North Carolina Central University News January 14, 2015 NCCU Designated a Community Engaged Campus by Carnegie The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has named North Carolina Central University to its list of colleges and universities to receive its 2015 Community Engagement Classification<http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/newsroom/news-releases/carnegie-selects-colleges-universities-2015-community-engagement-classification/>. NCCU is one of 361 universities nationally and one of only three North Carolina Historically Black Colleges and Universities to be classified. First classified for the Carnegie Foundation community engagement designation in 2008, NCCU is recognized for its "excellent alignment among campus mission, culture, leadership, resources, and practices that support dynamic and noteworthy community engagement." "NCCU is continuing to impact our community, state and the nation through service," said Dr. Johnson Akinleye, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. "This designation is a testament to the dedication and hard work of so many and truly a cause to celebrate." NCCU strengthened its commitment to community engagement <http://www.nccu.edu/communityengagement/> in 1995, when it began requiring students to complete 120 hours of community service. NCCU became the first UNC system school to make community service a requirement for graduation, and the only HBCU nationally to receive the Carnegie Engagement Classification in 2008. NCCU's student service for 2013-14 included 207,437 volunteer hours which is valued at more than $4.3 million. Since then, NCCU students, faculty and staff continued to actively engage in academic service-learning, research and community projects. Among the university's successful outreach activities is the School of Law's Virtual Justice Project, which enables residents of NC's rural communities to receive legal services from attorneys remotely and to participate in seminars offered by the law school's faculty through high-definition videoconferencing. The videoconferencing system connects five UNC system campuses and 16 Legal Aid of NC offices throughout the state. The Eagle Pride Blood Drive is another outstanding effort. Sponsored by the Public Health Education Department, the drive has enabled NCCU to become the number-one blood donor campus in the United States. Conducted several times each year in partnership with the American Red Cross, the Eagle Pride Blood Drive serves as a critical community resource and educational model for health issues disproportionately impacting communities of color. Bone marrow transplant education, sickle cell awareness, organ donation and cord blood donation are all part of the drive. Other initiatives spearheaded by NCCU include the Community Library Services of the James E. Shepard Library; the Eagle Habitat partnership with Habitat for Humanity; and Fostering Undergraduates Through University Research and Education in the Sciences (FUTURES), a four-year program providing enrichment activities to current and future university students that is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. In submitting the proposal to the Carnegie Foundation, an NCCU team of administrators, faculty and staff documented nearly 200 service-learning courses, 15 community-engagement partnerships and a robust study-abroad program, covering nearly every continent. The Carnegie Foundation is an independent policy and research center that supports needed transformations in American education through tighter connections between teaching practice, evidence of student learning, communication and use of evidence-based and structured opportunities to build knowledge. The Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement Classification is an elective process based on documentation of institutional practice. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.