The Robert E. Doherty Award for Sustained Contributions to Excellence in Education

PLEASE NOTE THIS AWARD IS PRESENTED EVERY OTHER YEAR BEGINNING IN THE 2005-2006 ACADEMIC YEAR.

The award will not be presented in 2010. Below is information about the 2009 recipients.

2009 Doherty Award Recipients

Bill Elliott

Vice President Emeritus, Enrollment Services

Bill Elliott first began working for Carnegie Mellon as director of admissions. He brought a number of changes for recruiting students to the university while in that position, such as starting the now-popular Sleeping Bag Weekends, in addition to initiating new programs to build diversity in the student body. In 1970, Elliott’s first year, the university received 3,500 applications for undergraduate admission. The changes that Elliott enacted have helped to increase the number of applications Carnegie Mellon receives each year; as a result, the university now annually sets records for the number of applications received, receiving over 22,000 applications for a first year class of about 1500. 

Elliott's role as vice president for enrollment gave him jurisdiction over Student Affairs, Athletics and Campus Services, Admissions, and Enrollment Services. In the past, he also agreed to temporarily hold leadership positions in the university during employment searches. 

Although retired, Bill still continues his recruitment efforts and remains involved with SAMS, a program targeting underrepresented populations that enables the university to grow the number of ethnic minority and low-income students.

Paul S. Goodman

Richard M. Cyert Professor and Director of Strategic Development, Tepper School of Business

Paul S. Goodman holds the Richard M. Cyert Professorship and is Professor of Organizational Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University. He was educated at Trinity College (B.A.), the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College (M.B.A.), and has a Ph.D. from Cornell University. Goodman’s research interests focus on new forms of workgroups, knowledge exchange in work environments, organizational errors and organizational linkages. Professor Goodman published eight books and more than 90 professional articles and chapters. He is a Fellow in the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, in the American Psychological Society and the Academy of Management.  He won the Academy of Management's Distinguished Educator Award (2001). Additionally, Professor Goodman is a documentary filmmaker. He has produced around 20 educational films about work and workers and two TV-level documentaries on India and Brazil, which appeared nationally on PBS, have been distributed internationally, and have appeared in selected film festivals.