UCLA’s work with local and global communities honored by the Carnegie Foundation

From wildfire and climate research that helps protect Southern California residents to mobile health clinics for underserved populations, UCLA's public service mission plays out each day through hundreds of projects, research activities and academic courses - conducted in collaboration with community partners - that transform lives across Los Angeles and beyond.

Now, those efforts have been recognized on a national stage. UCLA this week was awarded a prestigious Carnegie Community Engagement Classification - for a third time - for its sustained, meaningful and mutually beneficial work with the local and global communities it serves.

The designation by the American Council on Education and theCarnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teachingplaces UCLA among an elite group of U.S. colleges and universities honored for their commitment to integrating community-engaged efforts into all aspects of their institutional programming.

"This designation affirms our longstanding, universitywide commitment to community-engaged research, creative activities, teaching, outreach and service," said Shalom Staub, assistant vice provost and executive director of the UCLA Center for Community Engagement. "This recognition belongs first and foremost to the faculty, staff and students whose collaborative partnerships with community and tribal organizations, nonprofits, schools and governmental agencies have generated shared knowledge, trust and impact."

Staub - along with Michelle Caswell, advisor to UCLA's executive vice chancellor and provost on community-engaged scholarship, and other campus leaders - prepared the rigorous application for the classification, which requires extensive documentation and detailed examples of community engagement programs that align with the university's mission, culture, leadership, resources and practices.

Serving local and global communities: How UCLA connects

The latest recognition reflects UCLA's ongoing emphasis on connecting its world-class research and teaching to real-world needs through its UCLA Connects flagship initiative and strategic plan goals, which aim to deepen the university's engagement with local and global communities.

Through the Center for Community Engagement and other campus units, the university advances this mission by encouraging and supporting civic engagement among students, faculty and staff through the development of innovative programs that integrate teaching, research and service alongside community partners.

As part of hundreds of community-engaged projects and courses at UCLA, Bruins have worked with K-12 schools, clinics, nonprofits, government agencies, Native American tribes, veterans groups and other partners to expand access to health care, legal and social services; support educators and caregivers; generate research that informs everything from voting rights and post-Los Angeles fire recovery to housing stability and mental health; and drive local economic growth. And among many global initiatives, UCLA researchers and students have recently engaged in community-driven efforts to bring clean water to villages in Africa, combat human trafficking and preserve rainforests.

UCLA: A long history of community engagement

For more than half a century, students, faculty and staff have worked widely with partners in the broader community, helping to bring UCLA's intellectual and economic impact to bear on some of society's most pressing challenges. In 2007, when the Carnegie Foundation first introduced its award for outstanding community-based curricula, outreach and partnerships, UCLA was the only UC campus among its inaugural recipients. In 2015, the university was once again recognized with a Carnegie classification for its widespread community-engaged work.

"This recognition belongs first and foremost to the faculty, staff and students whose collaborative partnerships with community and tribal organizations, nonprofits, schools and governmental agencies have generated shared knowledge, trust and impact."

-Shalom Staub, assistant vice provost and executive director, UCLA Center for Community Engagement

In the most recent classification cycle, the campus was among 237 institutions that earned the classification, joining 40 classified in 2024, for a total of 277 colleges and universities that currently hold the designation. The new cohort comprises public colleges and universities, private institutions and minority-serving schools - including UC Davis, UC Riverside and UC Merced.

"The institutions receiving the 2026 Community Engagement Classification exemplify American higher education's commitment to the greater good," said Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education. "The beneficiaries of this unflagging dedication to public purpose missions are their students, their teaching and research enterprises, and their wider communities."