Carnegie Mellon University
April 11, 2014

Press Release: Tepper School Alumna and Faculty Member Jointly Contribute $1 Million in Support of Tepper Quadrangle and New Business School Facility

Contacts: Mark D. Burd / 412-268-3486 / mdburd@andrew.cmu.edu                   
                Ken Walters / 412-268-1511 / walters1@andrew.cmu.edu

PITTSBURGH—Carnegie Mellon University has received a $1 million gift from alumna Gunjan Kedia (TPR ’94) and her husband, faculty member Sridhar R. Tayur, the Ford Distinguished Research Chair and professor of operations management at the Tepper School of Business. Their generous contribution is in support of the David A. Tepper Quadrangle, an initiative announced last fall that will construct a new home for the Tepper School while integrating programs, curricula and research from across the university’s world-class schools and colleges.

“In terms of business and entrepreneurship, Gunjan and Sridhar are highly accomplished professionals. In terms of education, they have been outstanding supporters of the school over the years, and we appreciate their commitment to the future of business education,” said Bob Dammon, dean of the Tepper School of Business. “I feel privileged to have had Gunjan as a student in my class and to watch the success that she has earned throughout her career. Sridhar is a wonderful faculty colleague and a highly respected and accomplished researcher and entrepreneur. They are both an inspiration to me and the entire Tepper School community.”

In a joint statement, Kedia and Tayur said, “Our 20-plus years of association with the Tepper School and Carnegie Mellon have been rewarding, both professionally and personally. We are excited to contribute toward and to be a part of the new Tepper Quadrangle, and we look forward to many more decades of being engaged with the university.”

Kedia earned her MBA, with distinction, at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business in 1994 and is currently executive vice president in State Street Corporation’s Investment Services division. Prior to joining State Street in 2008, she was executive vice president of global product management at Bank of New York Mellon, a partner with McKinsey & Company and an associate with PricewaterhouseCoopers. She also serves on the Business Board of Advisers for the Tepper School.

Tayur joined the faculty at the Tepper School in 1991 and is a popular teacher and highly respected researcher in fields including supply chain management, emerging technologies in health care and digital media. In 2000, he founded the supply chain software company SmartOps Corporation (acquired by SAP AG) and served as CEO until 2012. He is also the founder of the hybrid social enterprise OrganJet and GuardianWings, which coordinates timely and affordable air transport for patients in need of transplants.
 
This gift will be used for the construction of a 295,000 square-foot facility, the first structure within the new Tepper Quadrangle, which will house a number of strategically interconnected entities, including the university’s Tepper School, the CMU Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, The Simon Initiative and quality of life enhancements for the entire CMU community. This new facility will serve as the cornerstone for integrating elements of research and education across the university’s Pittsburgh campus.
     
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