Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement Framework Guidance Document & Assessment

This guide is designed for departments and units at the University of Kansas to implement community engagement best practices aligned with the Carnegie Community Engagement Framework and KU’s IRISE values (Integrity, Respect, Innovation, Stewardship, Excellence). This comprehensive guide ensures departments can plan, implement, and assess community engagement effectively while meeting Carnegie Foundation community engagement standards. This guide provides actionable Standard Guidelines and Checklist Items for departments and units at the University of Kansas to support the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification Framework. 

How to Use This Document

  • Apply Standard Guidelines as benchmarks for planning, policy changes, and improvement.
  • Use Checklist Items for self-assessment and continuous improvement.
  • Implement Action Steps to operationalize standards.
  • Refer to the Summary Table for a quick overview.
  • Refer to the Quick-Reference Checklist at the end for easy use.

Campus and Community Context for Engagement

Describe the Campus and Community

Standard Guideline:

Provide mission, history, demographics, and community context.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Gather institutional or unit level mission documents, compile demographic data, draft narrative linking identity to engagement.
  • Communicate community engagement related values and purpose in the mission.

Institutional Definition of Community Engagement

Standard Guideline:

Maintain an approved, institutional-level definition that is used across the institution and within units.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Review current definition, ensure visibility on the OCI website, communicate to all units to support campus community engagement efforts.
  • Use institutional definitions of community engagement across the institution and units advancing teaching/learning, research, and service.
  • Develop general community engagement standards to guide teaching/learning, research, and service.

Opportunities and Access

Standard Guideline:

Ensure opportunities and access to all stakeholders to support community engagement.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Review policies, identify barriers, and implement accessible practices.
  • Work with institutional offices (e.g., Office of Risk and Compliance, Office of Research, Faculty Affairs) to review Carnegie Guidelines for alignment with institutional, federal, state and other policies.

Coordinating Infrastructure

Standard Guideline:

Ensure clear structures to support community engagement, including staffing, volunteers, resources, support, and funding.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Review organizational charts, confirm resources and funding sources, update reporting lines.
  • Create institutional alignment pathways with participating units tracking community engagement with the Office of Community Impact.

 

Budget and Fundraising

Standard Guideline:

Allocate permanent funding and pursue external funding to support community engagement.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Provide regular reporting, track fundraising activities, and identify grant opportunities.
  • Develop institutional and unit-level guidelines for securing funding and resources to support community engagement.
  • Ensure that community partners and participants receive adequate allocation of resources and support.

Impact of External Events

Standard Guideline:

Adapt community engagement strategies to respond to external contexts.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Document and review adaptations, update contingency plans to adjust community engagement activities and practices based on context.

Tracking and Assessment

Standard Guideline:

Implement systematic tracking of engagement activities.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Establish data collection protocols, assign responsibility, and review annually.
  • Provide campus training on community engagement collection protocols data systems utilization.
  • Regularly document and report community engagement activities in the Engaged KU Community Check Box and other KU reporting systems (e.g., volunteer.ku.edu, service-learning course designations).
  • Implement Engaged KU Liaisons for the unit to support systematic information gathering and reporting.

Institutional Identity and Culture

Leadership Commitment

Standard Guideline:

Leadership affirms engagement as part of university or unit identity.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Collect institutional and unit-level strategic plans, integrate engagement into campus community engagement plans.
  • Document statements from leadership at the institutional and unit-level promoting community engagement.

Branding and Messaging

Standard Guideline:

Engagement is visible in branding and communications.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Review marketing materials, include work with university offices of Communication and Public Affairs to include community engagement in brand guidelines and institutional messaging.
  • Ensure community engagement is prominent on institutional and unit-level materials.
  • Encourage video and photo documentation when appropriate to promote community engagement through the Engaged KU Toolkit.

