New York University is one of 76 colleges and universities to receive the Carnegie Foundation's new Community Engagement Classification designating a commitment to teaching, learning and scholarship which engage faculty, students and community inmutually beneficial and respectful collaboration; the application and provision of institutional resources for community use with benefits to both campus and community; and collaborative interactions with community and related scholarship for the mutually beneficial exchange, exploration and application of knowledge, information and resources (research, capacity building, economic development, etc.).

Unlike the Foundation's other classifications that rely on national data, this is an "elective" classification—institutions elected to participate by submitting required documentation describing the nature and extent of their engagement with the community, be it local or beyond. This approach enabled the Foundation to address elements of institutional mission and distinctiveness that are not represented in the national data on colleges and universities.

According to Christine Shakespeare, associate director of City and Community Relations, "The designation of 'Community Engaged' by the Carnegie Foundation articulatesNYU's statement of practice: "a private university in the public service." NYU is an intellectual, creative and vital community partner working collaboratively to address complex economic development, social welfare, health and cultural issues through our education, research, and professional outreach. NYU's students, faculty, administrators, and staff are to be commended for their community engagement commitments." Shakespeare compiled the data for the extensive application process working with representatives of each school and division of the University to produce a comprehensive overview of the University's far-reaching outreach efforts.

To create this elective classification, the Foundation, working with a team of advisors, developed a documentation framework to assess the nature of an institution's community engagement commitments. Institutions were classified in one of three categories:

"Finding new and better ways to connect with their communities should be a high priority for higher education institutions today," says Lee S. Shulman, president of the Carnegie Foundation. "The campuses participating in this elective classification provide useful models of engagement around teaching and learning and around research agendas that benefit fromcollaborative relationships."

The Foundation, through the work of the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, developed the first typology of American colleges and universities in 1970 as a research tool to describe and represent the diversity ofUS higher education. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions ofHigher Education continues to be used for a wide range of purposes by academic researchers, institutional personnel, policymakers and others.