Looking Back at 2019

Read more about the selected stories.

10. Rankings and Records

Georgia Tech:

• Climbs to the top 5 among public universities in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings.

• Sees another increase in the number of students applying for admission — nearly 37,000 applicants — representing a 4% increase over the previous year.

• Reaches a record high for enrollment, with 36,489 students, an 11.5% increase over the previous year.

9. King of Hearts

In spring of 2019, rock icon Mick Jagger undergoes a technologically advanced heart valve replacement procedure developed out of scientific research on prosthetic valves authored by Georgia Tech’s Regents Professor Ajit Yoganathan and his Cardiovascular Fluid Mechanics Laboratory. 

8. Micro-Bristle-Bot

Georgia Tech researchers showcase their new micro-robot invention. Almost too small to see, this tiny 3D-printed robot might be used in the repair of injuries or to attack diseases inside the human body.

7. Record-Breaking Giving

In just 24 hours, 1,410 alumni and friends raise $154,685 for Roll Call, Georgia Tech’s fundraiser that’s been helping to provide assistance for student scholarships, facilities, and programs for more than 70 years.

6. Campus Evolution

Facilities and real estate on and around campus continue to be enhanced and expanded:

• Jan. 6, a refurbished Crosland Tower is unveiled, marking completion of the first phase of Tech's Library Next project.

• May 23, Coda hosts its grand opening, bringing to life the latest architectural sensation in the Southeast’s premier innovation neighborhood, Tech Square.

• Aug. 19, Tech opens the doors to the new Center for Assessment, Referral, and Education (CARE), a single point of entry for students to access mental health resources and services on campus.

• Aug. 22, Georgia Tech announces the advancement of plans for the third phase of Tech Square, releasing news of a generous philanthropic commitment from Roberta and Ernest Scheller Jr. in support of Scheller Tower, one of the two high-rises that will constitute Tech Square Phase III (on the northwest corner of West Peachtree Street and Fifth Street). 

• Oct. 24, the Institute opens the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design, the Southeast’s first academic and research building designed to be certified as a living building by the International Living Future Institute.

5. Athletics Achievements

Georgia Tech Athletics:

• Begins its first football season with head coach, Atlanta-area native Geoff Collins.

• Sets a new program record in volleyball with its 3-0 win over Miami — Head Coach Michelle Collier’s 100th win at Tech.

• Brings home a national championship trophy, beating more than 100 other collegiate clubs at the FINIS College Club Swimming 2019 National Championship in Columbus, Ohio.

4. Deans and Awards

Charles Isbell and Susan Lozier begin as new deans of the College of Computing and the College of Sciences. And faculty and staff receive multiple awards; see many of these awards here.

3. Trailblazers

Georgia Tech unveils statues honoring the Institute’s first three African American students Ford C. Greene, Ralph A. Long Jr., and Lawrence Williams; and the first African American graduate Ronald L. Yancey, EE 1965. 

2. End of a Legacy

G.P. “Bud” Peterson, ends his tenure as Georgia Tech’s 11th president and resumes his teaching and research pursuits at Tech’s Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.

1. A New Era

Ángel Cabrera becomes Georgia Tech’s 12th president — and the first Spanish-born president of an American university.