CMU Provost Appointed to Second Five-Year Term

Carnegie Mellon University President Farnam Jahanian(opens in new window) has announced the reappointment of James H. Garrett Jr.(opens in new window) to a second five-year term as provost and chief academic officer.

The renewal follows a thorough review conducted by the Provost Review Committee, which was led by co-chairs Roberta Klatzky, the Charles J. Queenan Jr. Professor of Psychology in the university’s Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences(opens in new window), and Board of Trustees member and College of Engineering(opens in new window) alumnus Erroll Davis. Nine faculty from across the university’s schools and colleges also served on the committee as well as trustee and Tepper School of Business(opens in new window) alumnus Darryl Britt.

As with past provost reviews, the committee solicited feedback from a wide range of CMU stakeholders and constituents, finding broad and enthusiastic support for both Garrett and the call for his reappointment. Direct outreach spanned faculty, staff, students and alumni, as well as representatives in the community, industry, government and philanthropic sectors. In addition, the committee gathered online submissions from members of the CMU community via a webpage dedicated to supporting the search. 

“I am grateful to the committee for conducting such a thorough and insightful review and wholeheartedly echo their support of Jim Garrett and his leadership across CMU’s schools, colleges, institutes and campuses,” Jahanian said.

The review shared resounding praise for Garrett’s unwavering integrity and unparalleled commitment to serving the CMU community, calling particular attention to his role in advancing and elevating the university’s academic mission during a pandemic. Garrett also was commended for his skillful navigation of academic freedom challenges and his successful turn as chair of the university’s Academic Freedom Commission(opens in new window) during his initial five-year term.  

Garrett’s transformative work has taken many forms, from his decision to raise doctoral student stipend minimums and invest in holistic Ph.D. support to his commitment to faculty recruitment, retention and promotion, as well as his increased support and resources for faculty mentoring and orientation. 

“It is also a vision that Provost Garrett is actively realizing — and promoting equitable access to — via the launch of initiatives such as the Tartan Scholars program(opens in new window), the Rales Fellows program(opens in new window) and the Student Academic Success Center(opens in new window),” Jahanian said. 

“Today, our faculty and students are achieving excellence in classrooms, labs, studios and on stage. Our alumni are driving transformative change in science, technology, business, the arts, public policy and government. The university’s capacity to change the world for good has never been greater,” Jahanian said. “And, buoyed by Provost Garrett’s steadfast leadership and inspiring vision, I’m looking forward to watching our Tartan community continue to raise the bar — and redefine what’s possible — over the next five years.”