Carnegie Mellon became Australia's first international university when the Heinz School and the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) began operations in Adelaide in 2006.
"I'm committed to developing Adelaide's reputation as Australia's 'University City,' including not just our excellent local universities, but top-class universities from overseas," said Michael Rann, premier of South Australian. "Carnegie Mellon is a crucial part of that vision."
After consulting leading academics in Australia, who surveyed top-ranked universities worldwide, he determined Carnegie Mellon to be the best possible fit, both for students in Australia and overseas — particularly from India, China and Southeast Asia.
"I was ... aware of Carnegie Mellon's reputation as one of the top universities in America in IT management, robotics, software engineering and public policy," added Rann.
"Our objective is to have a significant impact on societies and economies in the Asia-Pacific region by training the next generation of leaders in public policy and information technology," said Mark Kamlet, Carnegie Mellon's provost and senior vice president.
"South Australia is an exceptional platform for us to pursue that objective because of the vision of the state's premier and the leadership role Australia is playing in the region."
The Heinz School in Australia now offers two master's level degrees — the Master of Science in Public Policy and Management and the Master of Science in Information Technology.
Mark Wessel, dean of the Heinz School, sees the relationship with South Australia as unique, providing the Heinz School with an opportunity to become a global leader in offering education in the Asia Pacific and East Asian Hemisphere.
"The Heinz School aspires to have impact on the evolution of governance, policy making and growth of the global economy in this important region of the world," said Wessel.
On the film front, Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) Australia is offering a master's degree in entertainment technology — a rapidly growing field that includes gaming, special effects and computer animation.
Rann said he is very excited by the addition of the world-renowned ETC because "it will fit so well into our burgeoning film and entertainment industries."
Pictured: Carnegie Mellon Provost Mark Kamlet and Premier of South Australia Michael Rann
