Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley - History

History

After years of planning from the Pittsburgh campus, Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley opened in September 2002 under the name "Carnegie Mellon University - West Campus" to an original class of 56 students. Carnegie Mellon had always had a reputation for graduating bright students in engineering and technology, so it seemed only natural to establish a physical presence in the Silicon Valley, the epicenter of entrepreneurship, technology and innovation. James H. Morris, the Dean of the School of Computer Science at the Pittsburgh campus, was instrumental in establishing the West Coast initiative and served as the new campus' first Dean. Raj Reddy, a Turing Award recipient and computer science professor at the Pittsburgh campus, was the school's first director. In 2008, the university's name was changed to Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley to better reflect the proximity and opportunity to Silicon Valley. In 2009, Dean Morris ended his appointment, and the College of Engineering (also known as Carnegie Institute of Technology or "CIT") at Carnegie Mellon University partnered with the Silicon Valley campus to bring more resources and a stronger connection to the main campus. Dr. Martin Griss was appointed the new director of the Silicon Valley campus. He is also an Associate Dean of the College of Engineering and the Co-Director of the CyLab Mobility Research Center. In 2012, Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley celebrated its 10th anniversary. In just its first 10 years, CMUSV has assumed a leadership position in the Silicon Valley with students, faculty and alumni playing an integral part of the Valley ecosystem. The campus has graduated over 600 students, adding to the over 6000 Carnegie Mellon alumni working in the Bay Area.