June 15, 2017
Dear Members of the Carnegie Mellon University Community,
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Farnam Jahanian as interim president of the university, effective July 1. Working closely with the board, Dr. Jahanian will lead the university while CMU undertakes a global search for a new president, a process that will begin this fall.
Dr. Jahanian, currently CMU’s provost and chief academic officer, will bring to the president’s office a deep understanding of the university’s strengths and opportunities, strong and collaborative relationships with the deans, vice presidents and other campus leaders, as well as broad support among faculty, students and alumni. He has had an enormous impact at CMU as provost, showing vision, commitment and passion for the future of this institution. Dr. Jahanian will provide Carnegie Mellon with energetic and capable leadership, so we can continue to build on our extraordinary momentum.
A nationally recognized computer scientist, entrepreneur and administrative leader with broad experience in higher education, government and the private sector, Dr. Jahanian came to CMU as vice president for research in 2014, and was appointed provost in 2015. As chief academic officer, he has broad responsibility for leading the university’s colleges, schools, institutes and campuses, in addition to significant responsibilities for long-range institutional and academic planning, including the university’s budgeting, facilities and other critical functions. Dr. Jahanian has played a key role in guiding implementation of the university’s strategic plan, including enhancing the CMU Experience for students, faculty, staff and alumni. As parents of an undergraduate, he and his wife Tris are deeply connected to the CMU community.
In the coming weeks, Dr. Jahanian will appoint an interim provost to serve as chief academic officer while he undertakes the role of president.
As I wrote to you earlier this month, this is an extraordinary time for Carnegie Mellon University, which is positioned well to shape the 21st century through its core strengths at the intersection of technology and humanity. Together with my fellow members of the board, I am confident these changes will continue to build upon the distinctive education and the forward-thinking approach to important societal challenges that make CMU one of the world’s great research universities.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Jahanian on this appointment.
Sincerely,
Jim Rohr
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Carnegie Mellon University