Potsdam, N.Y. – September 22, 2026 -- Clarkson University has become one of only 14 institutions nationwide to earn the newly created Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability, following its participation in the 2025 pilot program that shaped the classification's framework.
Fourteen institutions defined the pilot cohort nationwide
Clarkson helped design the review process used to evaluate the classification, which assesses sustainability integration across research, education, community engagement and campus operations. The 14 pilot institutions will form the inaugural classified cohort, to be formally announced in June 2027, with the designation valid through 2033.
Research centers convert lab work into commercial startups
Clarkson's Institute for a Sustainable Environment coordinates sustainability work across the university, linking the Center of Excellence in Healthy Water Solutions, the Center for Air and Aquatic Resources Engineering and Science (CAARES), and the Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP). Research from the water solutions center has supported technologies to destroy PFAS and harmful algal blooms, while separate university research has examined alternative solvents for semiconductor manufacturing. That work has produced startup companies focused on environmental challenges, including PFAS treatment, and student-founded KLAW Industries, which developed a process to repurpose waste glass in concrete to cut waste and lower the material's carbon footprint.
North Country partnerships drove infrastructure funding wins
Clarkson faculty and students supported the Potsdam Climate Smart Communities Task Force and worked with the Village of Potsdam on stormwater infrastructure and flooding-risk assessments, contributing groundwork that helped the village secure outside funding for engineering projects. Through CAARES, Clarkson has maintained a decades-long partnership with the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe's Air Quality Program at Akwesasne, supporting indoor and outdoor air-quality monitoring. Students have also contributed sustainability planning data for the New York Olympic Region and worked with regional schools, municipalities, nonprofits and businesses on food waste and infrastructure projects.
Carnegie Foundation president praises pilot cohort leadership
"The first group of inaugural institutions help bring this new classification to life," said Timothy F.C. Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The classification is hosted by the University of Colorado Boulder in partnership with the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education.
Curriculum tied to the classification includes courses such as Climate Change for Engineers, Sustainable Infrastructure and Building, and Water Resources II, feeding directly into capstone projects and community-based research placements guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.