The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized the University of Iowa with its Community Engagement Classification, reaffirming Iowa’s commitment to community engagement and its leadership connecting education with public service.

The Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities (IISC), housed within the School of Planning and Public Affairs (SPPA), was a key factor for the redesignation award. IISC’s model empowers students, faculty, staff, and community partners to co-create mutually beneficial partnerships in pursuit of vibrant, sustainable, and equitable futures. IISC builds community capacity and generates tangible deliverables such as planning tools and public art in alignment with the Carnegie criteria of integrated, pervasive, and impactful community engagement across institutional structures.

Since 2009, IISC has formed and supported high-impact collaborations between the University of Iowa and communities across the state. As a campus-wide initiative, IISC has worked with 25 academic units to complete nearly 500 community engagement projects. SPPA’s graduate capstone projects are a cornerstone of IISC’s work each year. 

IISC and SPPA exemplify the type of deep, reciprocal community engagement that the Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement seeks to recognize by forging long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships between the University of Iowa and communities throughout the state. 

Nick Benson, Executive Director of the Office of Community Engagement and SPPA class of 2012, led the Carnegie re-classification effort along with a committee of seven faculty and staff from across campus. Nick also previously led IISC. Nick shared, “IISC’s work, including SPPA student capstone projects, was highlighted in Iowa’s re-classification application as a leading example of high-quality, curricular community engagement happening at the University of Iowa. IISC advances multiple aspects of the university’s strategic plan by facilitating excellence in teaching and learning and generating transformative societal impact.”

This year IISC’s full partnership is with the City of West Branch. IISC is supporting more than 25 projects in West Branch and seven other Iowa communities over the course of the academic year. Read more about this year’s projects.

Further details about the Carnegie re-classification are available in a University of Iowa article.