Much has changed since Jared L. Cohon took office as president of Carnegie Mellon in 1997, but what's most important to him is what hasn't changed - the university's core values of problem-solving, hard work, innovation and collaboration. 

"These values have infused your experiences here, and they will be guideposts and important touchstones for you throughout your lives," Cohon told the Class of 2013 in his final commencement address as president.

 

Cohon, who will be stepping down on June 30, was surprised during the ceremony when he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of his successful tenure at CMU.        

At yesterday's staff picnic on the Pittsburgh campus, President Jared L. Cohon thanked staff for supporting him and his wife, Maureen, for the past 16 years. He also thanked them in advance for supporting and assisting incoming President Subra Suresh, who will assume his duties on July 1.
 
"One message I have to staff is that Carnegie Mellon is a very important institution. What we do is important to the city of Pittsburgh, the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, to the nation and to the world," he said.

He emphasized that what the university does every day and the impact it has is made possible by the dedicated and hardworking staff members. "You should be proud by what you have achieved," Cohon said.
 
Cohon also extended his thanks to faculty and staff in a front-page letter in the May issue of the Piper. Read his letter.

Look back at President Cohon's legacy of leadership.

Keith Webster, vice president and director of academic relations and strategy for the global publishing company John Wiley and Sons, has been named to succeed Gloriana St. Clair as Dean of the Libraries, effective July 1. St. Clair is stepping down as dean on June 30 after 15 years at the helm.

Webster was dean of libraries and university librarian at the University of Queensland in Australia, one of the largest libraries in the southern hemisphere, where he supervised a staff of 250. Previously he was university librarian at Victoria University in New Zealand and head of information rights at HM Treasury in London.

In announcing Webster's appointment, Provost and Executive Vice President Mark Kamlet praised St. Clair for her seminal contributions and in leading a transformational time for the libraries.

Read the full announcement.

The design phase is underway for a 45,000 square foot addition to the University Center that will include enhanced fitness and recreation space, a black box theater for student performance groups and a new front door and lobby area facing Forbes Avenue.

 

Leading the design is Cannon Design of Baltimore, an architectural firm that has designed more than 250 projects for more than 200 higher education institutions.  

The design phase will continue through 2013. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2014.    

 

Read the full story.  

Carnegie Mellon has joined Clemson University and five other university partners to launch the Institute for African-American Mentoring in Computing Science (iAAMCS), a U.S. resource for increasing African-American participation in computing.      

 

A member of the leadership team is CMU Research Professor of Computer Science David Touretzky, who will direct a robotics competition at the annual meeting of students, educators and computing professionals that promotes diversity in computing. In the competition students will use a robot developed by Touretzky's lab and RoPro Design, called the Calliope2SP (pictured above.)

 

The alliance is supported by a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation.  

 

Read the full story.