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Community Engagement

Medical College of Wisconsin Office of Community Engagement

The Office of Community Engagement (OCE) at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is dedicated to leadership and excellence through community engagement and partnering with public and private organizations to enhance learning, research, patient care and the health of the community. Our office provides an overview of definitions, focus and strategy for MCW to further community engagement as one of its four missions. Join our email list

What is Community Engagement?

The MCW OCE utilizes the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching's definition:

Community Engagement is the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional, state, national, global) for mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity."

Office of Community Engagement Quick Links

  • Community Engagement Conference

    Annual conference putting focus on community-relevant topics while bringing together academic and community partners

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  • Community Engagement Resources

    Explore community engagement educational materials, models, definitions and online resources

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  • Community Engagement Poster Session

    Annual poster session featuring community engagement work by MCW students, staff, faculty, and academic and community collaborators

  • President's Community Engagement Award

    Recognizes the exemplary community-academic partnership, community-engaged research or community outreach activities of faculty, staff, students and/or community partners of MCW

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Community Engagement Recognition

As a leader in community engagement, the Medical College of Wisconsin has received the following recognition in relation to its community engagement programs and initiatives.

Carnegie Community Engagement Classification

MCW has received the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement (CE) Classification, a designation awarded by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to acknowledge an institution’s commitment to community engagement. MCW originally received the Carnegie CE Classification in 2015 and is currently one of only seven institutions nationwide to receive this prestigious honor specifically as an academic medical institution.

Learn more about the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification

Richard Guarasci Award for Institutional Transformation

The Richard Guarasci Award for Institutional Transformation recognizes institutions that have successfully implemented institution-wide efforts to address issues of public concern by aligning teaching, research, practice, and values in service of the common good. Recipients are institutions that have undertaken comprehensive efforts to advance the values articulated in Campus Compact’s 30th Anniversary Action Statement of Presidents and Chancellors. As a national leader in community engagement, the Medical College of Wisconsin was recognized for this award in 2020 for integrating engagement into research, education, and clinical care with the goal of advancing health policy and advocacy and addressing the social determinants of health. Through initiatives like the Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program and its extended community-engaged research, the Medical College of Wisconsin demonstrates a deep strategic commitment to community, embracing its responsibility as a place-based institution to address diverse health needs throughout Wisconsin.

Learn more about the Campus Compact Awards for Institutional Transformation

Spencer Foreman Award for Outstanding Community Engagement

The Spencer Foreman Award for Outstanding Community Engagement is presented annually to a U.S. AAMC-member medical school or teaching hospital with a long-standing, major institutional commitment to partnering with the community it serves to identify and address community needs. MCW was recognized as a top institution in Community Engagement and Community Service as a Finalist for the Spencer Foreman Award (each year there are two Finalists recognized along with the recipient). This award is one of the most prestigious given by the AAMC and MCW is the only medical school to have been recognized among the top three institutions for the award more than once in the past 11 years; MCW was the recipient of the Spencer Foreman Award for Outstanding Community Engagement in 2005.

Learn more about the AAMC Community Service Award

Connect with Us

There's more than one way to connect with us - join our email list for program news and event updates, or keep up with us on our socials!

General Inquiries

communityengagement@mcw.edu

Join our email list

Community Engagement Requests

submit request

Find or Post Volunteer Opportunities

Visit the Engagement Hub

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