Personal Mention
Gary Fedder and Kathryn Roeder have been named Vice Provost for Research and Faculty, respectively.
Fedder is the Howard M. Wilkoff Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, a professor of the Robotics Institute, and since 2013 associate dean for Research in the College of Engineering. He will have overall responsibility for research administration and policy, providing oversight for responsible conduct of research and compliance, while focusing on facilitating and accelerating the movement of research and technology to the marketplace. The Office of Sponsored Programs, Office of Research Integrity and Compliance, and the Center for Technology Transfer and Enterprise Creation will report to him.
Roeder is a professor of statistics and computational biology. She served as director of Graduate Studies and associate head of the Department of Statistics from 1996-2011. As vice provost for Faculty, she will help to develop policies and practices that attract and retain diverse, world-class scholars in all of Carnegie Mellon's fields and disciplines. She will work to oversee all areas of faculty affairs with particular focus on recruitment and retention, the reappointment, tenure and promotion process, academic human resources issues, faculty programs, academic unit hiring plans with an eye toward excellence and diversity (inclusive of dual career solutions), and serve as a liaison to faculty related university committees.
Read the full announcement by Provost Farnam Jahanian.
Linda Babcock, whose research intersects economics and psychology, has been selected to head the Department of Social and Decision Sciences. She succeeds Paul Fischbeck, who has been interim head for the past year. Babcock, the James M. Walton Professor of Economics, focuses on negotiations and dispute resolution research with specific attention to gender differences. She is the co-author of “Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide,” which was named one of Biz Journals’ 20 Most Important Business Books Ever Written. In it, she describes her research on initiating negotiations and explores the societal factors that hold women back from asking for what they want. She also holds an appointment in the Heinz College, where she served as acting dean from 2000-2001. “Linda Babcock is a perfect person to lead the Department of Social and Decision Sciences at this time. Not only is she a world-famous scholar on negotiation, but she is also an excellent leader. Having worked in both Heinz and Dietrich, she has a broad perspective on CMU. She will strengthen an already excellent department, and I am excited to have the opportunity to work with her in the Dietrich College,” said Richard Scheines, dean of the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Find out more.
The Tepper School of Business has appointed Kathryn (Kate) Barraclough to head its top-ranked MBA program. She succeeds John Mather, who will remain on the Tepper School faculty after serving as executive director of master’s degree programs since 2003. “Kate Barraclough brings an impressive and broad background, ranging from academia to financial services. Her achievements as a scholar, researcher and educational leader were fundamental qualities that led to her appointment,” said Robert Dammon, dean of the Tepper School. Barraclough will provide strategic direction for the program and represent the program to current and prospective students. She will work in conjunction with the Dean’s Office and the faculty responsible for the development and delivery of the MBA curriculum, and will maintain direct responsibility for the various operating units of the program that oversee admissions, financial aid, student services, and career planning and employment. She comes to CMU from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University, where she taught a range of courses covering derivatives markets, bond markets and financial modeling. Learn more.
Independence Day was extra special this year for Caroline Acker (right). The City of Pittsburgh declared July 4, 2015, “Dr. Caroline Acker Day” to recognize the longtime history professor for her outstanding scholarship and many contributions to the Pittsburgh community. The proclamation was sponsored by CMU Alumnus and City Councilman Daniel Gilman (DC’04), who majored in ethics, history and public policy. Find out more.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s legalization of gay marriage nationwide, Jay Kadane wrote a blog post for the Huffington Post titled “Religious Liberty and Gay Marriage.” In it, Kadane examines the implications the decision has for people who have religious or other objections to gay marriage. Kadane is the Leonard J. Savage University Professor of Statistics and Social Sciences, Emeritus. Read the piece.