The Innovative University

How can a small university like Carnegie Mellon have such a big impact on the world? Ironically, being small is a key reason the university is so prolific. An intimate environment, coupled with an extraordinary ratio of world-class thinkers, has produced a culture of collaboration that may be unmatched elsewhere in higher education.

How that culture emerged is now chronicled in a series of essays by Carnegie Mellon faculty, including the late Nobel Prize-winner Herb Simon, the "father of artificial intelligence." Find out what caused Carnegie Mellon's meteoric rise from its trade school roots to one of the finest research universities in the world in The Innovative University, published by Carnegie Mellon University Press.

Daniel P. Resnick

Daniel P. Resnick is Professor of History Emeritus at Carnegie Mellon, and a winner of the Elliot Dunlap Smith Prize for Excellence in Teaching in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. He is Special Assistant to the President for Academic Affairs. His research interests are post-revolutionary societies, literacy development in Europe and the United States, and the measurement of educational success. He has taught at Harvard University, Sarah Lawrence College, and Stanford University. He joined the Carnegie Mellon faculty in 1966.

Dana S. Scott

Dana S. Scott is the Hillman University Professor of Computer Science, Philosophy, and Mathematical Logic at Carnegie Mellon. His philosophical interests are the foundations of logic, the philosophy of mathematics, and the semantical analysis of natural language. He has taught at the University of Chicago, the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, the University of Amsterdam, Princeton University, Oxford University, and the University of Linz, Austria. He joined the Carnegie Mellon faculty in 1981.

Reviews

Carnegie Mellon is a jewel among the world's universities. It radiates powerful teaching, interdisciplinary research, public service and a persistent curiosity about all things. Most of all, it strives through teaching, research and action to reflect Herbert Simon's admonishment that "We're not observes of the future. We're actors. Our job is to design a sustainable and acceptable world and bring it about." This book is written by those who know Carnegie Mellon best—professors of long standing. Their reflections capture the intellectual excitement and challenges of building a remarkable institution.

—Dr. Marshall S. Smith, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Former Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Education

The Innovative University is an intellectual celebration of the ongoing evolution of a young and dynamic institution from its technical school origins through its dramatic rise to status as a world-class university whose influence belies its modest size. In highly personal faculty voices, these essays convey both the tensions and accomplishments inherent in universities in a global and technological age. The sweep and variety of perspectives on fundamental academic issues makes this an important book for all who care about American higher education.

—Dr. Charles M. Vest, President, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

This lively volume takes us to the personalities, aspiration, research directions, and educational vision of one of the premier institutions founded by Andrew Carnegie. The story, told by the faculty, shows how this academic community responded in pioneering ways to vast societal, cultural, and technological changes, and created an outstanding research university that sustained and extended the founder's vision. Innovation tied to excellence of intention and execution remains the hallmark of Carnegie Mellon.

—Dr. Maxine Singer, President Emeritus, Carnegie Institution of Washington

Ordering Information

To purchase The Innovative University edited by Daniel P. Resnick and Dana S. Scott, please contact our distributor, University Press of New England toll free at 1-800-421-1561 or by fax at 1-603-448-9729. The book is also available online at UPNE, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other fine retailers.

To request a copy for review, please contact the Carnegie Mellon University Press Editorial Offices at (412) 268-2861 or by email at CarnegieMellonUniversityPress@gmail.com.