February 11, 2022
The National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education applauds the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education for their intent to adjust the Carnegie Classifications to better reflect the public purpose of higher education. The Carnegie Classifications have long served as measures of institutional prestige. The system now will serve as a more meaningful measure of student success with its new classification examining social and economic mobility and its broader emphasis on the diversity of higher education institutions.
Historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribal colleges, and other minority-serving institutions have long been shut out of the top rankings due to lack of resources. Yet they have persistently proven their track record for elevating opportunities for students and for advancing research of importance to our nation’s most marginalized communities. We are heartened that this institutional excellence will, at long last, be better recognized and rewarded by the Carnegie system, and we encourage policymakers and policy influencers to continue prioritizing and investing in these engines of economic mobility.
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The National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) is the preeminent voice for chief diversity officers. As the leader of the national conversation on diversity, equity, and inclusion, it investigates, influences, and innovates to transform higher education so that inclusive excellence lives at its core.