cmu’s NEWS SOURCE FOR FACULTY & STAFF 5/13 ISSUE Elite Distinction Cohon, Epple, Just and Shreve Named University Thank You! Professors As I approach the end of my 16 years as president of Carnegie Mellon, I write to thank you, the university community, for giving me the privilege of serving in this position and for your support n Piper Staff over these many years. It truly is a privilege to be the president of CMU. Globally regarded as one of the best universities Carnegie Mellon President Jared L. in the world, Carnegie Mellon’s president is respected simply for having the title. Cohon and three professors, Dennis Epple, Marcel Just and Steven E. Shreve, True story: Being the modest person that I am, I almost never tell strangers what my position is; it sounds to me too much like bragging. But, I make an exception whenever I go through Passport have received the elite distinction of Control at airports (which is often). The conversation usually goes: University Professor, the highest academic accolade a faculty member Immigration Agent (looking at my form): “I see you traveled on business. can achieve at Carnegie Mellon. What was the nature of your business?” Me: “I was visiting our alumni and academic programs. I am the President of The rank of University Professor Carnegie Mellon University.” recognizes a faculty member for rep- Agent: “Oh! That’s a great school. Welcome home!” resenting the intellectual leadership of The university has made progress in many ways during my time here. Inevitably, the growth and Carnegie Mellon through their expertise innovations of the last 16 years will be associated with the “Cohon Era.” I cringe when I hear and accomplishments in their respective people use the term because all of the great things that have happened here have been the result of your superb efforts, not mine. Our reputation and impact are the result of the brilliance, creativ- fi elds of study. ity, hard work and devotion of the 18,000 faculty, staff and students and the accomplishments of the more than 92,000 alumni who comprise the Carnegie Mellon community. Even after 16 years, I am still amazed by the Jared L. Cohon pathbreaking research you do, and thrilled by the art you create and perform. And, I am enormously proud of the rich educational experiences you provide and our contributions to our communities. I am proud, too, of our Cohon will be stepping down as CMU’s collaborative, can-do culture in which each of us feels respected and supported. eighth president on June 30 after leading Of the thousands of people who have contributed to our success, I must single out the deans and directors for the university to unparalleled growth their excellent leadership of our colleges and non-academic units. We purposefully operate in a decentralized during the past 16 years. manner, putting resources and authority in the hands of these key people. I like to think that CMU is more “While Jerry’s presidential contribu- than the sum of its parts, but the parts have to be excellent if the whole is to be. tions are fully appreciated by university I have had the great good fortune to work every day, closely and collaboratively, with the Management Team: professors and the entire university com- Mark Kamlet, Executive Vice President and Provost; Vice President and General Counsel Mary Jo Dively; munity, this prestigious honor is based Cheri Hays, Secretary of the Board of Trustees and Director of the President’s Offi ce; Vice President of on his truly exceptional scholarly and University Advancement Robbee Kosak; and, Vice President for Campus Affairs Michael Murphy. They are a wonderful group and the best at what they do that Carnegie Mellon has ever seen. The six of us are supported professional accomplishments outside by a terrifi c group of assistants – my thanks to the 6th Floor Crew and, for my personal sanity, Cathy Light, of and on top of his presidency,” said who has gone to amazing lengths to keep me on time and out of trouble. Provost and Executive Vice President Being the leader of this outstanding community has been an enormous honor. My wife, Maureen, who has been Mark S. Kamlet. a great “First Lady” and my life partner, joins me in saying THANK YOU and in wishing you all the best. A member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Acad- emy of Arts and Sciences, Cohon was elected chair of the Executive Committee of the Association of American Univer- sities in 2010. In 2011, he received the National Engineering Award from the American Association of Engineering Societies. Cohon is an expert on environmen- GIGLIO PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO BY HARRY tal and water resource systems analy- sis, a fi eld that combines engineering, economics and applied mathematics. He has worked on water resource problems in the United States, South America