Quality of Partnerships

Evidence of High-Quality Partnerships

Standard Guideline:

Document partnerships illustrating breadth and depth of community engagement.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Maintain and regularly review partner agreements (e.g., MOUs) to ensure reciprocity and mutual benefit.
  • Ensure appropriate institutional review and cataloging of agreements with appropriate campus offices (e.g., KUCR, General Counsel).
  • Develop and maintain basic community partnership standards and guidelines based on the Carnegie Community Engagement framework.

Reciprocity and Mutual Benefit

Standard Guideline:

Partnerships are reciprocal, mutually beneficial, and asset-based. Ensure partnerships include shared decision-making and co-creation.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Review MOUs, develop co-creation clause templates working with General Counsel or the KU Center for Research for the creation of MOUs.
  • Identify and promote the assets and strengths of the community or partner in the partnership.

Assessment of Partnerships

Standard Guideline:

Collect and use feedback from partners to recognize and improve collaboration.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Implement regular partner surveys or mechanisms for obtaining feedback.
  • Ensure that partnerships are documented by appropriate institutional offices (e.g., Office of Research, General Counsel).
  • Based on community constituent feedback, share results and document adjustments to practices and policies in the Engaged KU Community Check Box.

Faculty and Staff

Professional Development

Standard Guideline:

Ensure professional development opportunities, including training and technical support, on engaged teaching and research that connects to Carnegie Guidelines for community engagement.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Support community-engagement professional development opportunities.
  • Document participation through the Engaged KU Community Check Box.

Recognition and Rewards

Standard Guideline:

Include engagement in tenure and promotion processes. Integrate engagement into performance reviews and goals. Align community engagement with unit level requirements for evaluation and accreditation.

Checklist:

 

Action Steps:

  • Create collaboration with Faculty Affairs to review tenure guidelines, annual review processes, and award opportunities.
  • Ensure rewards and recognition for community-engaged scholarship and involvement by faculty, staff, researchers, administrators, and students, including at the institutional and unit-level.

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Standard Guideline:

Document and promote examples of scholarship related to community engagement.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Support repository of scholarship examples related to community engagement for units.
  • Incorporate unit-level community-engaged scholarship activities on CVs/Resumes.
  • Promote examples of scholarship in engagement at the institutional and unit levels.
  • Document scholarship of community engagement in the Engaged KU Community Check Box and Toolkit.

Curricular Engagement

Course Integration

Standard Guideline:

Embed community engagement and service-learning in courses across disciplines and curricular requirements (e.g., capstones, major courses, general education).

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Support course designation process, review and monitor compliance.
  • Work with Center for Service Learning to support course designation processes.

Assessing & Tracking Service-Learning Outcomes

Standard Guideline:

Track and assess curricular engagement of service-learning and impacts on students.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Examine service-learning course, student learning, and community engagement outcomes.
  • Promote service-learning engagement.

Curricular-Related Experiences for Community Engagement

Standard Guideline:

Integrate community engagement into curricular experiences (e.g., student research, internships, career exploration, study abroad, Alternative Breaks)?

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Identify courses, determine types of experiences offered and levels of student involvement.

Co-Curricular Engagement

Co-Curricular Opportunities & Experiences

Standard Guideline:

Provide meaningful community engagement experiences that may occur outside the classroom or structured learning environment, including through service, leadership, research, and internship opportunities.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Use and promote co-curricular database of opportunities (e.g., volunteer.ku.edu; serve.ku.edu; KU Engage, University Career Center, Alumni Center).

Tracking and Assessment

Standard Guideline:

Document and report co-curricular engagement.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Implement an institutional-level co-curricular tracking & transcript system.
  • Document and report co-curricular student engagement at the institutional and unit level.

Civic Learning and Life

Pathways and Opportunities to Develop Civic Knowledge & Identity

Standard Guideline:

Integrate civic learning into institutional and unit-level programs and experiences.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Include civic outcomes in student evaluations.
  • Develop policies to support staff engagement in community and civic engagement (non-partisan).
  • Identify and promote opportunities for civic engagement that are aligned with teaching, learning, and research outcomes and opportunities.

Practical Experiences

Standard Guideline:

Offer experiences for civic responsibility.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Document civic engagement activities in the Engaged KU Community Check Box.

