Last April, I happily helped build the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority booth for Carnegie Mellon’s Spring Carnival. As a senior, I made sure to savor the camaraderie with my classmates. Although, during my final afternoon on the job, there was no overtime or lounging around. Gina Casalegno, the dean of student affairs, had invited me to attend a building dedication ceremony that was scheduled to begin just 15 minutes after my shift ended. I felt honored to be asked, so I couldn’t say no, which is why—still wearing my closed-toe work boots and hard hat—I sprinted across campus, hoping I wouldn’t be late.
When I arrived, slightly out of breath, at the Collaborative Innovation Center, I realized I was out of place. Surrounding me were men and women in expensive-looking business attire. I hastily made my way to the nearest bathroom so I could quickly change from baggy sweatpants into my favorite green dress and black blazer.
When I returned to the crowd, much less self-conscious, Casalegno reined in all of the students from the President’s Student Advisory Council who were there, which included me. She wanted us to be in a photograph with the honorary guest, Robert Mehrabian. I’m sad to say that until I received the invitation, I didn’t really know who he was. That was about to change.
When he walked over to us, I introduced myself. He graciously and firmly shook my hand and asked me about my studies. Although we spoke only for a few moments, I was flattered by his undivided attention.
Soon after we met, the naming of the Robert Mehrabian Collaborative Innovation Center began in front of a packed audience. There were several speakers, each with dazzling professional backgrounds. They spoke eloquently about the seventh president of Carnegie Mellon. I learned that on his watch from 1990-1997, the university’s largest building program in more than 30 years took place, including the University Center, Gesling Stadium, the Purnell Center for the Arts, Posner Hall, and a multi-level parking garage.
His influence, the speakers noted, extended beyond campus structures. He spurred economic development in the Pittsburgh region and in the university’s technology transfer operation, which helped make viable the creation of the Collaborative Innovation Center, a business incubator. It’s the only building in the world to have housed Apple, Disney, Google, Intel, and Microsoft. Impressive!
As I took it all in, I reflected on my good fortune to know Carnegie Mellon’s eighth president, Jared L. Cohon. As a member of the President’s Student Advisory Council, I met with him monthly, and he got to know me on a first-name basis. Even more fortunate, I thought, was that the university had Dr. Cohon and Dr. Mehrabian to lead the university for what is now a cumulative 22 years.
In the following days, I was back to wearing jeans and a T-shirt and having a blast at Spring Carnival. When I checked out the booths on the Morewood Avenue parking lot, I looked across the street at what, to me, used to be just a four-story building. Not anymore. The Robert Mehrabian Collaborative Innovation Center is a place that I won’t soon forget.
—Devin Beahm (DC’12)
Beahm was a member of the President’s Student Advisory Council, on the e-board of her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, a 1000plus executive board member, and staff member at the Career and Professional Development Center as a Career Peer Mentor. She was also on the Academic Review Board and on the University Committee on Discipline. This fall, she begins pursuing her master of business administration degree and a master of science degree in Sports Business Management at the University of Central Florida.
Related Links:
CMU To Name Building For Former President Robert Mehrabian
