Tech Topics - Fall 2007 - (Page 9)

AlumniHouse COURTESY RICHARD WITTSCHIEBE HAND Record Reunion Projects Benefit Renovation Plan, Ecology, Students T The Alumni House annex could feature a bas-relief of the Ramblin’ Wreck on the building as a welcome to the Tech campus. Alumni House Expansion Targets Growing Needs By Kimberly Link-Wills A occurred in 1979, when the building at 190 North Ave. received a nearly $600,000 face-lift and was dedicated as the L.W. “Chip” Robert Jr. Alumni/Faculty House. The Alumni Association and the Georgia Tech Foundation both were housed there. Dean George Griffin and coach Bobby Dodd maintained offices at the Alumni/Faculty House after their official retirements from the Institute. Irwin said an annex measuring about 18,000 square feet would be added to the current 21,000-squarefoot Alumni House, which would be completely renovated. “Richard Wittschiebe Hand did a program study and developed all the square-footage needs and estimated long-range staff needs,” Irwin said. “In essence, it will “ $15 million renovation and expansion of the historic Alumni House would enable the Georgia Tech Alumni Association to better serve its constituents for decades to come. “This is the historical entrance to Georgia Tech,” said Joseph P. Irwin, IM 80, president of the Alumni Association. The renovation and expansion of the Alumni House hinges on the Association’s ability to raise $15 million to cover the cost of the project. Ground could be broken within three years. “Georgia Tech’s alumni deserve a new home on campus — a facility that will meet the needs of the ever-changing alumni base and become the base of cultivating today’s students to be loyal, supportive alumni,” Irwin said. “The Alumni Center is more than a renovation of a historic building. It is a celebration of a century of service to Georgia Tech and a promise of continued commitment to a dynamic campus community.” The Alumni Association celebrates its centennial in 2008. The building housing the Alumni Association started out as home to a YMCA. John D. Rockefeller helped fund the 1911 construction of the North Avenue facility. Built at a cost of $75,000, the YMCA housed a bowling alley, billiards tables, a barbershop and dorm rooms. The only major renovation Georgia Tech’s “alumni deserve a new home on campus — a facility that will meet the needs of the ever-changing alumni base and become the base of cultivating today’s students to be loyal, supportive alumni. enable us to expand to meet the growing alumni base needs. There are currently 115,000 Tech alumni and a projected 40,000 more will join our ranks in the next 10 years.” The acquisition of the 2,000bed Georgia State dorms, now the Institute’s North Avenue Apartments for upperclassmen, mean a lot more Tech students will be walking past 190 North Ave. “That’s a huge student population that will be more exposed to the Alumni Association than ever before,” Irwin said. “Urban Collage is looking at the whole North Avenue corridor from the North Avenue Apartments all the way to Technology Enterprise Park. They’re going to come back with recommendations on how best to develop it. “This opportunity is pretty exciting. We can be the keystone in the whole development,” he said. Plans call for the annex to replace the parking lot on the east side of the Alumni House. Architectural renderings show a below-ground parking deck and bring the Basil Garden up to street level. A bas-relief of the Wreck is pictured on the side of the building. The new lobby would be spacious enough to serve as the site of Alumni events and could feature a grand stairwell and elevator bank. The architects envision the elevators whisking visitors to a new ballroom and rooftop garden. The existing ballroom could be used as a museum with more displays than currently are housed on the mezzanine level of the House. he Class of 1967 has made the expansion and renovation of the Alumni House one beneficiary of its reunion-giving project. The class, which will mark its 40th reunion during Homecoming, has set an overall fundraising goal of $12 million — the largest in the history of the reuniongiving program. Russ Chandler III, IE 67, is chairing the 40th reunion committee, which has earmarked $250,000 for the Alumni House. This year’s other milestone reunion classes of 1957 and 1982 are focusing their philanthropy on the environmental sustainability of campus and need-based scholarships. Fundraising will culminate with check presentations to President Wayne Clough at the Oct. 19 reunion class parties during Homecoming. For its 50th reunion, the Class of 1957 has set an overall goal of $10 million, including $1 million to support the President’s Scholarship Program, needbased and international student scholarships and the first phase of the eco-commons. This is the first time a reunion class project goal has been set at the $1 million level. The eco-commons will provide integrated storm water management, outdoor recreation space, enhancement of environmental values and opportunities for research and education. A prominent feature will be open spaces that are integrated physically and linked hydrologically to create a continuous park. Chairs of the 50th reunion committee are William R. Collins Jr., ME 57, MS IM 63; H. Allen Ecker, EE 57, MS EE 58; and Wade Mitchell, Text 57. The Class of 1982 set a class project goal of $125,000 to support need-based scholarships. The project is part of an overall class goal of $2.75 million. “Our charges for tuition and fees remain among the lowest among our peers, but an increasing number of highly qualified students tell us that they simply cannot afford to attend Tech or they cannot afford to stay here,” said Marie R. Mons, director of the financial aid office. “While the HOPE scholarship helps approximately half our students from Georgia with the cost of tuition, it does not cover all fees, the full cost of books or any housing or meal plan expenses, and HOPE does not help our students from other states.” Chairs are Roger B. Cunningham, IE 82, and Thomas N. Herrington Jr., IM 82. TECHTOPICS | FALL 2007 9

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Contents Mail Call Alumni House Historic Renovation 007 Buzz Bash Dazzling Daylilies Living History Cover Story: Key to the City The Hill Tapping Technology Robotics Rivalry No Easy Ride Giving Back Balancing Act Student Life Burdell & Friends Epic Story of Heroism Yellow Jackets Very Good Team Passport to Retirement Real World

Tech Topics - Fall 2007

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