Address Highlights Tech’s ‘Positive Momentum’

From President Barack Obama mentioning Georgia Tech’s new online Master’s Degree in Computer Science in a speech in Buffalo, N.Y., to Nick Selby’s Convocation speech going viral, Georgia Tech seems to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue lately.

These are just two examples of Tech’s “positive momentum” that President G.P. “Bud” Peterson mentioned during his annual Institute Address last Thursday.   

“When we launched our strategic plan three years ago, we introduced an ambitious vision — we wanted ‘What does Georgia Tech think?’ to be a common question asked by those in research, business, the media, and government,” he said. “Initially, I didn’t think it fit Tech’s style, but I’ve come to realize that those five words summarize our potential impact.”

The teaching of massive open online courses (MOOCs) is one area where Tech has shown thought leadership.

“We started offering MOOCs a year ago, and so far, we’ve had more than 400,000 students enroll in 14 courses,” Peterson said.

He added that students studying on campus are also benefiting from the MOOCs. For example, many faculty members are embracing the flipped classroom model where lectures are provided online and class time is reserved for discussion and activities.

Tech also continues to become a more established innovation hub. On Aug. 27, the AT&T Foundry opened in Tech Square — which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Additionally, Peterson mentioned that this year, Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center was ranked by Forbes as one of 12 business incubators that are changing the world.

As another way to engage students and faculty in the innovation process, the Institute has launched TechStarter, the world’s first peer-reviewed, university-based, crowd funding platform for science and engineering research projects.

During the address, Peterson also touched on the following:

• As part of the Arts@Tech initiative, campus is currently hosting the 15-piece international sculpture exhibition Engineered Art.
• Tech is in the midst of its 10-year reaffirmation process by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
• A Strategic Plan Advisory Group has been created to provide advice and recommendations to Institute leadership regarding the continued implementation of the plan. More information about the strategic plan is available at www.gatech.edu/vision.
• Campaign Georgia Tech has raised $1.25 billion toward a December 2015 $1.5 billion goal.

Peterson closed the address by unveiling Tech’s latest public service announcement — which features a portion of Selby’s Convocation speech.

To read Peterson's speech in its entirety or watch footage of the address, click here.