Update on the President’s Committee on International Engagements

Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,

I am writing today with an important update on the work of the President’s Committee on International Engagements.

As you may recall, I launched this committee in 2019 in response to expanded dialogue among our funding agencies and Congress about how best to protect U.S. economic and national security while maintaining global engagement in research and education. I asked Provost Jim Garrett and then-Vice President for Research Michael McQuade to serve as co-chairs and charged the committee with studying these issues and making recommendations to ensure our policies, processes and training support our core missions, facilitate international collaboration and comply with the evolving requirements of federal agencies. The full scope of the committee’s charge and a list of its members are available here.

I wish to underscore CMU’s unwavering commitment to academic freedom and to the free exchange of ideas in an inclusive and welcoming environment. These are bedrock principles that are core to our research and education missions and go hand in hand with our commitment to robust global engagement. Consider that so many of our societal challenges require an international lens, such as climate change, public health, cybersecurity and more. The work of this committee is intended to ensure we support our commitment to international collaboration while ensuring we comply with the law.

Despite a delay due to the impact of the pandemic and the leadership transition in the Office of the Vice President for Research, the committee has continued its important work and today I am pleased to share its final report, which outlines a set of principles to inform our international engagements as well as recommendations to guide and support these interactions moving forward. Among others, the committee’s recommendations include adjustments to internal processes and training to support faculty and staff pursuing international partnerships and interactions, updates to Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment disclosure requirements to align with prospective changes to federal regulations, and actions to continue advocacy and support for federal and internal CMU policies that facilitate robust international exchange and collaboration. Many of these recommendations are already being implemented and communicated to relevant units across campus.

The Office of the Vice President for Research has also launched a new website that makes it easy to access information and guidance relevant for our work with international partners. The site includes guidance for faculty and staff on getting prospective international engagements reviewed for approval, requesting support for international travel and other resources.

I would like to commend and thank Jim, Michael and the entire committee for their comprehensive work on this subject, especially through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The resulting information will provide vital guidance to our community as we continue pursuing our mission as a leading global research university. I also wish to thank Daryl Weinert, interim Vice President for Research, for advancing this effort while the search for the next Vice President for Research continues, and give special thanks to David Quinn, Assistant Vice President for Strategic Research Initiatives, for his operational insights and continuity throughout this work.

It is important to recognize that the federal compliance landscape that drives many of Carnegie Mellon’s policies and processes remains uncertain and evolving. It is likely that changes in federal requirements will have broad impacts on our academic community in both the research and teaching domains. With that in mind, the Provost and Vice President for Research are charged with continuing to engage with faculty and staff (and with the committee as needed) on the implementation of each of the committee’s recommendations, with particular attention to gaining input from relevant stakeholders. They will also inform our community of significant and impactful updates that may require changes to our processes and policies. I encourage you to provide your input when there is a desire to do so, and I ask for your attentiveness and flexibility as changes are communicated and implemented.

Carnegie Mellon continues to advocate for policies that support international engagement. We work directly with national policymakers and our colleagues at the Association of American Universities (AAU), the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), and the Council on Governmental Relations to advocate for policies that are clear, consistent and appropriately balance security with the core research and educational missions of CMU and its peers. Members of our leadership team, including our academic deans, are personally committed to this work, and I co-chair an AAU/APLU working group that has developed guiding principles and strategies related to foreign influence and research security.

As I stated in a previous communication to campus on this topic, academic research universities have been successful precisely because we welcome, train and collaborate with scholars from around the world. When we work collaboratively to advance ideas or innovations that improve the human condition, the entire world benefits. In this spirit, we remain committed to strengthening our position as a global university that encourages international collaboration while also safeguarding the national interest. We look forward to continuing to partner with you to maintain this commitment.

Sincerely,

Farnam Jahanian
President
Henry L. Hillman President’s Chair