Alignment with Institutional Priorities

Alignment

Standard Guideline:

Align community engagement with institutional and unit-level goals and strategic priorities (e.g., IRB, Broader Impacts, students success, research).

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Ensure community engagement activities are connected to institutional and unit-level initiatives and strategic priorities.
  • Document to advance community engagement in the goals and strategic priorities?

Reflection and Continuous Improvement

Reflection

Standard Guideline:

Include representative voices in reflection across faculty, staff, researchers, students, and community partners.

Checklist:

Action Steps:

  • Conduct at least annual reflection activities, including surveys and focus groups with community partners.
  • Provide opportunities for community-engaged faculty, staff, researchers, and students to examine and reflect on activities.
  • Document adjustments to community engagement programs, practices, and policies/protocols at the institutional and unit-level in the Engaged KU Community Check Box.
Carnegie Engagement Framework Guidance and Assessment - Quick Reference
Carnegie FrameworkFramework Sub-SectionStandard GuidelineChecklist for Reflection and Implementation
SECTION 2: Campus and Community Context for Engagement2.1 Describe Institution and CommunityProvide mission, history, demographics, and community context.Has the mission and history been documented?
Are there community demographics or geographics information for prioritized communities?
SECTION 2: Campus and Community Context for Engagement2.2 Institutional Definition of Community EngagementMaintain an approved, institutional-level definition.Is the institutional definition published and used consistently across units?
Do units cross-reference and use institutional definitions of community engagement? 
SECTION 2: Campus and Community Context for Engagement2.3 Equity and AccessEnsure opportunities and access for all stakeholders.Are policies, programs, and practices in place to reduce barriers, present opportunities, and include community participation?
Are the opportunities to enhance community engagement for administrators, faculty, staff, researchers, students, and partners?
SECTION 2: Campus and Community Context for Engagement2.4 Coordinating InfrastructureEnsure clear structures to        support community engagement, including staffing, resources, and funding. Is there a clear structure (e.g., staff) and adequate support (e.g., staff, volunteers) for community engagement that is documented and adequately resourced and funded?
SECTION 2: Campus and Community Context for Engagement2.5 Budget and FundraisingAllocate permanent funding and pursue external grants to support community engagement.Are budget allocations, external funding, and fundraising efforts tracked and reported for community engagement?
Are there clear standards and guidelines for securing funding and resources to support community engagement (e.g., compensation to community partners)?
SECTION 2: Campus and Community Context for Engagement2.6 Impact of External EventsAdapt strategies to respond to external challenges.Has the institution or unit documented adjustments and adaptations necessary to support community engagement due to contextual factors and events?
SECTION 2: Campus and Community Context for Engagement2.7 Tracking and AssessmentImplement systematic tracking of engagement activities.Is there a process for collecting, using, and reporting engagement data at the institutional and unit levels?
Are there clear systems for collecting and using community engagement data? 
Are the systems that are available used systematically across the institution and units to document, report, and promote community engagement, including in the Engaged KU Community Check Box?
SECTION 3: Institutional Identity and Culture3.1 Leadership CommitmentLeadership affirms engagement as part of academic identity.Are explicit statements from leadership supporting community engagement documented in addresses, speeches, publications, and policies, or in other ways?
SECTION 3: Institutional Identity and Culture3.2 Branding and MessagingEngagement is visible in branding and communications.Is engagement featured in branding through official messaging, unit identity, or in describing frameworks and approaches used?
SECTION 4: Quality of Partnerships4.1 Representative PartnershipsDocument partnerships illustrating breadth and depth.Are partnerships clearly described and is there evidence of reciprocity and mutual benefit? 
Are high standard partnerships supported based on the Carnegie Community Engagement definition and principles? 
Are partnerships reported to the appropriate institutional or unit-level offices (e.g., Office of Research, General Counsel)?
