Tech Topics - Winter 2008 - (Page 16)

THE HILL STATE OF THE Institute A Legacy of Strategic Growth Interim President and Provost Gary Schuster began his State of the Institute address, delivered during Family Weekend and Homecoming, by reflecting on the legacy of Wayne Clough, who left Tech this year after 14 years at its helm. In his speech, excerpted here, Schuster said as he considered Clough’s tenure, he realized just how far Georgia Tech has come. Tech has now been ranked among the nation’s top public universities for the past decade. The undergraduate experience has been enriched with expanded opportunities, more research, study abroad and leadership as well as improved advising and academic support and innovative interdisciplinary degrees. Two-thirds of our undergraduates are now engaged in special programs like the research option, the international plan, the leadership plan or the co-op program that enhance the value of their degrees. The research enterprise has more than doubled, with a record-setting $445 million in awards last year, putting us on a track for annual expenditures of a half billion dollars or more. Georgia Tech has always had an entrepreneurial personality. That focused attention on smoothing the path from research labs into the marketplace has increased the number of new companies Tech created. As a result, we now spin off about twice as many new companies as a typical university with a similarly sized research enterprise. Georgia Tech’s international reach has also expanded. The campus at Metz, France, blossomed into a full-fledged operation with a graduate and undergraduate education program. New international platforms with both facilities and Georgia Tech people opened in Shanghai in connection with Jiao Tung University and at Athlone, Ireland, where the Georgia Tech Research Institute partnered with the Irish Development Agency. Georgia Tech is moving forward to become one of the world’s first truly global universities. Taken together, all of these achievements trace an upward trajectory for Georgia Tech that has been accelerating. It is a legacy of strategic growth that positioned the Institute for even greater prominence in the future. The process begins with attracting outstanding people to Tech, and this year is no exception. Our freshman class is the smartest we’ve ever enrolled, reinforcing our reputation for having one of the highest quality student bodies of any public university 16 “Georgia Tech has not only grown in size and reputation over the past decade, but the strategic character of that role has positioned us for even greater prominence.” in the United States. Most universities either increase enrollment or they increase the caliber of their students. It is rare to do both at the same time, but that is exactly what Tech has done. Our faculty are just as excellent as our students. Mostafa El-Sayed made history by becoming the very first faculty member at any college or university in the state of Georgia to receive the National Medal of Science. We are also seeing the expansion of our international prestige and opportunities for leadership. Our faculty are gaining recognition around the world as leading experts in their fields. Georgia Tech has much of which to be proud, but this is certainly no time to rest on our laurels. Challenges Ahead As we think about the future of Georgia Tech and our aspirations for a new era of increased promise, there also are some constraints that we need to consider. For example, we have experienced strong enrollment growth over the past decade, and we are beginning to approach the capacity of our Atlanta campus. We want to continue to grow both our enrollment and our research enterprise. We must find ways to balance the growth against the physical constraints of our campus. We have been fortunate to acquire some additional real estate around the edges of our campus that made Technology Square and the North Avenue research area possible, but the reality is that we’re in the middle of the intercity and acquiring more property is not an easy or inexpensive endeavor. Another challenge facing us this year is dealing with cuts in the state funding that make up a significant part of our budget. All units of the state government, including the University System of Georgia, of which we are a part, have been asked to absorb a 6 percent cut in their state funds during the Continued on page 18 TechTopics | Winter 2008

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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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