Carnegie Mellon University

President in the News - 2020

Country’s largest sloped solar array powers on at former Pittsburgh steel mill
November 20, 2020
“The activation of this solar array at Mill 19, home to CMU’s Manufacturing Futures Initiative, is another example of the power of public-private partnerships to embrace a future driven by innovation,” said CMU President Farnam Jahanian. “Carnegie Mellon is grateful to our foundation and local community partners, our elected officials, and RIDC for helping to make sustainability a driving force behind Mill 19. This commitment will further catalyze the future of Hazelwood Green – not just as a hub for new technologies, but as a model for sustainable development that enhances quality of life for citizens.”
Solar Power World

Brave New Campus
September 7, 2020
"Carnegie Mellon is offering a hybrid model of teaching and learning this fall, which allows for both in-person and remote instruction. We believe this affords us maximum agility while allowing us to deliver the highest quality experience to our students. Our campus will necessarily feel different, with some of the biggest changes in student and community life. Typically, our campus is buzzing with people, but in the COVID-19 era, campus spaces will be significantly de-densified with most activities delivered virtually. We have also made changes across our physical infrastructure to accommodate physical distancing and have implemented monitoring, testing and contact tracing protocols. Education will be delivered with a greater focus on evidence-based, data-driven and technology-dependent strategies for improving learning. Leveraging CMU’s renowned expertise in the science of learning, these strategies will engage students in active learning inside and outside of class, and will incorporate more frequent, low-stakes assessments. These are positive innovations that we believe embrace the future of education. Finally, while building community in the era of physical distancing may pose challenges, we are being creative in every aspect of our decision-making to maximize accessibility and, most importantly, the quality and innovation that is expected from the CMU experience."
Pittsburgh Quarterly

Bold Action Needed: Helen Casey, Bill Schenck, Farnam Jahanian
July 15, 2020
"As a university, we stimulate growth by attracting and developing exceptional talent. And while academic institutions will continue to help grow Pittsburgh’s reputation as a top destination for innovators, I believe that public-private partnerships focused on workforce development will most effectively drive long-term growth. As society faces an evolving technological future, we must mobilize today to nurture a dynamic, diverse workforce that is prepared for the jobs of tomorrow, including a focus on upskilling or reskilling the existing workforce. We need community colleges, universities, the private sector, and government to come together to create meaningful pathways for all citizens in this new economy and we must also be deliberate in recognizing and removing the structural barriers that prevent people from leveraging transformative opportunities. Cultivating a competitive workforce in this way will attract and grow the companies that will spur long-lasting economic development in the region. Importantly, in order to make the most of these investments in human capital and retain the region’s talent, it is also so critical that our communities are recognized as great places to live, work and play—with excellent schools, parks and green spaces, clean air and water, a vibrant cultural life and accessible transportation."
Pittsburgh Quarterly

Thousands of area’s international students can stay in U.S. after Trump reverses visa policy
July 14, 2020
Last week, CMU, which has 8,669 international students, joined a lawsuit filed by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to challenge the policy. In a campuswide email last week, CMU president Farnam Jahanian wrote the policy would “erode the very foundation of the American university system.”

On Tuesday, Mr. Jahanian released a statement that credited CMU students for helping to write the supporting amicus brief, which he said “personalized the cruelty of the new guidelines.” 

“While we are cautiously optimistic about today’s decision, we will remain vigilant as we advocate for all members of our community and continue to safeguard Carnegie Mellon’s mission as a vital engine for creativity, innovation and opportunity,” Mr. Jahanian stated.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Carnegie Mellon names new business school dean
July 13, 2020
“Throughout her career, Dr. Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the areas that are defining the future of business schools and which have long been at the heart of the Tepper School’s distinct approach, including a focus on technology, analytics, interdisciplinary collaboration and entrepreneurship. Especially as artificial intelligence and the digital revolution transform every sector of our economy, Isabelle’s vision and expertise will accelerate the momentum of the Tepper School, encourage even greater collaboration across the university, and, ultimately, grow CMU’s leadership at the intersection of technology and society,” CMU President Farnam Jahanian said, announcing the appointment.
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Penn State, Carnegie Mellon join lawsuit to halt deportation of international students if colleges go totally online
July 9, 2020
CMU President Farnam Jahanian on Thursday decried it in strong language in a message to the campus community.  “Forcing any international student who is in the United States legally to transfer or leave the country at this unprecedented time is profoundly misguided and painfully cruel. Furthermore, these and other rash, anti-immigration actions threaten to erode the very foundation of the American university system and its powerful and positive impact on economic prosperity and our national security,” Jahanian said.  He said the administration’s new policy is just another move in “the unjust scapegoating of international students and scholars.”
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

