Pima Community College, University of Arizona, Tohono O’odham Community College Get Carnegie Sustainability Classification
Three Southern Arizona schools – Pima Community College, University of Arizona and Tohono O’odham Community College – have earned the new Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability.
They are among the first 14 institutions in the nation to receive the classification.
The classification recognizes higher education institutions that demonstrate how sustainability is integrated across areas including curriculum, research, operations, career preparation and community engagement.
The Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability is hosted by the University of Colorado Boulder, working alongside the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education. The classification provides a framework for institutions to assess and advance sustainability efforts across their academic missions and operations.
“The first group of inaugural institutions help bring this new classification to life,” said Timothy F.C. Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. “We’re proud to recognize their leadership and the many ways they are advancing sustainability across their campuses and communities.”
The 14 pilot institutions receiving the classification are:
- Bennett College
- Carleton College
- Clarkson University
- George Mason University
- Mt. San Antonio College
- Pima Community College
- Tohono O’odham Community College
- Universidad del Sagrado Corazón
- University of Arizona
- University of California, Merced
- University of Idaho
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire
The 14 institutions will be part of the inaugural cohort of classified institutions, which will be announced in June 2027 alongside institutions participating in the first full classification cycle. Institutions receiving the Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability will retain the classification for six years, through 2033.
Image courtesy University of Arizona
