Nearly four decades after Robert Mehrabian helped transform a relatively small engineering college into a rising national powerhouse, UC Santa Barbara celebrated his enduring legacy Tuesday with the official naming The Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering.
The ceremony, held outside Engineering II, a building completed during Mehrabian’s tenure as dean from 1983 to 1990, brought together nearly 200 university leaders, faculty, alumni, and supporters.
Current dean Umesh Mishra, UCSB Chancellor Dennis Assanis, Chancellor Emeritus Henry Yang, and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost David Marshall offered tributes before Mehrabian addressed the crowd. The celebration culminated with the unveiling of signs bearing the college’s new name.
In his opening remarks, Mishra reflected on the decisions that helped establish UCSB Engineering as a national leader, beginning with Mehrabian’s ambitious approach to faculty recruitment.
“He saw what a relatively small engineering college could achieve by recruiting exceptional people in carefully chosen domains,” Mishra said. In seven years as dean, Mehrabian recruited 69 faculty members, more than 20 of whom have gone on to be honored with membership to the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences, or the Royal Society.
His leadership also led to the establishment of the Materials Department, long considered one of the elite programs in the nation, and the construction of the 95,000-square-foot Engineering II complex. Just as important, Mishra emphasized, was the collaborative research culture Mehrabian helped cultivate.
“Dr. Mehrabian did more than recruit talent,” Mishra said. “He gave them the resources, the freedom, and the encouragement to accomplish extraordinary things.”
Mehrabian’s influence has extended well beyond his deanship. Beginning in 2011, he and his wife, Victoria, established endowments that now support 17 faculty chairs and provide flexible resources to recruit and retain leading engineering scholars. Their sustained philanthropy has helped the college build on the foundation he established more than four decades ago.
Chancellor Dennis Assanis pointed to Mehrabian’s remarkable career, which has bridged academic leadership and industry. After leaving UCSB, Mehrabian served as president of Carnegie Mellon University from 1990 to 1997, and later held top leadership positions at Teledyne Technologies, where he is now the executive chairman.
“He’s somebody whose achievements shatter boundaries and defy any categorizations,” Assanis said. “He’s truly amazing.”
Provost David Marshall, who arrived at UCSB after Mehrabian's departure, described the lasting influence of Mehrabian's leadership on generations of faculty and university leaders to come.
“If Dr. Mehrabian represents this past, he also represents our future,” Marshall said. “The unparalleled and visionary investment that he has made in the College of Engineering ensures that we’ll be able to continue to recruit outstanding faculty and build on excellence for years to come.”
Chancellor Emeritus Henry Yang recalled the 40 years of friendship he and his wife, Dilling, have shared with Robert and Victoria Mehrabian.
“Over the years, we have benefited greatly from Robert’s wisdom, his experience, and his steadfast commitment to UC Santa Barbara,” he said. “And Robert’s contribution to UC Santa Barbara did not end when he left the deanship. In many ways, his relationship with the college has grown even stronger with time.”
When Mehrabian took the podium, he recognized former colleagues and faculty members in the audience, reflecting on relationships that have endured throughout his career. He also returned to a principle that guided his leadership at UCSB and later in industry, the importance of concentrating resources in carefully chosen areas of excellence.
“Focus on the few things you can do well,” he said. “You’ll be successful.”
Before the unveiling, Mehrabian encouraged those gathered to look beyond the celebration and consider the role universities play in addressing the challenges ahead.
“We need to invest in our academic institutions,” he said. “The future of the nation, the future of the world is in the intellects we train.”
