Tech Topics - Winter 2008 - (Page 14)

ALUMNI HOUSE Support System Black Alumni Organization offers scholarships, opportunities By Karen Hill A scholarship campaign is providing valuable incentives for prospective black students to enroll at Georgia Tech. “I wasn’t going to come here at first, but winning the Georgia Tech Black Alumni Organization scholarship made my decision easier. More than just the money, it showed that there were people here willing to assist me — sort of that hand that reaches out to you,” said Sean Sanders, a sophomore computer engineering student. Sanders, from Decatur, Ga., is one of the first students to benefit from an endowed scholarship campaign launched in April by the GTBAO. He used the $500 scholarship he received this school year to help pay for books and personal needs. Other recipients this year are freshman Cameron Williams, $1,000, and sophomore Audrey Plummer, $500. Plummer, an architecture major from Stone Mountain, Ga., also received a scholarship last year. “The scholarship isn’t just about the money, though that helps,” Plummer said. “What most matters to me is knowing that a group of people who have gone through Georgia Tech and excelled in their fields are behind me, offering me their support as I make my way through Georgia Tech.” The scholarship initiative is part of Campaign Georgia Tech, the Institute’s $1 billion fundraising effort that runs through 2010. The scholarship endowment campaign for black students is timed to honor the 50th anniversary, in 2011, of the racial desegregation of Georgia Tech, said co-chairs Sonya Rush, CE 81, and Miya Smith, IE 03. The goal, not coincidentally, is $2,011,000. On Sept. 27, 1961, Ford Greene, Ralph Long Jr. and Lawrence Williams became the first three AfricanAmericans to enroll at Tech. The school was the first in the Deep South to integrate peacefully and without a court order. Since then, more than 5,600 black men and women have graduated. Blacks comprise 7 percent of the total enrollment at Tech, which has become the nation’s leading producer of black engineers — at the undergraduate, master’s and PhD levels. “The purpose of the (scholarship initiative) is to establish financial support for incoming black students in perpetuity so that there will always be something to continue the legacy,” Smith said. In its first few months, the endowment campaign has raised more than $500,000. Dorothy Yancy, the first African-American tenured as a full professor at Tech and the recently retired president of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C., is the campaign’s honorary chair. She noted that the benefits of giving flow two ways, even during difficult economic times. “This is an excellent way for black alumni, who benefited greatly from Ma Tech, to share with others the opportunities that they had and are having,” Yancy said. Rush said the long-term goal is to support a freshman and upperclassman each year, as well as help recruit black students and retain upperclassmen. It now costs about $16,340 for an undergraduate, in-state student to attend Tech. For out-of-state students, the figure rises to $35,300. For this school year, 719 black undergraduates asked for financial help to attend Tech, said Marie Mons, the Institute’s director of scholarships and financial aid. Of those, 507 qualified for aid totaling $6.9 million — or $13,600 on average per person. But Tech was only able to give them $3.8 million — or $7,424 on average per person. “The end result is that while we are able to meet approximately 50 percent of the need for this group of students, 50 percent of their need remains unmet, requiring the students and parents to turn to educational debt to meet expenses,” Mons said. “These days it’s so important to have as much gift aid as possible because the loan market is drying up,” she added. “Current economic issues mean the onus is really on us to steer students away from debt. And we really need to work, where possible and practical, to eliminate debt so students are not burdened (with it) for years.” The decision to give $25,000 to the campaign was easy, said Cleve Warren, who chairs the Eartha M.M. White Legacy Fund in Jacksonville, Fla. That fund, which honors an African-American philanthropist who ran a soup kitchen and nursing home for indigent seniors, exists to help create other endowments benefiting blacks. The only string attached is that the money help African-American students from Jacksonville. Tech was the first choice of Warren’s daughter, Errika Mallett, IE 96, and Warren said he’d like for others to share her good experience. “We fell in love with the school, and Atlanta became like our second home. We were there for games, for whatever (our daughter) was involved in,” Warren said. Ty, ME 82, and Wanda Murray, HS 82, are among the donors who have established 10 named endowments within the GTBAO initiative. The Midlothian, Va., couple donated $49,000 last year to begin the Wanda and Tyrone Murray Endowment. “Our Tech degrees have played an important role in our success,” Wanda Murray said. “At Tech, we learned about hard work, perseverance and the selfconfidence that results from accomplishing difficult tasks. These, we believe, are important life skills that every successful person should develop.” For more information, e-mail CampaignGT@gatech.edu or visit www.development.gatech.edu. CareerBeam Helps Alumni Conduct Successful Job Searches T he Georgia Tech Alumni Association has implemented a multifaceted system designed to help people conduct successful job searches. The CareerBeam system guides users through the steps: Be Clear — clarify your career vision and goals. Be Compelling — present yourself well on your resume and when interviewing. Be Strategic — assess your situation, determine your career plan and conduct career research effectively and efficiently. “The Alumni Association has invested in this system to provide alumni with the best in career-related resources,” said Caroline Taylor Player, director of Career Services for the Association. “It is a free benefit we are offering exclusively to Georgia Tech alumni. “In CareerBeam, these steps are presented in easyto-follow modules that invite users to play an active role in their career planning,” Player said. “The system allows you to easily address the needs you have and complete only the components that would benefit you. “For example, you may have a clear career goal in mind but would appreciate guidance on creating a more effective resume. The system can meet you where you are and meet those needs,” she said. Player stressed that in today’s tight economy, being more aggressive and active in a job search isn’t just a great idea, it is an imperative. Colleen Sabatino, president of CareerBeam, said its “virtual career center technology is seeing unprecedented levels of engagement from alumni across more than 100 university clients as a result of today’s economic uncertainty. More and more people are taking advantage of the industry and company intelligence resources within our system and planning for possible career alternatives they might need to pursue. “Registering for CareerBeam allows you to have literally volumes of information at your fingertips,” Sabatino said. “We give you access to multiple databases that allow you to easily access company, industry and other employment information that may influence your search.” Georgia Tech alumni may sign up for the Career Services program at gtalumni.org/pages/careerbeam. 14 TechTopics | Winter 2008 http://www.development.gatech.edu http://www.gtalumni.org/pages/careerbeam

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Tech Topics - Winter 2008 Contents Letters Buzz Around Town Alumni House Rockin’ Good Time State of the Institute The Hill Presidential Search Going Airborne Student Life An Architect’s Eyes Weight Coach Robot Burdell & Friends Ramblin’ Roll Rural Readers Leading Ladies Yellow Jackets Beyond His Years Leading Change Real World

Tech Topics - Winter 2008

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