Adler University has been awarded the Community Engagement Classification by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The esteemed classification recognizes institutions with excellent alignment among campus mission, culture, leadership, resources, and practices of exemplary community engagement.

Adler is one of only 361 institutions that now hold the Community Engagement Classification. The recognition comes a month after Adler was named to the President’s Honor Roll for Community Service.

“This is a recognition of our commitment to working through true collaborative community partnerships and our continuing self-evaluation that ensures what we do is effective, responsible, and sustainable,” said Kevin A. Osten-Garner, Psy.D., Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs for the Division of Community Engagement at Adler University.

In submitting its application, Adler demonstrated a systemic, institutionalized commitment to community engagement, including everything from its mission statement to financial investments; from coordinating new and ongoing social justice projects to gathering and utilizing outcomes assessment data that guide their progress and improvements in working with community partners.

Adler also demonstrated substantial volume in community engagement among students, faculty and staff. Last year, 90 percent of Adler’s student body engaged in service learning that provided more than 740,000 hours of direct service to communities through the University’s partnerships with more than 600 agencies. Their work included providing clinical psychological services and related support to more than 180,000 people in traditionally underserved communities, primarily in the Chicago and Vancouver regions. In addition, thousands more service hours are provided to communities every year through the University’s institutes and centers.

”What this really says to our community partners, prospective students, funders and donors is that Adler is true to its mission of creating a more just society,” said Osten-Garner. “I’m excited about what this will do for drawing increased support for our work.”