Why 2025 is the year of significant updates to the Carnegie Classifications
Since the Carnegie Classifications were first introduced in 1973, the world – and higher education – has changed tremendously. But the classifications have not. As a result, the Carnegie Classifications largely has used a 50-year-old perspective to organize U.S. colleges and universities as they operate today, and given how the classifications are used by policymakers and others, that has resulted in …
Institutions Across U.S. React to New RCU Designations
For years, the Carnegie Classifications research designations were only open to a narrow set of doctoral-granting institutions. Many colleges and universities across the country were engaging in meaningful research, however, their contributions were not being recognized. As part of our work to redesign the Carnegie Classifications, last month we introduced a Research College and University (RCU) designation to identify research happening …
Centering Students in Our Draft Framework for the Carnegie Social and Economic Mobility Classification
Life-saving research. World-shaping cultural exchange. A shared sense of civic participation. Creating pathways for adults to gain new skills. Equipping local employers with a ready workforce. The contributions colleges and universities make to American life are as varied as the institutions themselves. But from the smallest community college to the largest public university, one shared mission stands above the rest: particularly …
Early Insights from Our Work to Design a New Social and Economic Mobility Classification
College and university leaders, faculty, funders, and policymakers routinely and rightly cite social and economic mobility as a core goal. Unfortunately, existing data and analyses often fail to account for the distinct missions, unique student populations, and complex operating environments of institutions. These gaps make it difficult for higher education leaders and stakeholders to understand how effectively schools are leveling the …
Rethinking Higher Education Classifications For Today’s Institutions
By: Alison Griffin This piece originally posted on Forbes on January 27, 2024. My 16-year-old son has a piece of paper, thumbtacked to his bedroom wall: a list of about 30 colleges and universities, carefully ordered alongside checkmarks and crosshatches. Upon first glance, the list wouldn’t make much sense to anyone, but perhaps another teenager. The way in which he has grouped colleges …