Student Success & Advising at Dietrich College
As a humanities and social sciences student at Carnegie Mellon, you have access to a dedicated team of advisors and essential student success resources.
Dietrich College's student success team is here to help you navigate college-wide and department-level programs and resources, inlcuding the General Education Program, senior honors programs, student defined majors, upper level courses, research opportunities and more. Never hesitate to reach out to us for advice and support!
Academic Advising
At Dietrich College for Humanities and Social Sciences, we're committed to providing holistic advising for all students.
Dietrich College advisors are dedicated to meeting students where they are. We provide individualized support and counsel on your academic, professional and personal journey by connecting you with resources across campus, explaining major, minor and general education requirements, and challenging you to venture outside your comfort zones to explore new learning opportunities at Carnegie Mellon and beyond.
Undeclared first-year students are assigned an academic advisor from the Dietrich Success Center (DSC) upon matriculation. Advisors in the DSC are experts at supporting students, beginning with summer onboarding to prepare you for the transition from high school to college and continuing to provide guidance through to major declaration.
After major declaration, you will be assigned to an advisor in a department who can assist you in identifying additional opportunities in your major, facilitate connections with faculty and ensure graduation requirements are met.
Meet the Dietrich College Advisors
Student Success Resources
We believe student success goes beyond academic advising.
In addition to helping you navigate academic options and requirements, the student success team is here to connect you with valuable experiential learning opportunities and help cultivate a sense of belonging and inclusiveness among Dietrich College students.
Experiential Learning
Our team of experts is here to connect you with experiential learning opportunities like internships, community engagement programs, undergraduate research and study abroad.
Belonging: Dietrich Day & VOICES
Every spring, the DSC organizes Dietrich Day. Dietrich College students are invited to gather for food, games, prizes and a celebration of our college community.
Dietrich VOICES is a program that seeks to celebrate and foster community among Dietrich College students, faculty and staff, particularly first-generation, low-income and other historically underrepresented backgrounds in higher education.
Keep an eye on the Dietrich College calendar to find Dietrich Day and VOICES events!
Meet the Student Success Leadership Team
Andrew Ramey
Andrew RameyDirector of Advising for Dietrich College
What Andrew Does
Andrew is the director of advising for Dietrich College, but he started his journey at Carnegie Mellon University in 2009 as a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in the Department of History, which he earned in 2015. After working for a few years, he got to come full circle in 2017, when he returned to the History Department to advise undergraduate history majors.
Advising, supporting, and mentoring students is one of Andrew's great passions. In 2023, he won the university's Academic Advising Award for outstanding contributions to advising and mentoring. The greatest satisfaction in his job is helping students achieve their goals at CMU and beyond.
In addition to advising, Andrew has taught a number of history courses over the years and published research on environmental history and politics in a peer-reviewed volume on nuclear energy policy. He has been invited to present his work at numerous national and regional conferences, including a public keynote address on Earth Day about environmentalism, U.S. politics and the Chesapeake Bay.
Kim Piatt
Director of Experiential Learning
What Kim Does
Kim is responsible for supporting student success through experiential learning activities. She provides oversight to the Pittsburgh Summer Internship Program, Dietrich College Community Engagement Fellowship and the General Education Experiential Learning requirement. Additionally, she serves as a resource for students seeking to participate in internships, undergraduate research, community engaged learning and study abroad. She strives to ensure that every Dietrich College student has access to these experiences, funding to support engagement, and opportunities to thoughtfully reflect.
Kelli Lammie Maxwell
Associate Dean of Student Success
What Kelli Does
Kelli is in charge of the college's programs for holistic student advising, academic support and experiential learning. She works to ensure students have access to the resources and opportunities they need in order to achieve their goals and be successful in Dietrich College. Kelli also leads undergraduate initiatives designed to ensure students feel welcomed and supported in Dietrich College, such as the Dietrich Voices program, the DISCUSS first-year seminars and the Student Advisory Board. Kelli also serves as the college's liaison to the university's efforts in student success and student affairs, working with colleagues across the campus on university-wide initiatives that impact the success of all CMU students.