Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The ceremony was filled with speeches about solving world problems and heavy in reminders of what a 113-year-old Pittsburgh institution already has contributed in areas from the hard sciences to Hollywood.
But to some who watched, Friday's installation of Subra Suresh as Carnegie Mellon University's ninth president also was this: an illustration of the classic American dream, a first-generation college student who came to America to study and decades later is heading one of its top universities.
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I attended the inauguration ceremony; I was brought to tears when Dr. Suresh told the story about his mom sending him to America to take advantage of an opportunity that she could only dream of, and how he bravely faced the move with very little to his name. HIs story is one of true courage and perseverance. If he can start from such humble beginnings and accomplish what he has thus far, then every Carnegie Mellon student, who has surely grown up with more privileges in life, has the potential to do the same. It is obvious that he has worked extremely hard to get where he is today, and I believe that this will make him a great and respected leader at CMU. On a completely different note, the management of the inauguration ceremony was questionable. When the event started, the faculty all processed in. Bagpipes played for part of the procession, while some of it occurred in silence, and then music played as we all stood there waiting for the rest of the procession for a minute or two. The technical team was lined up against the wall behind the student seating section, and I could hear a stage manager type speaking loudly into a radio. The ending of the program was equally awkward. Also, the switching between different camera angles was strange throughout the program. There were times when it would have been nice to see a different shot, and other times when it changed distractingly. From an event management perspective, I wasn't thoroughly impressed, but regardless, the content of the entire ceremony was beautiful and it was a very nice welcome for Dr. Suresh.
I was fortunate enough to go to this event and witness the inauguration of president Suresh. It was an exciting event that instilled in me so much pride for CMU and all of our Alums. This truly is a special place and we are all so luck to be here. I think president suresh will lead CMU to success recognition that we deserve. It is very easy to loose sight of the rest of the university when we spend all of our time in Purnell, but being at the inaguration and listening to the speakers made me realize how diverse and talented this place truly is!
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