September 18, 2019
Dear Members of Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon Community:
I am excited to announce October 25, 2019, as the inaugural Tartan Community Day. This day is designed to bring together students, faculty, staff and alumni to take a break from business as usual and to connect, reflect, restore and have fun.
All classes will be canceled in Pittsburgh to allow the community to take part in a variety of not-to-be missed activities, including a fireside chat with one of our famous alumni, a presentation about lessons learned from Life@CMU and opportunities to join discussions about the CMU experience. There also will be a community picnic lunch, which is free for the entire campus, a showcase of Tartan talent with performances throughout the day, and plenty of other fun events and activities.
The Task Force on the CMU Experience was convened in 2016 to closely examine the Carnegie Mellon experience and take action to enhance a community in which all members can engage, build resilience and thrive. From the start, the Task Force recommended a day off focused on gathering the campus for reflection, engagement and fun. Celebratory days like Founders Day and the Presidential Inauguration galvanized the Task Force’s commitment to shape an annual tradition our entire campus community could adopt.
This summer the Task Force had its culminating retreat to transition their efforts to units across campus that will carry on this important work. A full report about the impact of the Task Force will be released in October with plans for how the university will sustain its commitment to enhancing the CMU experience.
I encourage everyone to participate and look forward to being present with all of you on October 25th as we look ahead to a CMU that continues to inspire our passion, build our ethic of care and leverage our community’s strengths.
Regards,
Jim Garrett
Provost
Thomas Lord Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering