A Commentary to Mark A. Nordenberg

In a previous blog posting, “An Open Letter to Subra Suresh”, I urged the new President of Carnegie Mellon University to assume a more prominent role in expanding CMU’s Oakland neighborhood into a global nexus of technology innovation.  Recently I received a packet from the University of Pittsburgh’s Chancellor, Mark A. Nordenberg, detailing the state of Pitt.  For full disclosure, I admit to being an active alumnus of and partial to the University of Pittsburgh.

That packet contained a spiffy brochure detailing Pitt’s achievements for the years under Nordenberg’s leadership.  One particular section that caught my attention was titled “Extending Our Commitment to Effective Partnering” where a description of Pitt’s partnership with Carnegie Mellon under its former President Jared Cohon was featured.  A quote from that section was “the combined academic strengths of Pitt and CMU are surpassed in only one other American neighborhood – Cambridge, Massachusetts, home to both Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – and that effective partnering between Pitt and CMU not only can elevate both universities but can make our region stronger.”

My comment to Chancellor Nordenberg and his yet to be determined successor is “well then, assuming that’s all true, get it done!”  One could argue that the phrase “surpassed in only ONE [my emphasis] neighborhood” is hyperbolic.  I might argue that if neighborhoods are measured by travel time proximity, then the San Francisco Bay area also surpasses Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood with the University of California and Stanford University as cross-bay neighbors.  But that nitpick only strengthens my argument, one that I have expressed often in this blog, that Pittsburgh has the same resources as Boston and San Francisco/Silicon Valley.  I’ve taken CMU to task for not promoting more development with buildings targeting new technology users, as is so evident in the area surrounding MIT.  Pitt has done only somewhat better with their most recent growth out toward Shadyside at the University of Pittsburgh’s Cancer Institute.

I believe this is truly an example, an instance, and an opportunity to prove the old saw “build it and they will come”.  Time and again, across America in established high tech nodes such as Boston, Seattle and Austin, technology companies cite the availability of skilled employees and infrastructure as reasons for establishing new offices.  I have to believe Google’s expanding Pittsburgh presence is manifesting that thought.  Let’s make more of that in Oakland.

Pitt and CMU are already cranking out enough talented engineers and bio-scientists to fill a new office building annually with every graduating class.  Physical space needs to be built.  Infrastructure doesn’t appear without hard work from all stakeholders.  Someone needs to take the lead and spark real estate developers and government and economic development teams to make their moves.  I think Pitt’s Chancellor is in a unique position to provide that spark.