Renewing a Defining Commitment to Community Engagement

As I announced at this month’s State of the Campus, for the third time since the inception of the award, IU Indianapolis has received the 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. This Carnegie Community Engagement Classification is valid through 2032.

For decades, IU Indianapolis has been shaped by its place and purpose. We are a university anchored in our city and grounded in the belief that higher education must serve the communities that gave birth to us. The work we do comes to life through its impact on our community.

In this cycle, we are one of 277 institutions nationwide to receive this distinction. In their review, the Carnegie Foundation highlighted the strong alignment across our mission, leadership, resources, and institutional practices, noting how community engagement is fully integrated into how we teach, learn, discover, and serve. The application reflected practices that are intentional, strategic, and sustained, and our work stood out for its clarity, depth, and distinction. In their letter informing us of the recognition, they note:

Your institution’s application documented excellent alignment among campus mission, culture, leadership, resources, and practices that support dynamic and noteworthy community engagement. It responded to the classification framework with both descriptions and examples of exemplary institutionalized practices of community engagement.

Community engagement is deeply woven into our mission, our culture, and our identity.  At IU Indianapolis, community engagement is more than a goal; it is a defining commitment.

As this work continues to evolve, the Office of Community Engagement has expanded to become the Office of Workforce and Community Engagement, reflecting the growing connection between community partnership and the talent needs of our region and state. We thank Amy Warner, who retired last year, and whose leadership played a pivotal role in this recognition. Under the leadership of Vice Chancellor Marie Mackintosh, this office will continue strengthening relationships across our community while advancing initiatives that support workforce development, collaboration, and community impact.

I want to thank the many individuals, both past and present, whose hard work and dedication made this possible - our community partners, whose trust and collaboration are foundational to the work we do; our faculty and staff, who bring community engagement into everything we do; and, of course, to our students, who carry these values forward into the world.

Go Jags!

Latha Ramchand
Chancellor