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February 17, 2012

Presidential Search Committee Named

The following letter was sent to the global university community by Ray Lane, chairman of Carnegie Mellon's Board of Trustees, announcing the formation and membership of a committee that will lead the search for a successor to President Jared L. Cohon.

Dear Members of the University Community:

This past December I wrote to inform you about the search process to seek a successor to President Jared L. Cohon, who will be stepping down on June 30, 2013.

The first formal step of that process is now in place with the naming of a distinguished 17-member search committee. The committee, chaired by James E. Rohr, Chairman and CEO of PNC Financial Services Group and chair of the board's Nominating and Governance Committee, is a diverse group comprised of members of the board of trustees, and faculty members representing all seven colleges and schools.

The trustee members are:

  • Andress Appolon (CMU '02), Founder and President, Appolon Strategies LLC
  • John Bertucci (CIT '63; Tepper '65), Chairman, MKS Instruments, Inc.
  • Howard Ellin (Dietrich College '85), Partner, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher and Flom
  • Edward Frank (SCS '85), Vice President, Apple, Inc.
  • Larry Jennings, Jr. (MCS '84; Tepper '87), Senior Managing Director, ValStone Partners
  • Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds
  • Manoj Singh (Tepper '76), Global Managing Partner, Operations, Deloitte
  • Paula Wagner (CFA), Producer/Owner, Chestnut Ridge Productions

The faculty members are:

  • Anthony Rollett, Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Institute of Technology; Chair, Faculty Senate and Chair of the Faculty Committee
  • Irene Fonseca, Professor, Department of Mathematics, Mellon College of Science
  • Terrance Hayes, Professor, Department of English, Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Ramayya Krishnan, Dean, H. John Heinz III College
  • Teddy Seidenfeld, Herbert A. Simon Professor of Philosophy and Statistics, Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Dan Siewiorek, Buhl University Professor of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer  Engineering, School of Computer Science
  • Susanne Slavick, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Art, School of Art, College of Fine Arts
  • Chester Spatt, Pamela R. and Kenneth B. Dunn Professor of Finance; Director, Center for Financial Markets, The Tepper School of Business

While the committee, aided by a search firm, will lead the process and ultimately recommend a candidate to the board, every member of the university community — students, alumni, faculty and staff — will have the opportunity to participate and provide input. Throughout this semester open forums will be held to hear your opinions about the future direction and leadership of Carnegie Mellon. Your thoughts will help guide the committee and I encourage your participation. The schedule, locations and content of the open forums will be announced soon.

In addition, you will be able confidentially to provide comments and offer candidates for consideration through a public Presidential Search website which will go live by the end of this month, and which will have information about the search process, including a general timeline.  Through the website and communications such as this, the committee will keep you informed of its progress within the bounds of confidentiality necessary for such a search. The goal is to name the new president in the spring of 2013.

I'm confident that by working together we will find the right individual to continue the momentum we've achieved under President Cohon and to help propel Carnegie Mellon to even greater heights.

Sincerely,

Ray Lane
Chairman of the Board
Carnegie Mellon University