification by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. In a January press release, the Carnegie Foundation named 115 colleges and universities across the country the classification. The selection process was also conducted in 2006 and 2008, bringing the total number of institutions named for their commitment to community engagement to 311.
In 2006, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching began an extensive restructuring of its classification system in order to recognize institutions whose primary objective was to integrate community engagement into their learning environments. According to the Carnegie Foundation, NEC’s application demonstrated a strong connection between its examples of community engagement and the College’s mission, culture, leadership, resources, and practices. To qualify for the community engagement classification, institutions must document examples from both curricular engagement and outreach and partnership with communities.
This year, over 300 colleges and universities began the application for the community engagement designation, and through the rigorous documentation process, 115 were selected by the Carnegie Foundation. Of the 115 that were recognized, there were 66 public and 49 private institutions from 34 states.
“It is with the greatest pleasure that I announce New England College’s inclusion in this distinctive list of colleges and universities,” notes President Perkins. “Our dedication to community engagement is longstanding. It is firmly rooted in our mission and it is an integral part of our strategic planning. Our commitment to community engagement can be found in every aspect of the College – in our curricular and co-curricular activities and in the great diversity of courses that we offer that are structured around community engagement and service learning. We are extremely fortunate to have forged relationships with so many schools, hospitals, non-profit and community organizations, and town boards that share our vision for the positive outcomes that are possible through these dynamic partnerships.”
New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire was founded in 1946 to serve the educational needs of veterans returning from WWII. The College offers 32 on-campus undergraduate programs and 13 masters degree programs that are delivered on campus, online, and in cohort groups throughout the northeast. A member of Project Pericles, we are committed to an educational experience that promotes civic engagement and social responsibility. At New England College, our students find a creative and supportive learning environment that challenges them to transform themselves and their world.
