As the accomplished academic settles in to his new job in 1986, he begins to realize it's not easy to get university researchers to look beyond their departmental walls. His charge is to nudge the Johns Hopkins University professors, in varied academic disciplines, to collaborate on research. The hope is that putting great minds together will lead to significant groundbreaking insights. That's why the university created the new vice provost position, and that's why they selected Jared L. Cohon-because his academic background personifies "interdisciplinary research." He made his name as a scholar studying the intersection of engineering, economics, and public policy.

At Johns Hopkins, though, he finds clear academic divisions, which is not unlike other elite research universities. For example, the university has three departments of biophysics in three different schools. There has to be a better way, he thinks. A colleague agrees. Gerry Masson-a computer science professor, who recently returned from a year of leave at Carnegie Mellon University-tells him, "If only we collaborated the way they do at Carnegie Mellon, we would be in much better shape."

Those words resonate with Cohon.

Fast-forward 11 years. He is now the eighth president of the university that had impressed him years ago. He made inroads while at Johns Hopkins, and then he took his interdisciplinary research leadership to Yale where he was dean of the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. His track record there caught the attention of Carnegie Mellon.

Now, as president, he's sitting in a meeting with faculty, discussing a search for a new provost. In the course of the meeting, he mentions that he is considering a new method of budgeting. A professor interrupts him. "You can't do that! You will create barriers to interdisciplinary research." Cohon realizes immediately that the professor is correct. He also realizes that this is the right place for him.

Much has happened during Cohon's initial 13 years:

  • Global presence: Opened a Carnegie Mellon campus in Qatar in 2004; established master's degree and doctoral programs in Portugal; started Master's of Software Engineering Program with SSN School of Engineering in Chennai, India; added or strengthened programs in Singapore, Korea, China, and Japan; launched the Heinz College's master's degree programs in Adelaide, Australia.
  • Interdisciplinary research and education: Sponsored research has more than doubled to over $300 million annually, with particular growth in the life sciences, information technology, and energy. New majors combining the arts with engineering, computer science, or humanities were launched.
  • Diversity: More than 14% of the class of 2014 is African American, Hispanic, or Native American. The Summer Academy for Math and Science has attracted over 800 underrepresented minorities in its 10 years.
  • Expanded and improved student housing.
  • Upgraded campus infrastructure, including the opening last year of the Gates and Hillman computer science centers, and the Purnell Center for the Arts and the Miller Art Gallery in 2000.
  • Technology commercialization and economic development: Scores of companies have spun out of Carnegie Mellon. The university is number two in the country in terms of number of companies created per dollar of sponsored research. The Collaborative Innovation Center, which attracted Apple, Disney, Google, and Intel research centers, opened in 2005.
  • Launched the "Inspire Innovation" campaign, which has raised more than $650 million for the university.

In his studies, Cohon originally chose engineering so he could build bridges, never actually built a physical structure on a road. But he has spent his years at Carnegie Mellon helping to build intellectual bridges among diverse researchers. "Jerry Cohon has fostered the growth of Carnegie Mellon's uniquely collaborative style in education, research, and development," says Carnegie Mellon Chairman of the Board Raymond J. Lane.

With so much success, members of the university's board encouraged him to consider another five-year term that would begin on July 1, 2012. But Cohon prefers a one-year extension to his term, which will make him the university's third-longest-serving president. Then, on June 30, 2013, he will step down and become a professor at the university. "Leading Carnegie Mellon is a dream job. But after 16 years, I am sure the university will be ready for a new president."

In an email to the campus community announcing the one-year extension, Cohon made clear that more imprints will come. "I feel energized thinking about my next three years."
-Cristina Rouvalis

Related Link:
Letter From the President