Dean of A.J. Palumbo School of Business
Duquesne University
Thomas J. Murrin was named Dean of Duquesne University's A J. Palumbo School of Business in January, 1991. Prior to this appointment, he served for 18 months as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce. At Commerce, Murrin was deeply involved in a variety of executive activities - including the 1990 Decennial Census; the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and its initial application within the Commerce Department; the modernization of the National Weather Service and the new Advanced Technology and manufacturing Center Programs.
He was selected by Governor Ridge to chair Pennsylvania's "Technology 21" Program - and the Pittsburgh Public School System Assessment Panel; is Board Chairman of the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative; and serves on the Congressionally sponsored Federal Workforce Commission on Information Technology.
As part of Murrin's community activities in Pittsburgh, he led a successful fund-raising effort at Mercy Hospital where he was Chairman of the Board for nine years - and participated in similar efforts at Duquesne University and for the United Way.
Recruited to the Westinghouse Electric Corporation as a graduate student in 1951, Murrin initially worked as a manufacturing/materials engineer. Over the next 36 years, he served in various positions with Westinghouse - including European Manufacturing Representative, based in Geneva, Switzerland; Corporate Vice President of Manufacturing; Senior Vice President of the Defense and Public Systems Group; and President of the Public Systems Company. Murrin retired in 1987 as President of the firm's highly regarded Energy and Advanced Technology Group - an organization with nearly $5 billion in annual sales.
As a native of New York City - born to Irish and Scot immigrants and raised on Manhattan's East Side - Murrin received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Fordham University in 1951 where he was a starting tackle under Coach Vince Lombardi; has done graduate work at several universities; and is a Fellow of the National Academy of Engineering.
A Half Century of CMU's Partnership's with Industry
Drawing on his relevant experiences in Industry, Government and Academe, Tom Murrin will recall Andrew Carnegie's 1888 list of the seven 'best uses' for his wealth --- starting with, 'First, standing apart by itself is the founding of a university...' This was the genesis of CMU's partnership's with industry. And examples of some of the partnership individuals and organizations will be highlighted--- including the evolution of CMU's celebrated Robotics Institute which has benefitted industry, government and other partners.