On Monday, Feb. 2, the University of Houston-Downtown community gathered to celebrate its recent 2015 Community Engagement Classification by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. UHD was the only institution in Houston and one of only five institutions in Texas to earn this designation in 2015. UHD received this prestigious honor due to its excellent, noteworthy community engagement efforts, as supported by the assessments, reports and publications presented with the institution's application.

University president Bill Flores hosted the event, beginning with opening remarks about the hard work and collaboration that was required to earn this prestigious honor. "This is your award. You put in the time, the effort to make this possible," he said to the audience of students, faculty, staff and community leaders.

Flores then invited individual representatives of UHD's many community partnerships to accept certificates of appreciation and offer remarks on their collaborations with the University. Among the organizations represented were the Texan French Alliance for the Arts, Harmony Public Schools, Avenue CDC, Houston Food Bank, Neighborhood Centers, House of Tiny Treasures, Volunteer Houston, Harris County Jail and Crockett Elementary.

Flores closed by thanking all attendees for their contributions - from volunteer projects to published works about high-impact experiences. "This is just one of the many steps in UHD's journey to being on the national stage as a premier city university known for serving its community," he said.