December 10, 2019
Dear Faculty Colleagues:
After a very successful inaugural year with over 3,000 participants, I am excited to announce that next year Tartan Community Day will be held on October 16, 2020, and will be indicated on the forthcoming official academic calendar. This will be a day for our community of faculty, students and staff to make and strengthen connections among the CMU family; improve personal well-being and resilience; reflect upon personal and community values; and enjoy time together through celebratory fun. Therefore, it is my expectation that no academic classes or other academic engagements (e.g., exams, study session) be scheduled on this date.
I recently attended the December 3, 2019, Faculty Senate meeting to update senators on important information related to the 2020-21 academic calendar. I also shared with Faculty Senate that I am impaneling a committee to make recommendations to me regarding future academic calendars. I am grateful to Rebecca Nugent, the Stephen E. and Joyce Fienberg Professor in Statistics & Data Science, and Mark Stehlik, teaching professor in the School of Computer Science, for co-chairing this important committee. The committee will have representation from every school and college as well as representation from the Faculty Senate, Undergraduate Student Senate, the Graduate Student Assembly and staff from the central administration. The committee will make recommendations regarding: the future inclusion of Tartan Community Day into the academic calendar; faculty, student and staff concerns about the moratorium period; and future calendar and schedule innovations. Their work will begin early in the spring semester.
In collaboration with the University Registrar’s Office, the official 2020-21 academic calendar is now posted on the HUB’s website. In addition, the proposed and tentative academic calendars for 2021-22 and 2022-23 have been posted following the current calendar guidelines with a fall semester start date one week prior to Labor Day.
I wish you my best at the end of the fall 2019 semester. I am grateful for all that you do to contribute to the outstanding educational environment of Carnegie Mellon University.
Thank you,
Jim
James H. Garrett, Jr.
Provost
Thomas Lord Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering