A ribbon-cutting ceremony, including a check presentation, was held on March 25, 2025, at the Rhea County Welcome Center to mark the official launch of MobileMOC—a new mobile outreach health clinic designed to expand health care access for older adults and caregivers in rural Southeast Tennessee. Photo by Angela Foster.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has been nationally recognized for its long-standing commitment to community engagement, earning the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification—awarded by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in collaboration with the American Council on Education.
UTC was one of a select group of U.S. colleges and universities chosen in the 2026 cycle for the elective designation. Widely regarded as the nation’s most visible and selective validation of community engagement in higher education, the classification recognizes institutions that demonstrate deep, sustained partnerships with their communities and embed that work across the academic enterprise and institutional mission.
“Higher education is a vital economic engine for us all. Our colleges and universities not only fuel science and innovation, but they build prosperity in rural, urban and suburban communities nationwide,” said Timothy F.C. Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation, in the announcement. “We celebrate each of these institutions, particularly their dedication to partnering with their neighbors—fostering civic engagement, building usable knowledge and catalyzing real-world learning experiences for students.”
“This recognition affirms what our campus and our community have long understood—that community engagement is fundamental to who we are at UTC,” Chancellor Lori Bruce said. “As a public university, we have a responsibility to educate students and contribute to the well-being and future of the region we serve. This designation recognizes the intentional work our faculty, staff and students do every day to align learning, research and service with community priorities.”
At the annual UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference, student Ashley Ellis presented her research, titled “Rooted in Health: Building Towards Sustainable Food Gardening in a Rural Island Community.”
Institutions are invited to apply for the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification based on demonstrated evidence of institutional commitment, infrastructure and impact. The designation, first offered in 2006, is not automatic; it is awarded only to campuses that can document meaningful, reciprocal engagement over time.
UTC first earned the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification in 2008 and was reclassified in 2015. The University’s current designation is valid through 2032.
“Universities are critical in shaping the future of a region, and UTC has embraced that responsibility through community engagement and collaboration in sectors that are critical to Chattanooga’s economy, including finance, mechatronics and mobility,” said Charles Wood, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. “This designation reflects UTC’s leadership in connecting education, research and civic impact and we look forward to supporting UTC in future collaborations across the community.”
Dr. Jose Barbosa and members of the ANGELS camp work in the Teaching and Learning Garden near Holt Hall.
UTC has taken a coordinated, institution-wide approach to community engagement. From students’ earliest experiences on campus, engagement is tied directly to academic identity, encouraging students to connect classroom learning with community-identified challenges and shared responsibility.
Across disciplines, students and faculty collaborate with nonprofit organizations, public agencies and industry partners on projects that address regional priorities, including health and economic mobility, transportation, energy and public safety. These efforts range from faculty-led research and service-learning courses to large-scale initiatives that connect academic expertise with on-the-ground solutions—ensuring that engagement is both meaningful and measurable.
“Community engagement strengthens academic excellence,” Bruce said. “When students work alongside community partners, education becomes personal and relevant. They gain hands-on experience, develop a sense of purpose and graduate better prepared to lead in complex, everyday environments.”
Those partnerships are supported by institutional structures designed to ensure engagement is sustained and coordinated rather than dependent on a single office or individual.
After a call from Chattanooga’s Humane Educational Society, UC Foundation Associate Professor Trevor Elliott and UTC graduate student Connor Mackey built out a 3D-printed helmet for Niblet, a 2.5-pound Chihuahua puppy born with a soft spon the top of his head.
“The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification recognizes the power of sustained, reciprocal partnerships,” Bruce said. “Progress happens when universities and communities work together, bringing shared knowledge and perspectives to the table. Our partners help inform our work, and together we pursue solutions that strengthen both UTC and the region.”
Journey Health Foundation, led by president and CEO Tracy Wood, is one of those partners.
“The Journey Health Foundation’s partnership with UTC is rooted in the belief that data-driven insight and community collaboration are essential to improving health and economic outcomes,” Wood said. “This recognition underscores how universities and community partners can work together to create lasting, equitable change.”
Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu, left, and mechatronics student Juan Pena work on the hand rehabilitation system.
Those goals reflect a deliberate effort to move from documenting engagement to sustaining it by embedding community-connected work into planning, assessment and decision-making across the institution.
“As we look to the future, this designation reinforces our responsibility to continue listening, collaborating and investing in relationships that create opportunity,” Bruce said. “We are committed to building on this momentum and ensuring that UTC remains a trusted partner and an engine for impact in our community.”
The application process itself reflected that shared commitment. More than two years of cross-campus collaboration went into documenting UTC’s engagement efforts, guided by a committee led by Vice Chancellor for Access and Engagement Stacy Lightfoot.
The process, she said, required revisiting past work, reconnecting institutional memory and capturing years of engagement that had often been led by faculty and staff closest to the community.
“This recognition reflects years of sustained, collective work across UTC—faculty, staff and leaders partnering intentionally with our community,” Lightfoot said. “The Carnegie classification affirms that community engagement is not an initiative at UTC, but a core institutional practice.”
