Parental Accommodations for Doctoral Students
Dear Carnegie Mellon Doctoral Students:
We are delighted to announce a Parental Accommodation Program developed in partnership with the Graduate Student Assembly. This new program will go into effect on January 1, 2023, and offers qualifying doctoral students:
- Up to four weeks of parental accommodation, assuring time away from program and full stipend continuation;
- Parental accommodation that can be used within six months of the birth or placement of a child through adoption, foster care or legal guardianship;
- Eligibility for birth parents to utilize both gestational and parental accommodations;
- Consultations with dedicated advisors in the Office of the Dean of Students and Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs to assist in navigating the planning process; and
- Guidance from the Office of International Education (OIE) to international students relevant to their immigration status.
The Parental Accommodation Program builds on our existing Accommodation Protocol for Student Gestational Parents and will give all fully enrolled, stipend-supported, Ph.D. student parents time away from their academic responsibilities with continued stipend support. This program expansion builds on strategic investments made by the university to advance the holistic graduate student experience. In March 2022, we announced that for qualifying doctoral students, the university would support 100% of individual premium costs for coverage through the Student Healthcare Insurance Program (SHIP), affirmed annual time-away-from-program to encourage well-being and balance and established a $2,250/month minimum monthly stipend.
Providing holistic student support is a top priority at Carnegie Mellon. As a university, we continue to evaluate existing doctoral support and identify opportunities to expand and improve upon it. We look forward to working with university and student leadership to implement strategies and resources that ensure a supportive and inclusive environment for everyone.
We are grateful for the continued leadership of Vice Provost for Education Amy Burkert, Associate Vice President for Community Standards and Diversity Initiatives Holly Hippensteel, the Holistic Support Working Group and the Graduate Student Assembly for their work to advance this program. We also thank the academic deans for fully supporting this expanded parental accommodation program and their ongoing commitment to the graduate student experience.
Sincerely,
Jim Garrett
Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Gina Casalegno
Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students