About the Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose
The Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and the American Council on Education (ACE), partnered to establish the Carnegie Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose.
What Is 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 good, including justice, equity, diversity, and liberty.
Leadership for public purpose can manifest in all realms of society, such as private business, public and nonprofit institutions, neighborhood and community life, professional associations, civil and government institutions, and religious institutions.
Institutions can demonstrate leadership for public purpose and enhance their learning, teaching, and research missions by developing leadership abilities in all institutional stakeholders; contributing to the public scholarly understanding of leadership as a public good as well as of the sociopolitical contexts, systems, and practices that surround leadership; and preparing students for lives of leadership for public purpose in not only their careers and communities, but also within society.
2024 Cycle
The 2024 cycle is the inaugural year for the Carnegie Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose. Explore the pioneering campuses classified in 2024, see the national landscape of leadership development, and gain a sense of the institutions shaping our future leaders.
These are the classified campuses from the 2024 cycle:
- Arizona State University
- Boise State University
- California State University, Fresno
- Claremont McKenna College
- Creighton University
- East Carolina University
- Florida International University
- Fort Hays State University
- Gettysburg College
- James Madison University
- Miami Dade College
- Montclair State University
- Oklahoma State University
- Oral Roberts University
- Rice University
- Saint Peter’s University
- San Antonio College
- Simmons University
- University of Cincinnati
- University of Portland
- United States Coast Guard Academy
- United States Naval Academy
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
- Valparaiso University
- Wartburg College
History
In January 2020, the Doerr Institute of New Leaders hosted a working meeting of 30 scholars and practitioners from a broad range of institution types (as categorized by the Basic Classification) to draft an application framework for the new Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose that would be proposed to the Carnegie Foundation. This would follow the Community Engagement Classification with plans for additional elective classifications. During the two-and-a-half-day working meeting scholars and practitioners considered a variety of questions about leadership in higher education. This question was key:
What would an institution that is committed to leadership for public purpose look like, act like, and be like?
Throughout the two and a half days, attendees discussed the practices and principles that demonstrate a level of institutional commitment sufficient for an elective classification. The consortium did this by examining how leadership education, development, and research relate to the public purpose of higher education and how a classification can serve as a catalyst to sectorial improvement.
Meeting attendees agreed that leadership education and development is a core function of U.S. higher education and represents an applicable tangible skillset for furthering civil discourse and public good around the globe. A charrette process allowed participants to advance different perspectives about what might constitute evidence of an institution’s commitment to leadership for public purpose.
The Pilot Process
After concluding the working meeting, a first draft of the application framework was developed using the insights from the group and guidance from the Carnegie Foundation. The next phase of development involved gathering input and reflections on the initial draft from a broad range of stakeholders. After receiving feedback from more than 50 scholars and practitioners, a second draft of the framework was shared with and approved by the Carnegie Foundation.
Thirteen colleges and universities decided to participate in a pilot process in which institutions had to complete self-examinations and submit applications to be evaluated by a core team of reviewers. Nine of those institutions submitted applications. This process administered by the Doerr Institute provided insights into improvements needed for the application before its launch.
During the seven-month process, representatives from each campus discussed progress and challenges within the self-examination. The initial nine institutions together with the Doerr Institute of New Leaders at Rice University established a national cohort to discern the utility of the new framework in order to launch the first cycle.
Founding Institutions of the Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose
- Claremont McKenna College,
- Westminster College
- United States Coast Guard Academy
- Valparaiso University
- Simmons University
- Creighton University
- Fort Hays State University
- Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences
- University of Colorado Boulder
Contact Us
For more information, or if you have any questions, please email us at carnegieelectives@acenet.edu.