For Engagement Directors | the NASCE, from SPARC

Starting where you are

We can skip the introduction

This page assumes you know the field. It is built to give you what you need to win an internal argument: the methodology detail that survives a skeptical read, the national numbers your institution would be measured against, the four arguments that actually move senior administrators, and answers to the two questions you will be asked in the first meeting.

The full methodology The national benchmark The rate card

Building the case

The four arguments that move a decision

These are the framings that have carried NASCE proposals through cabinets and budget committees. Take whichever fits your institution's current pressure.

Argument one

The Carnegie application needs evidence

The Elective Classification for Community Engagement asks institutions to document engagement rather than assert it, and the evidence requirement is where applications stall. Institutions have used NASCE data for exactly this, and for Campus Compact civic action plans.

We are being asked to document what we claim. This measures it, against ninety other institutions.

Argument two

We are making decisions without a baseline

Program investment in community engagement is usually argued from anecdote and hour counts. Area-level POP scores show which of the eight areas of need are strong and which are thin, which turns a budget conversation into an allocation conversation.

We cannot tell if we are improving, because we have never measured where we started.

Argument three

The mission statement is unverified

Nearly every institution claims a commitment to service and community. Very few can say what proportion of the possible engagement is actually happening. A president asked that question in a board meeting currently has no number to give.

If a trustee asks how we know, right now the answer is that we do not.

Argument four

Our peers are being measured

The comparative dataset holds 91 institutions across 28 states. Benchmarking is available by size, control, affiliation, and region, so the comparison is against institutions that resemble yours rather than a national average that flatters or punishes.

Schools like ours have a number. We should know ours before someone asks for it.

The first meeting

The two questions you will be asked

In our experience these come up before anything else, and having the answers ready is usually what keeps a proposal moving.

What does it cost?

Between $2,500 and $12,800 per administration for survey rounds contracted through December 31, 2026, and between $2,500 and $16,250 for rounds contracted from January 1, 2027, set by undergraduate enrollment and module count. The rate card is published, so you can bring an exact figure rather than a range. Every tier includes the full reporting package and the national benchmark.

What will it cost my staff?

Four things across an eleven-week schedule: a signed agreement, a customization form, a student email list, and sign-off on the survey. SPARC builds the instrument, sends every invitation, cleans and scores the data, and presents the results.

What your institution joins

The numbers to bring with you

If you are asked what the comparison base actually is, these are the current figures.

91,792Student responses

91Institutions

28States

21National median POP

Institutional POP scores range from 3 to 52. The middle half of benchmarked administrations falls between 16 and 26. A median of 21 sits in the Established tier.

Make the case upward