Carnegie Mellon University this weekend welcomed approximately 1,670 first-year students to campus with words of encouragement and support, and a preview of what the next four years hold.
In a speech to new students and their families Sunday morning, Carnegie Mellon Interim President Farnam Jahanian said CMU has seen near-record enrollment of female students across each of its schools and colleges, and for the first time in university history, more than half of the students are women.
CMU is exceptionally multicultural and multinational, Jahanian said — the Class of 2021 includes students from 45 states and 27 nations — and the university's commitment to inclusion is a core value.
"Here at Carnegie Mellon, we all bear responsibility for ensuring that this university is diverse, inclusive and welcoming. You need to help us nurture that culture," Jahanian said, as he reflected upon recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia. "When we recruit diverse perspectives and ideas to our community, help people from all walks of life succeed, and consider ideas from across the spectrum in a culture of civil discourse — we all win."