and Read about Carnegie Asia and on energy facility siting, includ- Mellon’s 116th ing nuclear waste shipping and storage. Commencement He is president of the Center for Sustain- activities in a special able Shale Development and chairman of pullout section. the ALCOSAN Regionalization Review Panel, a committee that provides recom- pages 5-8 C ONTINUED ON PAGE TWO O NE Cohon, Epple, Just and Shreve Named University Professors C ONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE J ARED L . C OHON D ENNIS E PPLE M ARCEL J UST S TEVE E . S HREVE mendations to improve water quality in Task Force. Marcel Just Steve E. Shreve Allegheny County. After a sabbatical, Cohon will join Just is the D. O. Hebb Professor of Shreve, the Orion Hoch Professor of Prior to coming to CMU, Cohon the CMU departments of Civil and Envi- Psychology and director of CMU’s Mathematical Sciences, has been a was dean of the School of Forestry & ronmental Engineering and Engineering brain-imaging facility and the Center for member of the Carnegie Mellon faculty Environmental Studies at Yale University and Public Policy. Cognitive Brain Imaging. since 1980. from 1992 to 1997. His career started in “Marcel Just is one of the leading Working with students and col- Dennis Epple 1973 at Johns Hopkins University, where researchers in the fi eld of brain science,” leagues, including Dietrich College of he enjoyed a 19-year tenure as a faculty Epple is the Thomas Lord Professor of said John Lehoczky, dean of the Dietrich Humanities and Social Sciences Dean member in the Department of Geogra- Economics at the Tepper School of Busi- College of Humanities and Social Sci- John Lehoczky, Shreve has played a key phy and Environmental Engineering. ness and head of the economics program. ences. “His research has had tremendous role in laying the foundations for the He also served as assistant and associate “Dennis is clearly one of the leading impact on the use of brain imaging to modern mathematical theory of optimal dean of Engineering and vice provost for public economists of his generation and gain an understanding of human cogni- portfolio construction in the presence of Research at Johns Hopkins. his body of research exemplifi es the in- tion and important societal issues such market uncertainty, work that has built on President Bill Clinton appointed terdisciplinary spirit at Carnegie Mellon. as autism and dyslexia. I am sure that he that of Nobel Laureate Robert Merton. He Cohon to the Nuclear Waste Technical Combining the principles of economics will continue to have a major impact in has become internationally recognized for Review Board in 1995 and named him with other fi elds such as organizational the years to come.” this and his other work in mathematics chairman in 1997. In 2002, President behavior, operations research and politi- Just is a renowned neuroscientist applied to fi nance, including the develop- George W. Bush named Cohon to the cal science, he has expanded our ability who focuses on how language compre- ment of models for pricing exotic deriva- Homeland Security Advisory Council, to make quantitative assessments of hension and problem-solving emerge tive securities and convertible bonds. and in 2009, President Barack Obama policy where previously only qualitative from brain processes. He has contributed “Steve Shreve is among the top math- reappointed him. He has served as chair- assessments were feasible,” said Robert to understanding reading comprehension, ematical fi nance researchers in the world,” man of the council’s Academe, Policy M. Dammon, dean of the Tepper School autism, dyslexia, multi-tasking and said Fred Gilman, dean of the Mellon & Research Senior Advisory Committee of Business. computational modeling. College of Science. “While his research and was named vice chair of the Advisory “In addition to the quality of his Just’s eye-fi xation research pro- accomplishments alone would make Council’s Sustainability and Effi ciency research, Dennis is also an exceptional duced a major theory of reading. Recent- him worthy of being named a University teacher. He demonstrates a passion for ly, he developed a prominent explanation Professor, he has contributed even more his fi eld and commitment to making sure for autism, proposing that compromised by bringing his expertise to the classroom. that his work is understood by others and communication between the frontal cor- His dedication to the mathematical and that his students learn how to apply tex and other brain areas causes autistic computational fi nance programs at the fundamental concepts that they need behavior such as social and communica- university has made Carnegie Mellon one PIPER to be successful in the marketplace,” tion disorders and restricted interests. of the best universities in the fi eld.” 5/13 Issue Dammon said.