{"id":17387,"date":"2020-01-31T10:23:24","date_gmt":"2020-01-31T15:23:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/?p=17387"},"modified":"2020-01-31T10:23:24","modified_gmt":"2020-01-31T15:23:24","slug":"carnegie-foundation-awards-prestigious-community-engagement-classification-to-tusculum-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2020\/carnegie-foundation-awards-prestigious-community-engagement-classification-to-tusculum-university\/","title":{"rendered":"Carnegie Foundation awards prestigious community engagement classification to Tusculum University"},"content":{"rendered":"

GREENEVILLE<\/strong> \u2013 A major component of Tusculum University<\/a>\u2019s mission statement is civic engagement, a principle incorporated in many activities performed in the community by the higher education institution\u2019s faculty, staff and students and lessons taught in the classroom.\"\"<\/h3>\n

Now, Tusculum has received national recognition for these efforts with the receipt Friday, Jan. 31, of the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. This prestigious designation from the Carnegie Foundation honors Tusculum\u2019s work to build even stronger bonds with the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout our 225-year history in East Tennessee, we have recognized the value of connecting with our neighbors in the region,\u201d said Dr. Greg Nelson, Tusculum\u2019s acting president. \u201cBuilding these bridges to the community helps our students, as well as our faculty and staff members, understand the importance of service. It also enables the university to develop more comprehensive relationships with the public in meaningful ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tusculum received the classification after a self-evaluation on civic engagement, headed by Dr. Ronda Gentry, executive director of student persistence and engagement. The Swearer Center for Public Engagement at Brown University, which is the administrative and research home for the classification, led the national committee that reviewed Tusculum\u2019s application.<\/p>\n

Assisting the community is a hallmark for Tusculum. The university imparts lessons on civic engagement in its Tusculum Experience class for freshmen, and other courses throughout a student\u2019s studies contain a service learning component.<\/p>\n

One of the most notable examples of Tusculum\u2019s involvement is the annual Nettie Fowler McCormick Service Day in which students as well as faculty and staff members spend a day performing community service tasks. During the 2019 event, more than 700 Tusculum family members fanned out to 34 sites to enhance the region\u2019s quality of life.<\/p>\n

In addition, highly trained students, under the supervision of faculty members, provide free federal income tax preparation services each year to hundreds of residents at multiple sites throughout the region. Another annual tradition is the Pioneer Student-Athlete Advisory Committee organizing events to raise several thousands of dollars for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.<\/p>\n

Other recent examples include:<\/p>\n