Middle East Developments and Qatar Campus Operations
February 28, 2026
Dear Members of the Carnegie Mellon Community:
The last 12 hours have wrought another round of troubling conflict and uncertainty to the Middle East. As you鈥檝e likely heard by now, military action involving the United States, Israel and Iran has unfolded today, which has resulted in retaliatory strikes on several neighboring nations. This includes news reports of missiles being shot down in Doha, Qatar, where we maintain our CMU-Qatar campus.
At this time, we have received word that our students, faculty and staff in Doha remain unharmed, but are sheltering in place out of an abundance of caution, following a security alert from the U.S. Embassy in Qatar. We are in continual communication with members of our CMU-Q community to offer any support they may need. Rest assured that there is no indication of a specific threat to the CMU-Q campus at this time. Campus operations and classes will remain remote until further notice.
University leadership is in direct and regular communication with our external international security experts, the U.S. Embassy and other governmental entities to guide any necessary precautions and next steps. The United States maintains its largest military base in the region, the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which is situated roughly 15 miles from our CMU-Q campus.
Compassion is a cornerstone of the Carnegie Mellon community and we recognize that these developments across the Middle East have a direct impact on many who have personal ties to affected countries. The Division of Student Affairs offers that students may find helpful. Faculty and staff can find help through our . In addition, we have reminded deans and department leaders to consider academic support and accommodations where necessary as students return from the spring break and may be carrying the weight of this conflict.
As always, we are closely monitoring the developments and prioritizing the safety and well-being of our university community at every step.
Respectfully,
Jim Garrett
Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Daryl Weinert
Vice President for Operations