WEST CHESTER, PA — West Chester University ranked in the top 20% of large employers for community engagement in the 2026 Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia assessment, marking its fifth consecutive year of recognition for integrating volunteerism, institutional resources, and community partnerships into its operations.
The university received top-20% scores among employers with at least 500 employees in both integration and culture of community-mindedness and overall assessment benchmarks.
The recognition is administered through the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia in partnership with the Philadelphia Foundation, Points of Light, and other regional organizations.
The Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia identifies 50 employers across the region’s 11 counties based on their community engagement practices, including employee volunteering, charitable contributions, organizational culture, and planning and evaluation.
The assessment, conducted by True Impact, uses quantitative and multiple-choice responses to evaluate how participating organizations allocate resources, incorporate community engagement into operations, and measure results.
For West Chester University, the recognition reflects an institutional approach that incorporates service learning into academic coursework and maintains partnerships with organizations addressing community needs.
The university’s primary regional engagement efforts extend across Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Bucks, and Philadelphia counties. Service learning is also a central component of its Honors College.
“Through community-engaged learning, volunteerism, community partnerships, and initiatives that respond to community-identified needs, our campus community brings WCU’s mission to life by preparing students to contribute to the common good,” said Rita Patel Eng, senior director of the university’s Center for Community Engagement & Social Impact.
The regional recognition follows West Chester University’s receipt earlier this year of the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, a national elective designation recognizing colleges and universities that demonstrate institutional commitments to community engagement.
The Civic 50 program originated nationally in 2011 through Points of Light. Its Greater Philadelphia counterpart applies a similar assessment framework to employers across the region, including businesses, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and educational institutions.
West Chester University’s fifth consecutive inclusion places it among the region’s recognized employers for sustained community engagement practices, with its latest scores indicating performance in the highest fifth of participating large employers on the specified measures.
Support the local news that supports Chester County. MyChesCo delivers reliable, fact-based reporting and essential community resources—free for everyone. If you value that, click here to become a patron today.