Launching the PAB on Student Well-Being, Mental Health and the Academic Experience

Thursday, October 30, 2025

Dear Members of the Carnegie Mellon Community,

At CMU, we believe that a healthy mind, body and spirit form the foundation for lifelong success — personally, professionally and academically. This belief is reaffirmed in our recent Strategic Framework, which emphasizes our commitment to nurturing a vibrant, engaged community where every individual can thrive.

We have made significant investments in recent years to enhance student well-being, strengthen academic advising and expand access to mental health services. Much of this progress over the past decade has been supported by recommendations from the President’s Advisory Boards (PAB), which provide independent expertise to help advance our mission.

The recommendations of the PABs on the CMU Experience convened in 2016 and 2019 as well as the 2016 Task Force on the CMU Experience, for example, led to doubling the capacity of CMU’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS) over five years. In addition, they helped to shape the launch of the Student Support Resources team, offering support and expertise for students navigating any of a wide range of life events. Recognizing that supporting student success requires a campus-wide effort, we also expanded evidence-based training opportunities for faculty, staff and students to recognize distress, foster resilience and promote a culture of care. Provost Garrett will share more details soon about an enhanced approach to our professional development training that helps faculty recognize and support students in distress. Additional investments are focused on holistic advising and academic support, such as the launch of the Student Academic Success Center and expanding the Office of Disability Resources.

While we have made meaningful progress, this work is ongoing and never complete. Supporting student well-being and success is a complex and evolving challenge — one that requires humility, reflection and a culture of continuous improvement. True excellence demands that we regularly assess our practices, learn from both experience and evidence, and adapt to meet the changing needs of our students.

With that spirit, today we are launching a President's Advisory Board on Student Well-Being, Mental Health and the Academic Experience. This initiative will examine the intersection of students’ academic experiences and the university services, resources, and support structures that promote their holistic well-being and success. The PAB’s charge is to help us understand how these vital areas intersect and to recommend ways to better align our academic and well-being networks so that students experience seamless, coordinated support throughout their CMU journey.

The new PAB brings together distinguished experts from across the country to provide external, independent insight and actionable recommendations. Engaging these national leaders allows us to benchmark CMU’s efforts against best practices in higher education and mental health — and to ensure we are not only meeting those standards but striving to exceed them.

I am grateful to the incoming co-chairs, John Dunkle, a nationally recognized leader in campus mental health, and Laura Lee McIntyre, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Michigan State University and a psychologist by training.

The PAB’s work will be guided by Gina Casalegno, dean of students and vice president for student affairs, and Jim Garrett, provost and chief academic officer. Additionally, two members of our CMU Board of Trustees, Anne Molloy and Jewell Parker Rhodes, have generously agreed to lend their expertise to this PAB. I invite you to read my complete charge and the full list of members, representing a broad range of expertise and perspectives.

The Presidential Advisory Board will conduct its assessment through a comprehensive and well-supported review process, drawing on detailed background materials, data analyses and insights from the campus community. This work will include interviews and focus groups to ensure a rich understanding of the CMU experience. The process will culminate in an in-person visit, during which the Board will engage directly with students, faculty and staff. Once this process is complete, I will share a summary of the PAB’s findings with the campus community, along with information on the implementation of its recommendations.

The creation of this PAB reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting the whole student — academically, emotionally and personally. In a world of constant connectivity, rapid change and increasing pressures, the need to identify and reach students in need demands our continued focus. I am deeply grateful to everyone across our community who works each day to uphold that commitment with compassion, vigilance and care. Together, we will continue to strengthen a campus culture where every student feels seen, supported and empowered to thrive.

Sincerely, 
Farnam Jahanian
President
Henry L. Hillman President's Chair