University of Rochester
IN-48: Innovation B

The University of Rochester is among 119 colleges and universities in the United States to receive 2020 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, an elective designation that indicates institutional commitment to community engagement. This is the first time that the University has earned the classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and Rochester is now one of 359 nationwide to hold the distinction.

Some of the University’s local programs and partnerships:

East High Educational Partnership Organization (EPO): A partnership between the University and Rochester’s East High has helped the school forge a new culture and commitment to revival. Various additional partnerships with the University are contributing to this great academic progress, including the provision of needed mental, social-emotional, and physical health services to scholars, parents, and families. Through the Center on Urban Education Success, Warner School faculty members are conducting evaluation work for East Upper and Lower Schools on culture and climate.

David T. Kearns Center for Leadership and Diversity: Home to four federal Department of Education TRiO grants (Talent Search, Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math/Science, and McNair), the Kearns Center serves more than 1,000 low-income, first-generation, and/or under-represented minority students from the Rochester City School District and from around the country. Students who participate in the
Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math/Science programs have a 100 percent persistence and retention rate from year to year, a 97 percent high school graduation rate, and a 90 percent college-going rate. Of the students who participate in McNair, 99 percent have graduated from college, and more than 85 percent have gone on to graduate school, with more than 100 doctorates earned.

MAGconnect: The Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) partners with various community organizations to design museum tours for more than 300 individuals who might not have come on their own. MAG underwrites transportation and admission to the museum and offers free family memberships for the year following the visit. The MAG collaborates with the Rochester chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association to offer monthly tours for individuals with early-to-mid-stage dementia. For individuals in elder-care facilities who can no longer visit the museum, MAG staff bring reproductions of artworks to the residents. This program, known as Art at the Bedside, is implemented by MAG docents and student volunteers from the University.

School-based health centers: Located on-site at several schools within the city school district, health center services include complete physical exams, health screenings, risk behavior screenings, care for acute and chronic illnesses, medications and immunizations, sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy testing and prevention, and mental health counseling. The SMILEmobile aims to decrease dental health disparities in the community by providing regular accessible, affordable, and convenient dental services to RCSD students.
Partners in Reading: A student organization in Arts, Sciences and Engineering dedicated to aiding school children in the learning process. Its goals include bettering the academic experience for Rochester school students; promoting higher education by means of tutoring, mentoring, and various activities; and encouraging students to pursue their goals through education. Partners in Reading has been in existence for over 25 years, and and actively manages projects with four different community partners.

Through the Carnegie self-study, the University identified the University-community collaborations that are helping drive the University’s commitment to community-based research, education, and service. In 2017–18, undergraduate students recorded 4,100 hours of community service through student organizations, complementing more than 53,000 hours of community engagement made possible through the University’s Rochester Center for Community Leadership. These efforts alone have benefited more than 35,000 community members.

As a leading research institution with expertise in health care, education, the arts, and public health, among other areas, University faculty, staff, and students are partnering with local agencies and organizations to alleviate urgent community needs, enrich lives through arts and music, and develop new initiatives that are improving our region and the city of Rochester in many ways. The community also enriches the lives of University students by providing real-word environments and lived expertise to enhance the educational experiences.

The Carnegie workgroup was co-led by Glenn Cerosaletti, assistant dean of students and director of the Rochester Center for Community Leadership (RCCL), and Theresa Green, faculty member in the Center for Community Health & Prevention at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

To earn Community Engagement Classification, institutions voluntarily submit an extensive application describing the nature and extent of their work with the community. The University’s application outlined the ways in which the University’s mission, culture, leadership, resources and practices support sustained and mutually beneficial community engagement. The process of completing the University’s application began under the leadership of recent University President Richard Feldman and was carried out by a workgroup composed of faculty and staff from across the University.