Leadership for Public Purpose Carnegie Classification

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching sponsors Elective Classifications for those institutions that have made extraordinary commitments to their public purpose. The Elective Classifications are managed on behalf of the Carnegie Foundation by an Elective Classification Central Office at the American Council on Education (ACE). In addition to the Elective Classifications, ACE administers the Carnegie Foundation’s all-inclusive Universal (Basic) Classification based on secondary analysis of existing national data.

The Carnegie Foundation’s Elective Classification in Leadership for Public Purpose is a way for Colleges and Universities in the US to gain recognition for institutionalizing the development of leadership abilities in all institutional stakeholders and the understanding of leadership as a public good. Campuses must apply for the classification which is offered every 2 years starting 2024.

As of 2022, the Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University, in partnership with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education (ACE), has established the Carnegie Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose.

ECU has a long history of identifying as “the leadership university” and taking leadership education seriously for all members of the campus community. With support from Chancellor Rogers, the ECU Division of Student Affairs will take the lead on applying for ECU’s inaugural Leadership for Public Purpose classification. ECU’s Carnegie team will be organized in Fall 2022 with the goal of submitting our classification application by December 2023. Campuses will be notified of their application status by Spring 2024.

Defining Leadership for Public Purpose

Effective leadership for public purpose transcends functional or instrumental leadership (i.e., personal career or political gain; or narrow business or organization outcomes), in pursuit of collective public goods like justice, equity, diversity, and liberty.

Leadership for public purpose can be manifest in all realms of social life such as private business, public and nonprofit institutions, neighborhood and community life, professional associations, civil and government institutions, and religious institutions.

Institutions that are committed to leadership for public purpose enhance the learning, teaching, and research mission of their institution by: developing leadership abilities in all institutional stakeholders; contributing to the public scholarly understanding of leadership as a public good, and understanding of the sociopolitical contexts, systems, and practices within which all leadership resides; and preparing students for lives of public leadership for public purpose in their careers, communities, and the broader society.

Team members:

Steven Asby, Academic Advising and Support
Angela Anderson, Academic Affairs
Steve Ballard, Truist Center for Leadership Development (co-chair)
Kathryn Slocum Carroll, College of Business
Elizabeth Coghill, Academic Success Center
Michael Daniels, Faculty Senate & School of Social Work
Jeffrey Dozier, Human Resources
Kristen Springer Dreyfus, Institutional Planning, Assessment & Research
Susan Eckert, School of Dental Medicine
Allison Flowers, Brody School of Medicine
Thompson Forbes, College of Nursing
Allen Guidry, Academic Affairs
John Howard, School of Communication
Lauren Howard, Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement
Toya Jacobs, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Beth Ketterman, Laupus Health Sciences Library
Chris Lysaght, Physical Therapy
Dionna Manning, College of Education
Dennis McCunney, Intercultural Affairs & Political Science (co-chair)
Nicole Messina, Military & Veterans Resource Center
Tijjani Mohammed, Technology Systems
Jonathan Morris, Political Science
Karson Nelson, Chancellor’s Office
Jeremy Tuchmayer, Student Affairs Assessment, Research and Planning
Lauren Thorn, Center for Student Success
Rob Weatherly, Human Resources
Stephanie Whaley, Admissions
Stephanie White, Athletics
Sarah Williams, Office for Faculty Excellence
Ying Zhou, Institutional Planning, Assessment & Research