Community College of Philadelphia receives 2026 Community Engagement Classification from Carnegie Foundation

Contacts

Community College of Philadelphia:
Antwon R. Martin
267.666.7881
armartin [at] ccp.edu (armartin[at]ccp[dot]edu)

American Council on Education:
Jon Riskind
202.697.0741
jriskind [at] acenet.edu (jriskind[at]acenet[dot]edu)

Carnegie Foundation:
Kito Cetrulo
650.566.5100
kcetrulo [at] carnegiefoundation.org (kcetrulo[at]carnegiefoundation[dot]org)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 22, 2026

Community College of Philadelphia receives 2026 Community Engagement Classification from Carnegie Foundation
CCP is the only community college in Pennsylvania to receive the classification

PHILADELPHIA — The Carnegie Foundation announced that Community College of Philadelphia has received the 2026 Community Engagement (CE) Classification. The CE Classification is an elective designation awarded by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching that highlights an institution’s commitment to community engagement.

CCP is the only community college in Pennsylvania to receive the CE classification, and is one of just 237 U.S. colleges and universities that received the designation this year. A listing of all the institutions that currently hold the classification endorsement can be found here.

“Earning the Carnegie Classification positions CCP as a national model for how community colleges can lead in community engagement, civic responsibility, and applied impact,” said Dr. Alycia Marshall, president of CCP. “The classification affirms CCP’s role as a public anchor committed to advancing educational equity, economic mobility, and inclusive growth across Philadelphia.”

The classification endorsement recognizes colleges and universities that demonstrate institutionalized, reciprocal, and measurable community engagement, which is a standard CCP met through decades of intentional partnership-driven work.

“This achievement underscores CCP’s role as a leader in community-engaged education across the Commonwealth,” said Dr. Seth Jacobson, acting vice president of Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement and executive director of the Octavius Catto Scholarship at CCP. “The application showcased long-standing partnerships with the City of Philadelphia, public schools, community-based organizations, employers, and nonprofits—all designed to address real community needs while supporting student success.”

The CE Classification is awarded following a process of self-study by each institution. The classification has been the leading framework for institutional assessment and recognition of community engagement in U.S. higher education for the past 19 years with classification cycles in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2020, 2024, and now 2026. The 2029 cycle will be for first-time applicants.

“Higher education is a vital economic engine for us all. Our colleges and universities not only fuel science and innovation, they build prosperity in rural, urban and suburban communities nationwide,” said Timothy F.C. Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation. “We celebrate each of these institutions, particularly their dedication to partnering with their neighbors—fostering civic engagement, building useable knowledge, and catalyzing real world learning experiences for students.”

The application highlighted the leadership of the College’s Institute for Community Engagement and Civic Leadership, which led CCP’s Carnegie self-study, coordinating cross-divisional data collection, narrative development, and evidence of impact to ensure an institution-wide, authentic representation of CCP’s community engagement work.

“Through its ongoing work, the Institute plays a central role in strengthening civic learning,” said Michelle Lopez, director of the Institute for Community Engagement and Civic Leadership at CCP. “By supporting faculty and staff engaged in community-based scholarship and practice, and by deepening reciprocal partnerships across Philadelphia, CCP is helping to institutionalize community engagement as a core value of the College and the students we serve.”

A total of 277 institutions currently hold the designation. The 2026 cohort includes a diverse range of institutions, with 157 public institutions, 80 private colleges and universities, and 81 Minority Serving Institutions represented among the recipients.

“The institutions receiving the 2026 Community Engagement Classification exemplify American higher education’s commitment to the greater good,” said ACE President Ted Mitchell. “The beneficiaries of this unflagging dedication to public purpose missions are their students, their teaching and research enterprises, and their wider communities.”

The application for the 2029 Community Engagement Classification will be available in January 2027. More information about the application and timeline can be found online.

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About Community College of Philadelphia
Community College of Philadelphia is the largest public institution of higher education in the City of Philadelphia. With an open admissions policy, the College serves all who may benefit – regardless of age, income, or ability. For 60 years, the College has lived up to its mission and goals by providing educational access for over 700,000 Philadelphians, setting families, businesses and neighborhoods on the path of shared prosperity and opportunity. For information on the College's degree and certificate programs, workforce development strategies, and community engagement initiatives, visit ccp.edu and follow us on social media @CCPedu.

About the Carnegie Classifications
The Carnegie Classifications are the nation’s leading framework for categorizing and describing colleges and universities in the United States. Utilized frequently by policymakers, funders, and researchers, the Classifications are a critical benchmarking tool for postsecondary institutions. ACE and the Carnegie Foundation announced a partnership in February 2022 to reimagine the Classifications to better reflect the diversity of postsecondary institutions and more completely characterize the impact that today’s institutions have in society.

About ACE
ACE is a membership organization that leads higher education with a united vision for the future, galvanizing our members to make change and collaborating across the sector to design solutions for today’s challenges, serve the needs of a diverse student population, and shape effective public policy. As the major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities, our strength lies in our diverse membership of nearly 1,600 colleges and universities, related associations, and other organizations in America and abroad. ACE is the only major higher education association to represent all types of U.S. accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities. For more information, please visit www.acenet.edu or follow ACE on X @ACEducation and LinkedIn.

About the Carnegie Foundation
The mission of the Carnegie Foundation is to catalyze transformational change in education so that every student has the opportunity to live a healthy, dignified, and fulfilling life. Enacted by an act of Congress in 1906, the Foundation has a rich history of driving transformational change in the education sector, including the establishment of TIAA-CREF and the creation of the Education Testing Service, the GRE, Pell Grants, and the Carnegie Classifications for Higher Education. Today, the Foundation is dedicated to the transformation of the American high school and making the postsecondary sector a more vital engine for economic mobility.