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President Obama Visits Georgia Tech

The President Visits Georgia Tech: Before, During, and After

President Obama Visits Georgia Tech

When the White House wants to come calling, you roll out the red — better yet, gold — carpet.

Such was the case for Georgia Tech in March 2015 when President Barack Obama came to talk to the campus community about college affordability. From the time the students, faculty, and staff first learned they would get to hear from the nation’s leader on their own turf, they swarmed at the opportunity. They waited hours in lines that snaked through campus for ticket pickup and arrived at McCamish Pavilion as early as 4 a.m. the day of the president’s visit.

Read on to learn more about the campus community’s experience hosting President Barack Obama on March 10, 2015, and about Georgia Tech’s history of past presidential visits.

photo - President Obama waving from the door of AirForce 1

Welcome, President Barack Obama

Georgia Tech welcomed President Barack Obama on Tuesday, March 10, 2015. Nearly 10,000 students, faculty, staff, and guests packed McCamish Pavilion to hear the president speak about college affordability and announce the Student Aid Bill of Rights.

Students Pack McCamish for Presidential Pep Talk

President Obama gave shout-outs to George P. Burdell, the Ramblin’ Wreck, and even thermodynamics homework when he came to Georgia Tech to announce his Student Aid Bill of Rights. “It’s great to be at one of the finest technical institutes in the world,” Obama said. “You’ve got to be if the Ramblin’ Wreck is still running after all these years.”

Up Close and Personal

A handful of Georgia Tech students had the opportunity to be face to face with President Barack Obama during his address at McCamish Pavilion. Each of these students shared with us their unique experience of meeting the leader of the free world.

#POTUSatGT: Swamping Social Media

Social media websites exploded with photos, videos, and comments about the president’s stop at Georgia Tech. The hashtag #POTUSatGT generated more than 2 million timeline deliveries on Twitter and was trending in Atlanta for much of the morning and afternoon.

A personal meeting with President Barack Obama

A Personal, Secret Meeting with President Obama

Right around 1:40 on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 10, President Barack Obama walked onto the risers in McCamish Pavilion to address a capacity crowd of Georgia Tech faculty, staff, and students. At the same exact time, four miles away, Secret Service agents walked three Georgia Tech students into an empty restaurant.

potus portal - a message from President Peterson

A Note of Thanks from President Peterson

Georgia Tech has had the privilege of welcoming our nation’s leaders to speak on our campus for more than a century, and the tradition continued on March 10 as we welcomed President Barack Obama.

Past Presidential Visits to Georgia Tech

From President Theodore Roosevelt’s visit in 1905 to President Barack Obama’s visit in 2015, the Georgia Institute of Technology has hosted seven U.S. presidents during our history.

A Candidate Returns as President

In 2007, a U.S. senator from Illinois visited Georgia Tech as a presidential candidate. He spoke at what was known as Yellow Jacket Park — now Tech Green — about his family background, his campaign platform, and the need to “turn the page” on an outdated political system.

Credits

Writers: Steven Norris, Kristen Bailey, Patti Futrell
Photo/Video: Rob Felt, Maxwell Guberman, Steven Norris, Gabe Pippas
Digital Design: Melanie Goux