July 6, 2017
Dear Members of the University Community:
I am delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Laurie Weingart, the Richard M. and Margaret S. Cyert Professor of Organizational Behavior and Theory, as interim provost of Carnegie Mellon University, effective immediately.
Currently senior associate dean of education in the Tepper School of Business, Laurie brings a rare combination of scholarly expertise, practical experience and deep talents to this role. At the college level, and in major campus-wide efforts, such as Strategic Plan 2025, Laurie has provided insight and guidance on issues that go to the heart of our mission in education, research and creativity. She also has developed close working relationships with the deans and with other leaders across campus, which will provide a strong foundation for her new role. Working with me and the deans, she will oversee academic and budgetary priorities; the hiring and advancement of diverse and world-class faculty; and the personal, professional and intellectual growth of our faculty, students and staff.
Laurie joined the faculty at Tepper in 1989, shortly after receiving her Ph.D. and master’s degrees in organizational behavior from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She is well known for her research on negotiation, conflict and innovation in teams, which is fitting, since Laurie excels as a collaborator, both in her scholarly work and in her service to the university. She has overseen several academic initiatives at Tepper, including the creation of BaseCamp (an immersive MBA orientation program), the Accelerate Leadership Center and the development of two new master’s degree programs. Laurie also is an active leader in the Task Force on the CMU Experience, providing valuable insight into the academic policies and practices that shape the student experience. She has been a strong advocate for women and women in leadership at CMU.
Laurie’s appointment strengthens an already stellar senior leadership team, and I am very grateful for her willingness to serve in this critical assignment. I look forward to working with her on advancing our research and educational mission and fulfilling the great promise of this moment in CMU’s history.
Please join me in welcoming Laurie to her new role.
Warm regards,
Farnam Jahanian