Carnegie Foundation classifies CSUMB as Research University

More than half of the institutions of the California State University system have received a new Carnegie designation known as “Research Colleges and Universities” or “RCU,” announced Feb. 13  by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. 

Cal State Monterey Bay is among them. 

According to Timothy F.C. Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation, the updates to the Carnegie Classifications are “the first step to bring a decades-old system into the 21st century” and signal their “recognition of the range of ways colleges and universities engage in research and development.” 

The new RCU category recognizes institutions that typically do not offer many or any doctoral degrees and spend at least $2.5 million on research on average in a single year (and are not in the R1 or R2 classifications).

“The new Carnegie Classifications of ‘Research Colleges and Universities’ properly recognizes the research of institutions like Cal State Monterey Bay that don’t offer doctoral degrees,” said CSUMB President Vanya Quiñones. “CSUMB has contributed important research advancements to the fields of agriculture, computing, water management, environmental science, teaching and education, marine science, and more. We are proud to be formally recognized for this work by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.”
 
The 12 CSU institutions receiving this new RCU designation include CSU Bakersfield, CSU Channel Islands, Chico State, CSU Dominguez Hills, Cal State East Bay, Cal Poly Humboldt, Cal State Monterey Bay, CSU Northridge, Cal State San Bernardino, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal State San Marcos and Sonoma State. 

“This new designation speaks to the quality of the scholarship of our faculty and the opportunities provided to our students both inside the classroom and through direct involvement in research projects,” said Andrew Lawson, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “We know these types of experiential learning opportunities are one of the things that drive social mobility for our students as they pursue higher education and career options.”
 
Additionally, eight CSU institutions are now included in the R2 category. This classification is assigned to universities that spend at least $5 million on research and development and award at least 20 research doctorates on average in a single year (and are not in the R1 classification). Cal State LA, Cal Poly Pomona, Sacramento State and San José State are new to the Carnegie R2 list this year. Additionally, San Diego State is now part of the Carnegie R1 category of institutions. 
 
“Congratulations to all of the CSU institutions recognized by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education,” said CSU Chancellor Mildred García. “These classifications underscore the CSU’s commitment to engaging our undergraduate students in applied research that lifts communities and addresses our state's most pressing challenges across fields of study – and they wonderfully reflect the CSU’s mission and core values.”