SECTION 4: Quality of Partnerships4.2 Reciprocity and Mutual BenefitPartnerships are reciprocal, mutually beneficial, and asset-based. Ensure partnerships include shared decision-making and co-creation.Do agreements include reciprocity or shared decision-making? 
Do the partnerships demonstrate and build upon the assets and resources of the community?
SECTION 4: Quality of Partnerships4.3 Assessment of PartnershipsCollect and use feedback from partners to recognize and improve collaboration.Are partnerships and collaborations documented in the Engaged KU Community Check Box? 
Is partner feedback systematically gathered and acted upon by community partners?
SECTION 5: Faculty and Staff5.1 Professional DevelopmentEnsure professional development opportunities, including training and technical support, on engaged teaching and research that connects to Carnegie Guidelines for community engagement.Are professional development programs for community engagement available, accessed, and documented used, including participation?
SECTION 5: Faculty and Staff5.2 Recognition and RewardsInclude engagement in tenure and promotion. Integrate engagement into performance reviews and goals. Align community engagement with unit level requirements for evaluation and accreditation. Do policies, practices, and programs recognize and reward community-engagement across research, teaching/learning, and/or service? 
Are diverse forms of scholarship, including as valued by the community (e.g., reports, performances), recognized as a form of community-engaged scholarship?
SECTION 5: Faculty and Staff5.3 Faculty and Staff ScholarshipDocument and promote examples of scholarship related to community engagement.Are faculty, staff, and student scholarship examples regularly collected, shared, and promoted? 
Are community outputs (e.g., community reports, community engaged performances) recognized and promoted as forms of community-engaged scholarship?
SECTION 6: Curricular Engagement6.1 Course IntegrationEmbed community engagement and service-learning in courses across disciplines and curricular requirements (e.g., capstones, major courses, general education).       Are service-learning courses designated? 
How many and what type of service-learning courses are offered? 
Are service-learning course enrollment and participation documented, reported, and promoted? 
SECTION 6: Curricular Engagement6.2 Service- Learning OutcomesTrack and assess curricular engagement of service-learning and impacts on students. Are service-learning courses assessed and evaluated for student, campus, and community impact?
SECTION 6: Curricular Engagement6.3 Curricular-Related Experiences for Community EngagementIntegrate community engagement into curricular experiences (e.g., student research, internships, career exploration, study abroad, Alternative Breaks)?              Are examples of community engagement supported through experiential learning documented across curricular experiences? 
Are curricular experiences that support community engagement systematically documented in the Engaged KU Community Check Box?
SECTION 7: Co-Curricular Engagement7.1 Co-Curricular Opportunities & ExperiencesProvide meaningful community engagement experiences that may occur outside the classroom or structured learning environment, including through service, leadership, research, and internship opportunities.  Are co-curricular opportunities identified and promoted?
SECTION 7: Co-Curricular Engagement7.2 Tracking and AssessmentDocument and report co-curricular engagement.Is there a co-curricular tracking system used across the institution and unit?
SECTION 8: Civic Learning and Life8.1 Civic Learning and LifeIntegrate civic learning into institutional and unit-level programs and experiences.Are civic skills and civic identity development incorporated into curricular and co-curricular community engagement activities?
SECTION 8: Civic Learning and Life8.2 Practical ExperiencesOffer experiences for civic responsibility.Are civic engagement opportunities and experiences documented? 
Is civic engagement tracked and assessed across the campus/unit?
SECTION 9: Alignment with Institutional Priorities9.1 Alignment with Institutional Goals and Strategic PrioritiesAlign engagement with DEI and research goals. Are there clearly established goals and strategic priorities that advance community engagement at the institutional and unit-level? 
Are the examples of community engagement that advance institutional goals and strategic priorities documented and shared? 
SECTION 10: Reflection and Continuous Improvement10.1 Reflection Include representative voices in reflection across faculty, staff, researchers, students, and community partners.Are community partners involved in providing regular feedback related to community engagement at the institutional and unit-level? 
Are there opportunities for campus stakeholders to examine and reflect on community engagement practices? 
How is feedback incorporated through program, policy/protocol, or practice changes?