Carnegie Mellon President Jared L. Cohon Applauds President Barack Obama's Investment in Research

Cohon Says CMU is at the Forefront of Job Creation Through Innovation

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Jan 26, 2011, 09:22 ET

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnegie Mellon University President Jared L. Cohon today praised U.S. President Barack Obama's plan "to win the future" by out-innovating, out-educating and out-building the rest of the world, stating that America's universities are up to the challenge.

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"While the U.S. faces intense competition in the global economy, our country has one asset that no other nation has yet duplicated: the capacity of university-based research to launch high-growth companies," Cohon said. "As a pioneer in computer science, robotics, cybersecurity and other high-tech fields, Carnegie Mellon is at the forefront of job creation through innovation.

"We support continued investment in biomedical research, information technology and clean energy technology because we know they are proven catalysts for using public investment and converting knowledge, innovation, and expertise into start-ups, entrepreneurship, economic renewal and job growth."

In the last 15 years, Carnegie Mellon has helped to create more than 200 start-up companies and 9,000 jobs in the Pittsburgh region. And an emerging initiative with Pittsburgh leaders is providing a prototype of how the building blocks of national economic renewal can be integrated into a cohesive regional strategy.

About Carnegie Mellon University: Carnegie Mellon (www.cmu.edu) is a private, internationally ranked research university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and business, to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More than 11,000 students in the university's seven schools and colleges benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. A global university, Carnegie Mellon's main campus in the United States is in Pittsburgh, Pa. It has campuses in California's Silicon Valley and Qatar, and programs in Asia, Australia, Europe and Mexico. The university is in the midst of a $1 billion fundraising campaign, titled "Inspire Innovation: The Campaign for Carnegie Mellon University," which aims to build its endowment, support faculty, students and innovative research, and enhance the physical campus with equipment and facility improvements.