The Institute’s success is measured by the lives it changes. That is the central belief Ángel Cabrera brought to his presidency, and by that measure, his seven-year tenure has led to record-setting achievements. Under his leadership, Georgia Tech has yielded more impact, more results, and more value than ever before as it has increased the number of students it serves, the critical research discoveries and advancements it produces, and the contributions it makes to its city and state.
When Ángel Cabrera returned to his alma mater in 2019 to become Georgia Tech’s 12th president, he brought along some bold aspirations, a proven track record from his time at George Mason University, and a deep personal connection to the Institute. But as he rolled into his investiture ceremony aboard the Ramblin’ Wreck, his feet perched on the driver-side running board and his right arm outstretched, he could not have anticipated the challenges in store for the next seven years and the resilience of Georgia Tech to achieve record growth and success.
President Cabrera at his investiture ceremony in 2019.
A few months later, at the height of the pandemic and amid the backdrop of a period of social reckoning and nationwide protests, President Cabrera saw an opportunity to take stock of Georgia Tech’s identity, values, and purpose and embrace a time of renewal defined by brave commitments and bold goals. With input from more than 5,700 members of the Tech community, the strategic plan took shape, complete with a new mission to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.
Just six months into his new job, Covid-19 arrived. As the global disruption upended nearly every aspect of life, Tech leaned into its culture of quickly developing and executing creative solutions to complex problems. Within two weeks, the Institute converted all classes to online instruction and soon after rolled out a nationally recognized Covid-19 testing system that enabled the Tech community to monitor infection and return to in-person learning much faster than many of its peers.
Recognizing students as Georgia Tech’s top priority and the most important aspect of its work, the new strategic
plan, “Progress and Service for All,” committed the Institute to become a model of world-class learning that’s relentlessly committed to serving the public good.
Buzz promotes safe practices during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Over the next several years, universities across the nation had to confront further disruptions, including waning public confidence in higher education, a drastic decline in enrollment, U.S. Supreme Court rulings, changes to federal policy, funding cuts, and an affordability crisis that led many to reevaluate the investment necessary to earn a college degree. Altogether, the 2020s have presented American universities with some of the most formidable challenges they’ve ever encountered. And yet, Cabrera chose to double down on the Institute’s strategic plan in 2024 with his four Big Bets, each one a meaningful and quantifiable commitment:
- Be a national leader in outcomes and value for all students.
- Double the annual number of degrees granted and non-degree learners.
- Double the scale and amplify the impact of our research enterprise.
- Build a national hub for innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship in our city and around our campus.
President Cabrera hosts a strategic planning brainstorming session in 2019.
Cabrera delivers his 2024 Institute Address.
The strategic plan, built on the values of the community and in response to the public’s expectations for higher education, has yielded results that can be seen and felt. In Cabrera’s seven years as president, Georgia Tech has consistently bucked national trends, exceeded benchmarks, and set new records, producing one of the most successful eras in its 141-year history.
Demand for a Georgia Tech degree is at an all-time high because the value of a Georgia Tech degree has never been greater. State and philanthropic support are at all-time highs because the Institute’s quality, scale, and impact have never been greater. Georgia Tech’s research enterprise has never been stronger because its work has never done more to make the state and nation safer, healthier, and more competitive.
Cabrera returned to Georgia Tech as an alumnus determined to expand its reach and relevance. Seven years later, he departs having steered the Institute through a pandemic, social and economic upheaval, legal and policy shocks, and eroding public trust in higher education — all to emerge with one of the most successful chapters in its history. Under his leadership, the Institute’s strategic plan and Big Bets turned ambition into measurable impact, positioning Tech as a national model for quality, scale, affordability, impact, and innovation that delivers arguably the best value and strongest return on investment in all of higher education.
What began as a homecoming developed into a lasting transformation and now gives way to the next chapter: a stronger, more accessible, more consequential Georgia Tech, forever driven by Progress and Service and ready for whatever comes next.
Credits
Written by Benjamin Hodges
Edited by Stacy Braukman
Graphics by Stephen Mullinax