Unity College Receives Updated Classification from Prestigious Carnegie Commission
February 23, 2022
Unity Now Recognized as Master’s Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Unity College has announced the Carnegie Commission has reclassified the institution as a Master’s Colleges & Universities: Small Programs. This is a significant change from the college’s former classification as a baccalaureate college.
President of the Unity College Enterprise, Dr. Erika Latty, says, “The new classifications provide a more accurate picture of Unity College today and validates our lasting commitment to the progress we have made in recent years to diversify our offerings and the learners we serve.”
“America’s Environmental College is no longer exclusively a small, liberal arts college in Central Maine. We have become a multifaceted institution that supports a variety of educational delivery methods.” Said Unity College President Dr. Melik Peter Khoury.
The Unity College Enterprise operates multiple Sustainable Educational Business Units, which range from high residency programs, to completely online programs, and everything in between. Each unit uses a specific modality to best deliver Unity’s world class environmental science education.
- Distance Education: Offers asynchronous remote learning.
- Hybrid Learning: A high residency program with online course options.
- Sustainable Ventures: Revenue generating businesses that provide a real-world manifestation of our curriculum.
- Technical Institute for Environmental Professions: In-person and online learning offering associates degrees and certificates.
Moving forward, Unity will look to add more competencies as the institution widens the audiences it serves in this ever-changing world. With each term, Unity continues to break enrollment records, which is a critical step in the fight against the on-going climate crisis.
“As Unity College continues to receive generous, philanthropic donations from those who support our mission – we are able to accelerate our ability to graduate an increasing number of culturally competent, well-rounded, environmental stewards.” Said Dr. Khoury.
College leadership expects the Carnegie Commission to upgrade the current classification once again in coming years, as Unity continues to grow in an effort to best meet student needs.
About the Carnegie Classification®
The Carnegie Classification® has been the leading framework for recognizing and describing institutional diversity in U.S. higher education for the past four and a half decades. Starting in 1970, the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education developed a classification of colleges and universities to support its program of research and policy analysis. Derived from empirical data on colleges and universities, the Carnegie Classification was originally published in 1973, and subsequently updated in 1976, 1987, 1994, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2018 and 2021 to reflect changes among colleges and universities. This framework has been widely used in the study of higher education, both as a way to represent and control for institutional differences, and also in the design of research studies to ensure adequate representation of sampled institutions, students, or faculty.
