UNM receives renewal of Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement designation

The University of New Mexico is well-known for research and scholarship that has tangible, positive impacts in the community. And now it has gained a renewed national credential that further demonstrates how it is making a difference.

UNM is among 237 institutions recognized this month as a 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement campus. UNM first earned this designation in 2020.

"This designation affirms something fundamental about The University of New Mexico: our work is inseparable from the communities we serve," said UNM President Garnett S. Stokes. "Across the state, our faculty, staff, and students partner with communities to address real challenges and expand opportunity. Community engagement is central to our mission as the state's flagship public university."

In the 2026 cycle for the Carnegie classification, 237 institutions earned the classification, joining the 40 institutions classified in 2024 for a total of 277 institutions that currently hold the designation. The 2026 cohort includes a diverse range of institutions, with 157 public institutions, 80 private colleges and universities, and 81 Minority Serving Institutions represented among the recipients. A listing of all the institutions that currently hold the classification endorsement can be found here.

The process for earning the classification involved compiling extensive documentation of UNM's engagement efforts that demonstrate community-focused research, impact, partnerships and collaborations. Successful applications must demonstrate alignment among campus mission, culture, leadership, resources, and practices that support dynamic and noteworthy community engagement.

Among the examples in its report, UNM cited a project involving community mapping and community-engaged information design in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies; the New Mexico Public Education Department Partnership for Diné Language Teachers' Institute led by Native American Studies and College of Education and Human Sciences; and the METALS project, led by the School of Engineering in partnership with the Navajo Nation and the Pueblo of Laguna that aims to assess and mitigate the environmental and health impacts of uranium and other heavy metals in many communities.

The UMM Office of Community Engagement was formed as a unit that reports to the Office of Academic Affairs in 2021 after UNM was initially designated as a Carnegie engaged campus in 2020. Tim Castillo, a professor in the Department of Architecture and Planning, was selected as its inaugural director.

Castillo said the renewal of UNM's designation is a reflection of the continued and growing emphasis on engaging with communities in New Mexico and beyond.

"The Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement is not an award, but a powerful indicator of institutional commitment," Castillo said. "It affirms the depth and breadth of UNM's community-engaged teaching, research and service, and provides clear evidence of the meaningful, reciprocal impact that faculty, students and staff advance every day. This designation reflects UNM 2040's vision of fostering student success, advancing inclusive scholarship, and partnering with communities to address pressing local and global challenges."

The Carnegie classification has been the leading framework for institutional assessment and recognition of community engagement in U.S. higher education for the past 19 years, with classification cycles in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2020, 2024 and 2026. There will be a 2029 cycle for first-time applicants. UNM's classification is valid until 2032, at which time it will be required to seek reclassification to retain its status.

UNM recently co-sponsored the Southwest Regional Community Engagement Consortium Convening, held at the University of Texas at El Paso. The event - cohosted by UTEP, Texas Tech University and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso - focused on topics such as the importance of creating stronger community partnerships; providing examples of how institutions are putting community-engaged work into practice in areas like meeting healthcare needs; creating frameworks for how community engagement work can be integrated into the faculty promotion and tenure process; and how institutions can form more robust connections through enhanced communication strategy.

Castillo announced that the consortium's next meeting next year will be held in Albuquerque. In 2024, UNM hosted the inaugural regional gathering of the consortium, focused on community engagement and institutional strategies related to the Carnegie classification.

The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification is an elective designation awarded by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching that highlights an institution's commitment to community engagement. The Carnegie Classifications are the nation's leading framework for categorizing and describing colleges and universities in the United States. Utilized frequently by policymakers, funders, and researchers, the classifications are a critical benchmarking tool for postsecondary institutions. ACE and the Carnegie Foundation announced a partnership in 2022 to reimagine the classifications to better reflect the diversity of postsecondary institutions and more completely characterize the impact that today's institutions have in society.