VCU receives national recognition for community engagement

By Brian McNeill

The American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has awarded Virginia Commonwealth University a national recognition for its commitment to community engagement.

On Monday, VCU was one of 80 public, top-tier (also known as R1) research universities to receive the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, an elective designation that highlights an institution's commitment to advancing community-engaged teaching, research and service.

"This national recognition is a tremendous validation of the community-engaged work that is central to who we are at VCU," said Maghboeba Mosavel, Ph.D., vice provost, community engagement, at VCU. "The Carnegie reclassification affirms that community engagement is not simply something we talk about at VCU but something we actively practice and integrate across teaching and learning, scholarship research and service."

VCU was one of the first universities in the country to receive this prestigious recognition in 2006 when it was launched. VCU was reclassified in 2015 and has now received its second reclassification.

The Community Engagement Classification is awarded following a process of self-study by each institution. The classification has been the leading framework for institutional assessment and recognition of community engagement in U.S. higher education for the past 19 years.

VCU's self-study was an intensive, yearlong exploration of how VCU engages with communities. It found that community engagement is meaningfully integrated throughout VCU's curriculum, with community engagement a focus of 971 undergraduate courses, 349 graduate classes, 373 faculty members and 71 departments. It additionally found a community-engagement emphasis across 466 active VCU student organizations and 102 community and civic service organizations.

The self-study further found that 40% to 50% of IRB-approved research projects included community partners, and that 29 out of 38 VCU centers conduct community-engaged work.

As an example of VCU's focus on community engagement, Anita Nadal, an assistant professor of Spanish in the School of World Studies and a faculty fellow for community engagement in the College of Humanities and Sciences, has taught a service-learning course in collaboration with the Virginia Museum of History & Culture that provides bilingual support for Richmond-area immigrants who are preparing for the U.S. citizenship test.

"Students have been greatly enriched by our collaboration with the VMHC," Nadal said. "The Community Engagement Office calls it one of the most innovative and impactful community partnerships for more than seven years."

Nadal noted that more than 200 individuals have become U.S. citizens through the initiative, which includes community-based citizenship classes, "and it is ongoing and still relevant today."

Shari Garmise, Ph.D., executive director for collective urban and regional impact, said community engagement has been central to VCU's culture since the 1967 Wayne Commission established it as a new kind of university, one centered on serving the city of Richmond. The reclassification process, she said, evaluated the progress VCU has made over the past two decades.

"It required that we provide evidence of how the impact and culture of community engagement has continued to grow, involving more VCU and VCU Health units, more community partners and reaching across wider geographies," Garmise said. "Even after the pandemic, the self-study demonstrated that we had indeed moved forward, worked more deeply, reached more people and places, and that the strength of our community engagement, which centers collaboration, is one of VCU's essential assets that helps us adapt to a changing world."

Mosavel said participating in the self-study process was "both a privilege and a thrilling and eye-opening opportunity to fully see the depth and breadth of our commitment across the university."

"Over the last several years, even during periods of significant change and uncertainty, including the COVID pandemic, our faculty, staff and students remained steadfast in their dedication to partnering with communities in meaningful and impactful ways," she said. "Many faculty and staff choose VCU because of this commitment and our national recognition as a community-engaged university. Similarly, many students are drawn to VCU because of where we are located, how we engage and the responsibility we embrace as an anchor institution."

The recognition, Mosavel said, strengthens VCU's ability to advance community-engaged scholarship, to expand research excellence and to secure external funding because it demonstrates that community engagement is foundational to the university's mission.

"It is a testament to the daily work of our faculty, staff and students who understand the responsibility we share to address community needs and contribute positively to society," she said. "I could not be more proud of the VCU community, and this recognition further deepens our commitment to strengthening and broadening the impact of our community engagement efforts."