Carnegie Mellon, UAA Celebrate 25 Years of History

Jan. 17 - (INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.) – Carnegie Mellon President Jared Cohon served as Master of Ceremonies, as the University Athletic Association celebrated its 25th anniversary in Indianapolis on January 11. The UAA celebration was held in conjunction with the NCAA Convention.

NCAA President Mark Emmert attended the event and addressed representatives from all eight UAA institutions. Carnegie Mellon was represented by Cohon, Vice President Michael Murphy, Civil and Environmental Engineering Chair James Garrett, Director of Athletics Susan Bassett, Assistant Director of Athletics Josh Centor, alums Ryan Einwag and Ricky Griffin and current student-athletes Patrick Blanks and Anna Albi.

“Carnegie Mellon’s commitment to the UAA and the ideal of the scholar athlete comes directly from the top of the University,” said Director of Athletics Susan Bassett. “Dr. Cohon’s, Dr. Murphy’s and Dr. Garrett’s participation in the event, as well as that of our students and alumni, is a clear indication of strong institutional support for the UAA.  As always, I was beaming with pride to see Carnegie Mellon and our people interact in this context.”

In his remarks, Cohon highlighted the academic and athletic success of UAA student-athletes, and noted that studies have shown that cumulative grade point averages of UAA athletic teams have been statistically equal to or greater than the campus population GPAs. Cohon also remarked that the eight UAA institutions are among the most respected research universities in the world.

Since its inception in 1986, more than 2,471 student-athletes from UAA institutions have received All-America honors and 168 have been individual national champions or national players of the year in their sport. At the same time, 531 student-athletes have been named Academic All-Americans and 148 have been chosen as NCAA Postgraduate Scholars.

“It was a special night for Carnegie Mellon University and the UAA.  Our membership in the UAA defines our approach to intercollegiate athletics,” Bassett said.