Sacramento State has received the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification for the fourth time since 2010, according to an announcement from the university. The designation is a national recognition of institutions that demonstrate strong commitment to community engagement and experiential learning.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education (ACE) released their 2026 list of U.S. colleges and universities recognized for community engagement on January 13. The list includes both first-time recipients and those earning reclassification.
“Community engagement is vital to who we are here at Sacramento State,” said University President Luke Wood. “Partnering with community leaders and organizations to share resources and ideas not only strengthens the surrounding region, but it also offers students opportunities for experiential learning and research that will help them while they’re at Sac State and serve them in their future careers.”
Currently, Sacramento State is among 277 U.S. colleges and universities holding this classification, which has served as a key framework for assessing community engagement in higher education over the past 19 years.
The university’s Community Engagement Center (CEC) has been central to its efforts for three decades, coordinating partnerships with more than 1,200 local schools, community groups, and nonprofits. These collaborations give students practical work experience through various programs.
Each year, Sacramento State students contribute over 914,000 hours of service through activities such as academic internships, clinical practicums, fieldwork, service-learning courses, and research projects involving the community.
To retain this designation, institutions must apply for reclassification every five years.
“We’ve institutionalized community engagement at Sacramento State,” said Professor Chong Choe-Smith.
This marks Sacramento State’s fourth time receiving the classification. Professors Chong Choe-Smith and Erin Rose Ellison led a two-year reclassification process in partnership with CEC staff. Their efforts included preparing a detailed report documenting campus-wide involvement in community activities.
“Community engagement is a pervasive part of the work we do at this campus,” Choe-Smith said. “Every department, every college, every center participates in some sort of community engaged work. There are so many examples of the way faculty, students, and staff are doing community engaged work.”
“We’ve institutionalized community engagement at Sacramento State.”
Programs highlighted in their report include Math Tutoring Buddies—where university students tutor middle- and high-schoolers; The Counseling Consortium—which provides mental health counseling services; Writing Partners—a pen pal program connecting Sac State students with younger pupils; California Energy, Power, and Innovation Collaborative—linking faculty with clean energy companies; and Barrio Art in Communities—where students teach art lessons at local elementary schools.
“The community engaged work we do ultimately enhances student success,” Choe-Smith added. “There’s a correlation with higher persistence rates and higher graduation rates, as well as a connection with student success beyond graduation because it helps students make connections that may lead to future job opportunities.”
CEC Director Samantha Blackburn noted that these experiences help prepare students for careers: “They offer students the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to real life situations in the community,” Blackburn said.
Blackburn also addressed challenges faced after COVID-19 disruptions: “Sacramento State has withstood significant federal policy and funding shifts to reaffirm our deep and abiding commitment to our region,” she said. “We have been resilient in maintaining and rebuilding partnerships post COVID, as well addressing current and future threats to funding.”
Faculty members continue working behind-the-scenes on partnerships placement logistics while tracking student participation hours.
“We really see it as integral to student success while they’re here and beyond, but it also takes a lot of effort,” Ellison said. “After seeing all this data I’m just so impressed with our colleagues and all the work they put into making Sacramento State a standout campus for community engagement which is so crucial to our identity as a campus.”