CMU leader says his school wants to be on ‘the right side of history’
July 2, 2020
In an email to students and employees, CMU president Farnam Jahanian outlined the efforts, some with more specific goals attached than others. They stretch from the classroom to the campus police, who will be required to wear body cameras starting this fall.  “As we witness our nation confronting the legacy of racial injustice, we are committed to ensuring that Carnegie Mellon stands on the right side of history,” Mr. Jahanian said.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Podcast: A President and a Provost on Plans for the Fall
June 18, 2020
Farnam Jahanian, president of Carnegie Mellon University, and Lenore Rodicio, provost at Miami Dade College, join the FutureU team to discuss their approaches to and concerns about returning in the fall.

When asked about what Carnegie Mellon University's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially concerning fall planning, Jahanian says, “Throughout the entire process, of course, we’ve been motivated by three primary goals: delivering our academic and research mission while protecting the health and wellness of our entire community, especially our students, and employing the best practices to promote social distancing and limiting in-person interaction.”
FutureEd Podcast 

CMU Celebrity Alumni Surprise Class Of 2020 As University Celebrates Graduates With Virtual Commencement Ceremony
May 17, 2020
Carnegie Mellon University celebrated more than 5,400 graduates with a virtual commencement ceremony Sunday.  “I am delighted to be conferring degrees on the outstanding cohort of graduates from the Class of 2020,” said university President Farnam Jahanian. “None of us expected our graduates’ last semester at CMU to play out like this, but at every step, they have inspired us with their positive attitude and resiliency at this unprecedented time. The entire CMU community is excited to come together and pay tribute to their achievements, together with their families, loved ones and supporters.”
KDKA

CMU plans on hybrid instruction model for fall semester
May 14, 2020
Carnegie Mellon University outlined its phased plan to restart some activities on its campus Thursday, including a hybrid model expected to start on August 31.  

“At this point in time, we are pursuing a hybrid model for instruction in the fall, which requires us to be prepared to deliver instruction both in-person and remotely, as needed,” CMU President Farnam Jahanian said in a prepared statement. “We are committing to this flexibility for the Pittsburgh campus, and potentially other campuses, because we recognize that some students, faculty and staff will not be able to return by the first day of class for a variety of reasons, including domestic and international travel restrictions, difficulty in obtaining visas, or individual health and safety concerns.”
Pittsburgh Business Times

Carnegie Mellon Maps Offer More Data for COVID-19 Forecasting
April 24, 2020
"COVIDcast leverages Carnegie Mellon's leadership in machine learning, statistics and data science, and builds upon our partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in epidemic forecasting at a time when policymakers and healthcare providers are eager for more insights into the spread of COVID-19," commented CMU President Farnam Jahanian. "Our multidisciplinary team of researchers has worked tirelessly to bring together a variety of data sources to support informed decision-making throughout our global society."
Campus Technology

Carnegie Mellon gives workers community service option to maintain full pay
April 6, 2020
Farnam Jahanian, in a note to Carnegie Mellon’s 4,535 staff in Pittsburgh and nationally, encouraged them to use the option of taking up to 10 days for community service or using the time for professional development opportunities.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pitt, Penn State, CMU, Duquesne to move classes online in response to COVID-19 outbreak
March 11, 2020
At Carnegie Mellon, Mr. Jahanian said that starting next week and until further notice, “All CMU graduate and undergraduate programs on the Pittsburgh campus will move to remote, virtual or alternative teaching and assessment.” He said the Silicon Valley and Qatar campuses already have transitioned to online instruction, and “we are working with all global locations to help them make the appropriate determination for their campuses.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

How higher education can adapt to the future of work
January 21, 2020
By Farnam Jahanian, President of Carnegie Mellon University.
“The broad set of skills needed by tomorrow’s workforce also affects our approach to educational structure. At Carnegie Mellon University—like many other institutions—we have been making disciplinary boundaries much more porous and have launched programmes at the edges and intersections of traditional fields, such as behavioral economics, computational biology, and the nexus of design, arts, and technology. We believe this approach prepares our students for a future where thinking and working across boundaries will be vital. The value of combining both breadth and depth in higher education has also led to many universities embracing “T-shaped” teaching and learning philosophies, in which vertical (deep disciplinary) expertise is combined with horizontal (cross-cutting) knowledge.”
World Economic Forum