Democracy Day and Opportunities for Discourse at CMU

Monday, November 3, 2025

Dear Members of the Carnegie Mellon Community,

Carnegie Mellon has always been a place where people hold strong views, share ideas freely and learn from one another through open conversation. That’s one of the things that makes our community so vibrant.

At the same time, we reflect the broader society around us — with all its complexity, diversity and, at times, division. Polarization can make genuine dialogue more difficult, but it also makes our obligation to model respect, curiosity and compassion even more important. When we speak with care, listen openly and assume good intent, we strengthen the bonds that make Carnegie Mellon a vibrant academic community.

Two upcoming events offer meaningful ways to put these values into practice:

• Democracy Day: Tomorrow, Nov. 4, marks our third Democracy Day, which Carnegie Mellon observes in tandem with Election Day in the United States. Under the direction of Provost and Chief Academic Officer Jim Garrett, no classes will take place before 5 p.m., and the day’s programming — which is geared toward nurturing meaningful and constructive civic engagement — will be open to all students, faculty and staff.
• Deeper Conversations: This university-wide initiative aims to build bridges of understanding while navigating some of society’s most divisive and intractable issues. The next event on Nov. 20 — an examination of how law and policy influence U.S. universities — features Dr. Neal Hutchens, professor of educational policy studies and evaluation at the University of Kentucky, in conversation with Mary Jo Dively, CMU’s vice president and general counsel.

Looking ahead, we will continue to expand opportunities for engagement and dialogue. This spring, Deeper Conversations will continue its exploration of the role of universities in modern times and help our community engage across differences in new ways. We will pilot a small-group model that equips our community to consider multiple perspectives and navigate challenging conversations as part of a broader effort to embed curiosity and discourse into the culture of our campus. We plan to share more information on this programming in the near future.

We hope that you’ll join the ongoing effort to make CMU a place where rigorous ideas and genuine connection go hand in hand. Together, we continue to build a community defined by excellence in scholarship and by empathy, respect and integrity.

Warmly,

Farnam Jahanian
President
Henry L. Hillman President's Chair