Butler University has been selected to receive the Carnegie Foundation’s 2015 Community Engagement Classification, a distinction that recognizes the University’s efforts to connect with the Indianapolis community.

This designation acknowledges the ongoing involvement of college students, staff, faculty, and community partners in working together to improve the quality of life in Central Indiana and beyond.

“The classification recognizes our commitment to partnering with communities as we provide experiential learning opportunities,” Butler University President James M. Danko said. “Our students connect with the community, and together we serve the common good.”

In the award notification letter to the University, representatives of the Carnegie Foundation noted Butler’s application “documented excellent alignment among campus mission, culture, leadership, resources, and practices that support dynamic and noteworthy community engagement.”

“The importance of this elective classification is borne out by the response of so many campuses that have demonstrated their deep engagement with local, regional, national, and global communities,” said John Saltmarsh, Director of the New England Resource Center for Higher Education. “These are campuses that are improving teaching and learning, producing research that makes a difference in communities, and revitalizing their civic and academic missions.”

Butler is one of 361 institutions nationwide to receive the Community Engagement Classification—and one of 240 selected for 2015.

In earning the Carnegie classification, Butler is cited for programs such as its Indianapolis Community Requirement (ICR), a unique component of Butler’s core curriculum through which all students take at least one course that involves active engagement with the Indianapolis community. More about the ICR is here.

Other programs across Butler’s six colleges also encourage community engagement, including:

• The Butler-Shortridge partnership, engaging Butler faculty and students in various curricular and programmatic collaborations with Indianapolis Public Schools’ Shortridge Magnet High School for Law & Public Policy.
• The Early College Program, which brings select Shortridge juniors and seniors to campus each semester to earn college credits and contribute to the Butler community.
• Partnerships with local organizations such as the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, The Immigrant Welcome Center, and A Caring Place.
• The Butler Community Arts School, which provides low- and no-cost music and arts education to hundreds of students across the community.
• The Community Screening Practicum, through which Butler students in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program conduct speech, language, and hearing screenings for children enrolled in Indianapolis community schools.
• Generation Rx, a joint effort of Butler Student Association of Pharmacy and students of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences that strives to educate and raise awareness about prescription drug misuse.
• Writing in the Schools, a collaboration between Butler’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program and Shortridge Magnet High School, has worked directly with more than 300 of Shortridge’s 900 students.
• The Butler Business Consulting Group, which helps Indiana companies and the Butler College of Business grow by leveraging our depth of experience and breadth of resources in a spirit of teaching, learning and caring.

Danko said Butler-Indianapolis connections help students learn about themselves and others, while engaged in meaningful community service.

“This experience,” he said, “is an investment in their future as engaged citizens who will continue to recognize diverse viewpoints, understand the value of collaborating with others, and work together on solutions to problems.”

Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822