Our Updated Strategic Framework: The Persistent Pursuit of Excellence
April 24, 2025
Dear Members of the Carnegie Mellon University Community:
A decade ago, we came together as a university community to chart an ambitious course for the future through our Strategic Plan 2025. Grounded in our mission and values, and shaped by the input of faculty, students, staff, alumni and partners, our plan guided us through a transformative decade of growth. Today, we are excited to share the next chapter in that journey: an updated strategic framework to shape our persistent pursuit of excellence.
Rather than creating a time-bound plan from the ground up, our strategic framework takes our most important ongoing priorities from our previous strategic plan and elevates and recasts them for the landscape we are confronting today. This approach will support the transition to a more agile planning process, as we continue to respond to a range of pressures confronting higher education today.
Our strategic framework is anchored in four key priorities — each shaped by three goals identified as most essential to advancing CMU’s leadership, impact and competitive edge.
Shaping the Human-Centered Future of Education and Work
As the world transforms, so must the way we teach and learn. CMU will lead the evolution of education by embracing the power of AI and centering the human experience in every learning journey by:
1. Redefining learning outcomes and teaching excellence for an AI-powered era;
2. Developing emotionally intelligent, ethical and future-ready leaders; and
3. Fusing disciplines to impact society.
Expanding the Frontiers of Research and Creativity
Discovery and imagination drive progress. CMU is amplifying its research and creative enterprise by:
1. Shaping the impact of AI in service to humanity and discovery;
2. Nurturing a world-class research support system with best-in-class infrastructure and operations; and
3. Becoming the partner of choice for collaboration across global sectors and industries.
Fostering a Vibrant and Engaged Global Community
A thriving university begins with a connected and inclusive community. CMU is investing in a culture where everyone can thrive by:
1. Expanding opportunities for respectful dialogue, understanding, and creative connection;
2. Nurturing an engaged and resilient community through well-being and place-making; and
3. Promoting community engagement and service as central to the CMU experience.
Strengthening Institutional Agility and Resilience
To lead into the future, we must be prepared for it. CMU is deepening its long-term impact by:
1. Enhancing student access and affordability;
2. Incorporating sustainability across education, practice and research; and
3. Embracing agility and resilience by empowering people and aligning systems.
This framework, recently endorsed by our Board of Trustees, is the result of a collaborative process that engaged voices from across the university. Over the past year, faculty, staff, students, alumni and partners contributed insights through focus groups, surveys and dialogue. For a detailed understanding of this process, we invite you to read the white paper prepared by the Strategic Framework Update Steering Committee.
We are grateful to the committee co-chairs, Tricia O’Reilly, chief of staff to the president, and Becky Culyba, vice provost for strategic initiatives and chief of staff to the provost, for their thoughtful leadership in guiding this process, and to all who contributed to the analysis, reflection and collective vision that shaped this important work.
As the framework is implemented, a rigorous system of strategic indicators will allow us to track and monitor developments and opportunities. As we advance this work, the Strategic Framework website will continue to evolve to serve as a repository of our tactics, initiatives and achievements.
This moment marks more than a milestone — it’s an open invitation. We invite every member of our community to explore the framework, reflect on your role in shaping our future, and contribute your ideas, stories and feedback at excellence@andrew.cmu.edu. Our progress will be shared regularly through the Strategic Framework website, where we will highlight the many ways CMU continues to drive impact.
As we celebrate our 125th year, we do so with a renewed sense of purpose. This is an inflection point — for CMU, for higher education and for the world. Guided by our strategic vision and driven by our shared values, we are confident that we will rise to meet this moment and continue to lead with distinction in the decades to come.
Sincerely,
Farnam Jahanian
President
Henry L. Hillman President’s Chair
James H. Garrett Jr.
Provost and Chief Academic Officer