November 9, 2016
Dear Members of the CMU Community,
The end of an emotional and provocative presidential election brought strong feelings to the surface today for many members of our community. Indeed, many of the issues that arose during the national campaign — race, gender, national identity, and the tone of our discourse, to name a few — have central importance on our campus, too.
For that reason, I think it is worthwhile to take this moment to reaffirm some of the university’s fundamental values. As we have said on many occasions, a diverse and inclusive community is the foundation for excellence in research, creativity, learning and human development. In order to achieve that diversity and fully include all members of our community, we must respect our different experiences, perspectives and identities, in all that we say and do.
That is an aspiration that cannot be attained by any single initiative. We make progress only if we all recommit ourselves daily to this goal, and take the widest variety of opportunities to live it out at Carnegie Mellon. By the same token, we will not be deterred from that aspiration by internal or external circumstances. Our values and culture are resilient.
We will continue to have many venues to discuss the challenges and opportunities we face, as a university community and a broader society. I am grateful for the tone and constructive intent of the conversations we have had during my time at CMU, and I look forward to building on the dedication so many of you have shown to building a better university and a better world.
Sincerely,
Subra Suresh
President
Henry L. Hillman President’s Chair
Carnegie Mellon University