Community Partnerships
Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement
2026 CARNEGIE RECLASSIFICATION
The Carnegie Steering Committee was formed in January of 2024 and met twice per month to collect the necessary information for the 2026 Reclassification. The application for 2026 was submitted in April 2025.
On January 12, 2026, it was announced that USF is one of 277 institutions selected as having met the criteria for the 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement.
USF’s application documented excellent alignment among campus mission, culture, leadership, resources, and practices that support dynamic and noteworthy community engagement. Our application responded to the classification framework with both descriptions and examples of exemplary institutionalized practices of community engagement.
Carnegie Steering Committee Members:
- Dr. Mónica Lee Miranda, Chair, Office of Strategic Partnerships
- Cynthia Brown Hernandez, Office of Decision Support
- Dr. Eric Eisenberg, Office of Strategic Partnerships
- Andrew Farmer, Foundation
- Mazhab Ferguson, University Community Partnerships
- Dr. Timothy Henkel, Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning
- Mark Koulianos, Office of Strategic Partnerships
- Shruti Kumar, Office of Decision Support
- Jan Melnik, Office of Academic Affairs and Student Success, USF Sarasota-Manatee
- Caryn Nesmith, Community Relations, USF St. Petersburg
- Dr. Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan, Center for Civic Engagement, USF St. Petersburg
- Dr. Michael Severy, Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement
- Stephanie Skupien, Office of Strategic Partnerships
- Dr. Sandra Stone, Office of Graduate Studies, USF Sarasota-Manatee
- Casey Welch, External Affairs, USF Sarasota-Manatee
2020 CARNEGIE RECLASSIFICATION ANNOUNCEMENT
The Carnegie Foundation, after its 2020 application cycle, announced the Tampa and St. Peterburg campuses of the ÐÜèAVÃâ·Ñ as two of 118 U.S. college and university campuses to receive the Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement. The 2 USF campuses stand prominently among the 7 Florida State University System campuses to earn the classification. The applications for each of the campuses highlighting a portion of the engagement work done across the university are provide here for review:
USF Tampa 2020 Application
USF St. Petersburg 2020 Application
USF Sarasota-Manatee 2023 Application