“Dr. Bud Peterson is a visionary leader who has tremendously contributed to French-American relations in the U.S. Southeast,” said French Consul General Denis Barbet. “Not only has he demonstrated enthusiastic support for the Georgia Tech-Lorraine campus and the creation of the Lafayette Institute in Metz, France — a technology transfer platform that will benefit both American and French researchers — but he has also personally invested himself and his university in reinforcing transatlantic cooperation through the France-Atlanta initiative.”

The National Order of the Legion of Honor was created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. It recognizes extraordinary accomplishments and outstanding services rendered to France, based on a personal decision by the president of the Republic of France.