Richard M. (Dick) Cyert
Dick Cyert was internationally recognized for his work in economics, behavioral science, statistics, and management, including the seminal 1959 work co-authored with James March, “A Behavioral Theory of the Firm,” named Citation Classic by the Institute for Scientific Information. Cyert served as the second dean of the Tepper School of Business and the sixth president of Carnegie Mellon University.
A strong advocate for interdisciplinary research, his years as Tepper School dean helped the school produce influential and groundbreaking research. As CMU’s president, he led the university through unprecedented growth and transformed it into a premiere national university with computer science expertise.
A Minnesota native, Cyert received his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota in 1943 then joined the U.S. Navy. Following WWII, he earned his Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University. After a short time teaching at City College of New York, he joined the faculty of Carnegie Tech in 1948.
He taught economics, statistics, and industrial administration for the next 14 years before being named the Tepper School dean in 1961.
Cyert became CMU’s president in 1972. After retiring in 1990, he continued teaching, headed the Carnegie Bosch Institute, and chaired the National Institute of Statistical Sciences.After retiring in 1990, he continued teaching, headed the Carnegie Bosch Institute, and chaired the National Institute of Statistical Sciences.
“We were the scrappy underdog. Convinced we were the wave of the future, recasting business education for the whole country. We were different, more research-oriented. Between 1965 and 1970, six business schools chose new deans who had either studied or taught at [the Tepper School].”
Cyert was the author or co-author of more than 100 papers and 12 books.
He was elected Fellow of the American Statistical Association, the Econometric Society, and the American Association for Advancement of Science, awarded several honorary doctorates, and received both the Ford Foundation and Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship.