Bates has once again been recognized by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for its deep level of commitment to community engagement, an honor the college first achieved in 2008 and again in 2015. Recently Bates was also lauded  by ACE and Carnegie for its success in providing paths for graduates to earn competitive wages. 

Last week, ACE and Carnegie announced that Bates had been designated with the 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement. Community engagement constitutes “collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.”

At Bates, inspiration for that work comes from the diverse and rich opportunities for student learning, skill building, and collaboration offered by the college’s location, explained Darby Ray, director of the Harward Center for Community Partnerships. 

“The Carnegie recognition is a wonderful affirmation of the college’s dual commitment to high impact student learning and community well-being, as well as the off-campus community’s investment in our students, “ said Ray, who is also the Donald W. and Ann M. Harward Professor of Civic Engagement.

Mutual respect between college and community, along with desire for collaboration, is a key part of the success, Ray said. “The result of it is that Bates students have meaningful opportunities to work alongside community leaders to develop and apply knowledge and skills to address real-world challenges like public health, affordable housing, and arts-based economic development.” 

Bates was one of approximately 230 institutions nationwide to receive the 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement, and the only Maine institution of higher education on the list. This designation, which Bates must apply for cyclically, is valid until 2032.

“Your institution’s application documented excellent alignment among campus mission, culture, leadership, resources, and practices that support dynamic and noteworthy community engagement,” ACE and Carnegie wrote in a letter to Bates, lauding the college’s “exemplary institutionalized practices of community engagement.” 

Bates has advanced the work of deepening partnerships, leveraging community assets, and addressing urgent societal challenges with “clarity and distinction,” the award letter said. The accomplishment “is especially noteworthy amid significant federal policy and funding shifts shaping the future of higher education.” 

In addition, in 2025, Bates was identified for its success in a relatively new classification that ACE and Carnegie began using in 2022, the Student Access and Earnings Classification (an earlier version was known as the Social and Economic Mobility Classification), which prioritizes student success. The classification is intended to identify which American colleges and universities are providing access to students from lower socioeconomic and historically underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds to higher education and paths to earning competitive wages.

Bates ranked high in terms of its return on investment. Eight years after a student first enrolled at Bates — so typically, four years into being in the workplace — data shows that their median earnings are 68 percent above the median earnings of a comparison group of similar institutions. 

“Both these designations speak to the deep and rewarding experiences Bates has to offer to students,” said President Garry W. Jenkins. “We’re committed to our community and we’re giving our undergraduates meaningful educational experiences not just on our campus, but within the Lewiston-Auburn region we care about so much. They’re volunteering in public schools and museums. They’re consulting and conducting research in a wide range of areas, from sustainability to water quality and asbestos remediation, and studying the history and culture of this community.”

These community connections are not fleeting, Jenkins noted. “We see this reflected in how many Bates graduates stay in the state — a little more than 12 percent — or how they develop the habit of building community connections in their future neighborhoods and communities across the country and the world.”

“At Bates, we believe that students from all backgrounds should have access to the transformative power of education,” Jenkins added. “That is and always has been part of our mission. To know that their Bates education is helping graduates thrive in their careers is reason to celebrate.”