Tepper School Alumna and Current Faculty Member Jointly Contribute $1 Million in Support of Tepper Quadrangle and New Business School Facility

PITTSBURGH, April 11, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Carnegie Mellon University has received a $1 million gift from alumna Gunjan Kedia, MSIA '94, and her husband, faculty member Sridhar R. Tayur, the Ford Distinguished Research Chair and professor of operations management at the Tepper School of Business. Their generous contribution is in support of the newly established David A. Tepper Quadrangle, an initiative that will construct a new home for the Tepper School while integrating programs, curricula and research from across the university's world-class schools and colleges.

"In terms of business and entrepreneurship, Gunjan and Sridhar are highly accomplished professionals. In terms of education, they have been outstanding supporters of the school over the years, and we appreciate their commitment to the future of business education," said Bob Dammon, dean of the Tepper School of Business. "I feel privileged to have had Gunjan as a student in my class and to watch the success that she has earned throughout her career. Sridhar is a wonderful faculty colleague and a highly respected and accomplished researcher and entrepreneur. They are both an inspiration to me and the entire Tepper School community."

In a joint statement, Ms. Kedia and Dr. Tayur said, "Our 20-plus years of association with the Tepper School and Carnegie Mellon have been rewarding, both professionally and personally. We are excited to contribute toward and to be a part of the new Tepper Quadrangle, and we look forward to many more decades of being engaged with the university."

Ms. Kedia earned her MBA, with distinction, at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business in 1994 and is currently executive vice president in State Street Corporation's Investment Services division. Prior to joining State Street in 2008, she was executive vice president of global product management at Bank of New York Mellon, a partner with McKinsey & Company and an associate with PricewaterhouseCoopers. She also serves on the Business Board of Advisors for the Tepper School of Business.

Dr. Tayur joined the faculty at the Tepper School of Business in 1991 and is a popular teacher and highly-respected researcher in fields including supply chain management, emerging technologies in healthcare, and digital media. In 2000, he founded the supply chain software company SmartOps Corporation, (acquired by SAP AG) and served as CEO until 2012. He is also the founder of the hybrid social enterprise OrganJet and GuardianWings, which coordinates timely and affordable air transport for patients in need of transplants.

This gift will be used for the construction of a 295,000 square-foot facility, the first structure within the new Tepper Quadrangle, which will house a number of strategically interconnected entities, including the university's Tepper School of Business, the CMU Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, The Simon Initiative, and quality of life enhancements for the entire CMU community. This new facility will serve as the cornerstone for integrating elements of research and education across the university's Pittsburgh campus.

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 12,000 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 has campuses in Pittsburgh, Pa., California's Silicon Valley and Qatar, and programs in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and Mexico. 

About the Tepper School of Business: Founded in 1949, the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University (www.tepper.cmu.edu) is a pioneer in the field of management science and analytical-decision making. The school's notable contributions to the intellectual community include nine Nobel laureates. The school is among those institutions with the highest rate of academic citations in the fields of finance, operations research, organizational behavior and production/operations. The academic offerings of the Tepper School include undergraduate studies in business and economics, graduate studies in business administration and financial engineering, and doctoral studies. 

SOURCE Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon