December 19, 2019
Dear Faculty and Staff Members of Carnegie Mellon:
As promised, we are sharing an update on the recent progress of a number of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts as the fall semester ends.
First, through the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty, I shared additional information and expectations for implementation and accountability for To Serve and To Shine. The guidelines are designed to prevent overly burdening women and racially underrepresented faculty with service while at the same time providing increased consideration for recognition for prestigious opportunities.
Second, in response to requests from faculty, we also announced the organization of a centralized location to find and publicize faculty-organized Affinity Groups to build a stronger sense of belonging amongst our faculty members.
Finally, since the diversity, equity and inclusion implementation steering committee put out a call last month for volunteers, more than 120 faculty and staff have offered their time and expertise. Because of the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion to the culture at Carnegie Mellon, I am incredibly pleased with this response and grateful to all who have responded.
We have identified leads for each of the university commitments that President Jahanian cited in his November 8 email. Each of these important commitments is unique and some of these commitments already have work underway, so leads will develop a tailored approach to convene and engage with campus starting in the spring semester.
University commitments and leads:
- Develop a diversity, equity and inclusion office under the provost
Leads: Provost Jim Garrett and Linda Babcock, head of social and decision sciences - Create a Target of Opportunity Fund to support recruitment and retention
Leads: Provost Jim Garrett and Linda Babcock, head of social and decision sciences - Develop five-year strategic equity, diversity and inclusion plans for academic and administrative units
Lead for academic plans: Provost Jim Garrett
Leads for administrative units: Daryl Weinert, chief of staff and vice president for strategic initiatives, and Michelle Piekutowski, associate vice president for human resources - Develop and improve policies and processes for faculty, staff and leadership searches, service, awards and recognitions
Leads: Jeanne VanBriesen, vice provost for faculty, and Michelle Piekutowski, associate vice president for human resources - Improve awareness programming and training related to diversity and inclusion
Leads: Michelle Piekutowski, associate vice president for human resources, and Jeanne VanBriesen, vice provost for faculty - Improve communication related to diversity, equity and inclusion activities
Lead: Key Nuttall, vice president for marketing and communications - Expand staff and faculty leadership development
Leads: Jeanne VanBriesen, vice provost for faculty, and Michelle Piekutowski, associate vice president for human resources - Increase and sustain investment in student success and experience
Leads: Gina Casalegno, vice president for student affairs and dean of students, and Amy Burkert, vice provost for education
In addition, I am excited to report that Dr. Damon A. Williams will consult on developing our plans for designing the diversity, equity and inclusion office and the target of opportunity fund. Dr. Williams is one of the nation’s recognized experts in strategic diversity leadership, youth development, corporate responsibility, educational achievement, social impact and organizational change. Dr. Williams completed an Inclusive Excellency residency at CMU this past June and provided support to the academic units during the development of their five-year strategic equity, diversity and inclusion plans.
As we continue to move from the Campus Climate Task Force to the implementation of recommendations phase, co-chairs David Danks, professor of philosophy and psychology and department head in philosophy, and Jodi Forlizzi, professor and director of the Human-Computer Interaction Institute, will be returning to their teaching and research efforts. Please join me in thanking them for their incredible dedication in getting this effort underway.
I’m looking forward to beginning year two of my tenure as provost and sharing our progress on these initiatives in the new year.
Sincerely,
James H. Garrett, Jr.
Provost
Thomas Lord Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
OFFICE: 612 Warner Hall
PHONE: (412) 268-3260
EMAIL: garrett@cmu.edu
@CMUProvost
PRONOUNS: he, him, his