Southern Miss Earns Repeat Carnegie Designation for Community Engagement

Mon, 01/12/2026 - 02:28pm | By: David Tisdale

The University of Southern Mississippi has again earned the nation’s top recognition for community engagement in higher education with the 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching recognized Southern Miss with the selective designation based on the work of its Center for Community Engagement (CCE) and multiple campus initiatives that partner with community stakeholders. Collectively, the university demonstrated exemplary institutionalized practices of community engagement, defined by the foundation as “reciprocal partnerships between campus and community members designed to serve a public purpose” and efforts that build “the capacity of individuals, groups, and organizations involved to understand and collaboratively address issues of public concern.”

The recognition includes service-learning courses, outreach programs, community-engaged research, workforce development initiatives and student programs that enhance civic learning.

The mission of the Southern Miss CCE is to coordinate “meaningful and mutually beneficial community engagement experiences to address university and community needs, effect positive social change and cultivate active citizen leaders.” Its programming includes a volunteer opportunity database; advisement on volunteer opportunities; support for community-engaged research among faculty and students; service-learning training and support; the Citizen Scholar distinction for students; and referrals and connections for community organizations.

Members of the Southern Miss Carnegie Reclassification Committee include committee chair Dr. Christy Kayser, director of the Center for Community Engagement; Dr. Wei Wang, provost fellow for institutional support for campus-community engagement and associate professor in the School of Marketing; Dr. Maria Wallace, associate professor of science education in the Center for STEM Education; Dr. Candice Salyers, associate professor of dance in the School of Visual and Performance Arts; Dr. Charkarra Anderson-Lewis, professor of public health in the Dr. Lynn Cook Hartwig Public Health Program; Dr. Ann Marie Kinnell, director of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Professional Development; and Dr. Gallayanee Yaoyuneyong, professor in the School of Marketing.

Kayser has worked in campus-community engagement since 2008 and was selected by the Carnegie Electives team in 2022 to serve as a trained consultant for institutions applying for the classification. Southern Miss has held the designation since 2010 and—with the most recent renewal—will retain the classification through 2032.

“When you look at the broad array of community engagement happening at Southern Miss, it’s really quite impressive,” Kayser said. “Our application included information about the Gulf Blue Initiative, the university’s impact on teaching and nursing shortages across the state, contributions to the local arts community, and thousands of hours of faculty and student service across individual initiatives.”

“The work of the CCE is to advocate and operate at an institutional level to ensure these activities are supported. The Carnegie Community Engagement writing team’s goal was to collect information about all these initiatives and craft a coherent narrative about our commitment to community impact.”

Southern Miss successfully demonstrated to the Carnegie Foundation that it not only has established community partnerships, but also the infrastructure and culture to sustain collaboration with community partners.

“This means we have established clear processes, incentives and accountability for community engagement work,” Kayser explained. “Each time we seek reclassification, we must demonstrate that our practices have improved since the last cycle, which sets an extremely high and challenging standard.”

“This distinction is a remarkable achievement and a testament to the amazing work of our campus and community partners who work together to address urgent societal challenges.”

Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Lance Nail said the recognition reflects both strong leadership and a campus-wide commitment to community engagement.

“This recognition is a testament to Dr. Kayser’s great work in building a network of faculty, staff, students and community partners to join campus and community in advancing positive social impact,” Nail said. “This is a proud achievement for our university and all those who made it possible.”

Southern Miss Associate Provost for Faculty Success Dr. Kelly Lester praised Kayser as “an incredible asset to the university as a facilitator, ambassador and expert in community engagement in academia,” noting her collaboration with “faculty, staff and community partners to build experiential learning opportunities that mutually benefit our students and community partners.”

“Dr. Kayser and our faculty writing team worked tirelessly on the reclassification report,” Lester continued. “They captured the heart of our community engagement programming with attention to potential areas of growth.”

Kayser noted that the Carnegie Community Engagement classification also serves as an incentive for institutions to self-assess their community engagement practices.

“It challenges us to look at what we’re actually doing to fulfill elements of our university mission, such as service to society and developing responsible citizens,” she explained. “Through this self-study, we learn about and set sights on how we can realize this mission more fully. Our most recent application process showed us areas where we excel, and areas that need improvement, and that will guide how we focus our attention going forward.”

Learn more about the mission of the Southern Miss Center for Community Engagement and its programming.