CMU leader says school wants to be on ‘right side of history’
Carnegie Mellon University will add student orientation sessions starting next month on “civility, bias, inclusion and anti-racism,” while all or parts of other future for-credit courses will also address antisexism and cultural sensitivity.
They are among about three dozen commitments outlined by CMU on Thursday as it became the latest Pittsburgh-area research university to announce initiatives on social justice and diversity — topics at the forefront nationally amid the Black Lives Matter movement.
In an email to students and employees, CMU President Farnam Jahanian outlined the efforts, some with more specific goals attached than others. They stretch from the classroom to the campus police, who will be required to wear body cameras starting this fall.
“As we witness our nation confronting the legacy of racial injustice, we are committed to ensuring that Carnegie Mellon stands on the right side of history,” Mr. Jahanian said.
He said efforts will extend to research training and funding for programmatic endeavors, including what he called a new “Center for African American Urban Studies and the Economy.”
Mr. Jahanian pledged greater efforts to attract students from Pittsburgh Public Schools, as well as students from lower-income households. He said financial aid and admissions policies will be re-examined.
Asian, white and nonresident alien students comprised 31%, 27% and 18% of undergraduates, respectively, at CMU in 2018, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Department of Education. Hispanic/Latino and Black students comprise 9% and
4% of that total.
Female enrollment has increased in recent years at Carnegie Mellon. It stands at 49% of the student population, the government reported.
In addition to national issues of systemic racism and inequities being aired nationally, Carnegie Mellon has faced its own controversies, including fallout in February from a map it created for prospective students and families that omitted largely African American neighborhoods near campus and, more recently, controversy over the naming of former U.S. Ambassador Richard Grenell as a senior fellow.
Neither campus issue was directly mentioned by Mr. Jahanian on Thursday, and CMU spokesman Jason Maderer called the efforts announced Thursday strategic ones that began before either situation.
Nevertheless, Mr. Jahanian said: “The past several weeks, we have heard from faculty, students, staff and alumni through emails, petitions, and conversations. We are grateful for all of your suggestions.
“Too many stories highlighted that the pain associated with systemic racism and structural barriers to access and opportunity in our society has only been heightened by times when CMU has not served its community better, and for that,” he wrote, “I am truly sorry. I acknowledge we need to do more and, like so many of you, we seek to respond and hold ourselves accountable to this individual and collective call to action.”
In recent weeks, the University of Pittsburgh and West Virginia University have issued their own plans to reexamine issues of inclusion and social justice. WVU officials said they will add diversity to their board of trustees, currently all white.
At Carnegie Mellon, short-term goals are to be implemented for this fall, including the orientation sessions and campus police cameras. Mediumrange goals — such as hiring a vice provost for diversity, equity and inclusion — will take place within the academic year. Others, like diversifying faculty, will stretch over several years, Mr.
Maderer said.
Of the admissions and financial-aid reviews, Mr. Jahanian said, “The goal of this work is to formulate a set of strategies and actions for recruiting more talented students from underserved communities, with a special focus on students from Pittsburgh area public schools.”
Carnegie Mellon already has said it will make standardized testing optional for one year, removing the requirement for fall 2021 applicants. He said a determination must be made on the efficacy of those tests, “taking into account mounting evidence that these testing practices only perpetuate racial bias in admissions across higher education.”
Mr. Jahanian said the university “will double the capacity of the Tartan Scholars” program — for high-achieving, low-income first-year students — which offers academic and other campus support to promote success.
He did not specify the program’s current scope. However, Mr. Maderer said the 50 students receiving full scholarships under the program will be doubled to 100.
Bill Schackner: bschackner@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1977 and on Twitter: @Bschackner