A history of engineering at Carnegie Mellon University might be entitled, "The Little Engineering College That Could." What began in 1900 as a wide-ranging assortment of two- and three-year technical programs is now a world-class top-ten engineering college with an international presence. How did it happen?

 

It can be attributed to key decisions made by a small number of faculty and administrators, strategic funding, highly motivated and self-driven students, and an unusually adaptable teaching and research environment. But mostly, it was the people. Brilliant and devoted people. The right people at the right time, some of whom drove themselves on the university's behalf until they collapsed. They established the institutional DNA that drives engineering at Carnegie Mellon today.