Carnegie Mellon University Mascot History: From Thistle to the Diehard Scottie
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has a rich history dating back to its founding in 1900. Established by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools, the institution evolved into the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1912 before merging with the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research in 1967 to become Carnegie Mellon University. Throughout its evolution, CMU has cultivated a strong identity, reflected in its motto, colors, and, notably, its mascot.
Origins: Carnegie Technical Schools and the Thistle
In 1900, Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist, established the Carnegie Technical Schools in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Carnegie envisioned a vocational training school for the sons and daughters of working-class Pittsburghers, many of whom labored in his mills. Inspired by the Pratt Institute, Carnegie donated the funds to create the institution, writing "My heart is in the work." This phrase would later become the university's motto.
The original Seal of the Carnegie Technical Schools paid homage to Andrew Carnegie's Scottish heritage. It featured a stylized thistle, the national flower of Scotland. According to Scottish legend, a Viking force planned a surprise attack on a band of sleeping Scots, going barefoot to avoid detection. However, when a Viking soldier stepped on a thistle, his cry of pain alerted the Scots, who then rushed into battle and secured a victory. This symbolism resonated with the early identity of the institution, representing resilience and strength.
The Tartan: A Woven Identity
The connection to Scottish heritage extends beyond the thistle to the university's colors and athletic team name. A tartan is a woven wool fabric with a plaid design. The son of a Scottish weaver, Andrew Carnegie inspired the Tartan as the official athletics team name and later a school color. The Tartan serves as a brand, a direct throwback to the one from Carnegie's family. The field is dramatic dark blue, with heavy green strokes crossing horizontally and vertically.
The Scottie: Embodiment of the "Diehard" Spirit
In 2007, Carnegie Mellon University adopted the Scottish Highland Terrier, or "Scottie," as its official mascot. The Scottie embodies the spirit and values of the university. This breed is known for being confident, independent, and spirited-nicknamed "the diehard" by the Earl of Dumbarton. The Scottie is fearless, often assertive around larger dogs, and relentless when pursuing a task. Extremely loyal, the Scottie has been a companion to Scottish royalty and American presidents. Furthermore, the Scottie is a proven winner, having won "best-of-breed" multiple times in prestigious canine competitions.
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The selection of the Scottie as the mascot reflects several key characteristics that Carnegie Mellon seeks to instill in its students:
- Strength: Reflecting the university's motto, "My heart is in the work," the Scottie embodies strength through dedication and perseverance.
- Bravery: The Scottie faces challenges head-on, viewing them as opportunities rather than obstacles.
- Determination: The Scottie symbolizes the university's commitment to asking difficult questions and seeking answers.
- Devotion: The Scottie's loyalty mirrors the dedication of students, faculty, and alumni to Carnegie Mellon University.
- Durability: Known for toughness and resilience, the Scottie represents the enduring spirit of the university.
The Fence: A Canvas for Student Expression
Beyond the official mascot, another iconic symbol of student life at Carnegie Mellon is "The Fence." In 1923, the senior class built a fence on campus as a place for seniors to celebrate their time at CMU. Over time, it evolved into a unique campus tradition. The fence serves as a canvas for student expression. Students paint messages on the fence, turning it into a constantly evolving billboard. A tradition of students has been to paint the fence with messages, as a campus billboard. Student-driven rules have been passed down through word-of-mouth only; any student can paint the fence provided they paint the entire length between midnight and sunrise using only a paintbrush; those who want to protect their message must post at least two people to guard the fence. The original wood structure collapsed under the weight of the many layers of paint in 1993, ending its reign as “the world's most painted object" by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Carnegie Mellon Today
Carnegie Mellon University continues to uphold its commitment to interdisciplinary research and education. The university consists of seven colleges, including the College of Engineering, the School of Computer Science, the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Tepper School of Business.
The Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences emphasizes the study of the human condition through rigorous analysis and technology. Departments include English, History, Modern Languages, Philosophy, Psychology, Social and Decision Sciences, and Statistics, as well as an Institute for Politics and Strategy.
The H. John Heinz III College of Information Systems and Public Policy offers top-ranked master's degrees in Public Policy and Management, Health Care Policy and Management, Medical Management, Public Management, Information Systems and Management, Information Technology, and Information Security Policy and Management. The Heinz College also runs master's programs in Arts Management and Entertainment Industry Management with the College of Fine Arts. Heinz College consists of the School of Information Systems & Management and the School of Public Policy & Management.
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The Mellon College of Science has four departments: Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Mathematical Sciences, and Physics. The college is expanding efforts in neuroscience, green chemistry, bioinformatics, computational biology, nanotechnology, computational finance, cosmology, sensor research, and biological physics.
The School of Computer Science: Carnegie Mellon helped define, and continually redefines, the field of computer science. The School of Computer Science is recognized internationally as one of the top schools for computer science and has been consistently ranked the best in the country. The School of Computer Science includes seven departments: the Computer Science Department, Ray and Stephanie Lane Computational Biology Department, Robotics Institute, Machine Learning Department, the Human-Computer Interaction Institute, the Language Technologies Institute, and the Software and Societal Systems Department (S3D).
The Tepper School of Business (formerly the Graduate School of Industrial Administration) offers undergraduate programs in Business Administration and Economics (the latter jointly with the Dietrich College), master's degrees in Business Administration (MBA), Product Management (MSPM) and joint degrees in Computational Finance (MSCF) with the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Mellon College of Science, the Heinz College, and the School of Computer Science. In addition, joint degrees are offered with Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Heinz College. The Tepper School also offers doctoral degrees in several areas and presents a number of executive education programs. Following a $67 million donation from alumnus David A. Tepper in 2013, the university expanded the undergraduate business program and named the school after him.
In addition to research and academic institutions, the university hosts several other educationally driven programs. The Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences, a state-funded summer program that aims to foster interest in science amongst gifted high school students is run on campus every summer. The university also runs Carnegie Mellon Pre-College, a six-week residential program for rising juniors and seniors in high school and the Summer Academy for Math and Science (SAMS), a free-of-charge STEM immersion program for students from underrepresented backgrounds.
The Cyert Center for Early Education is a child care center for Carnegie Mellon faculty and staff, as well as an observational setting for students in child development courses. Carnegie Mellon also runs the Integrative Design, Arts, and Technology (IDeATe) Network to provide university-wide arts and technology education to students from every college. IDeATe allows students to take minors or concentrations in Animation and Special Effects, Entrepreneurship for Creative Industries, Game Design, Intelligent Environments, Learning Media, Media Design, Physical Computing, and Sound Design. IDeAte will also offer graduate master's degrees in Emerging Media, Game Design, Integrative Innovation for Products and Services, Computational Data Science, Urban Design, and Production Technology and Management. IDeATe also manages the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) in conjunction with the School of Computer Science and the College of Fine Arts. Each master's degree program has an option to study in the CMU Integrative Media Program (IMP) at Steiner Studios in New York City.
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Carnegie Mellon announced plans to collaborate with Emerald Cloud Lab to construct the world's first cloud lab in a university setting. The Carnegie Mellon University Cloud Lab was planned to be completed by the spring of 2023. Carnegie Mellon also planned to construct a new mechanical engineering building by fall 2023 (Scaife Hall), a new $105 million athletics center by fall 2024 (Highmark Center for Health, Wellness and Athletics), a $210 million Science Futures Building (R.K.
Carnegie Mellon University continues to evolve and adapt to meet the needs of a changing world. In September 2022, Carnegie Mellon announced a $275.7 million partnership with the Mastercard Foundation to support Carnegie Mellon University Africa in Kigali, Rwanda.
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