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April 3, 2026

Dear Members of the Carnegie Mellon Community:

I am writing to share an update on the Tartan Scholars program as we advance our vision for its future and celebrate its continued excellence.

Carnegie Mellon is defined by the talent, resilience and ambition of our students. Among them, our Tartan Scholars represent the very best of this university. We built this program with a visionary purpose: to ensure students from under-resourced backgrounds have the support, community and opportunities they need to thrive at ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ and beyond. We are deeply proud of this work and of the students who continue to shape its legacy.

To support the program’s ongoing evolution, we want to ensure its structure remains as ambitious as the students it serves. Recent conversations with the Tartan Scholars community have informed this path, providing valuable insights into how we can further elevate the student experience. We are channeling this momentum into a renewed dedication to fostering an environment where belonging and academic excellence are equally championed. Carnegie Mellon continues to fuel this mission with significant financial, programmatic and human capital investments, because we believe in its transformative impact.

To lead this next chapter, I am pleased to announce that I have appointed Dr. Alaine M. Allen as interim associate vice provost for student access initiatives. Reporting to Vice Provost for Education Kate Barraclough, Dr. Allen will dedicate her primary focus to the Tartan Scholars program while continuing to support the College of Engineering as a strategic resource. I will work with Dr. Allen to launch a search for the program’s director and assistant director, which we intend to conduct over the summer.

With over 30 years of leadership in student access and a long history with Tartan Scholars, Dr. Allen’s expertise and established rapport with our students make her the ideal leader for this transition. In her interim role, she will collaborate with a dedicated group of ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ community members who are integrally connected to the program’s mission. This refined structure reinforces the deep bench of talent available to the program, ensuring our scholars are supported by a robust network of institutional leaders.

Carnegie Mellon’s strength has always come from our ability to listen, innovate and act with intention. I am confident that this new structure amplifies our capacity to support the Tartan Scholars program as it continues to reflect excellence and the future of our community.

Sincerely,

James H. Garrett Jr.
Provost and Chief Academic Officer