{"45985":{"#nid":"45985","#data":{"type":"news","title":"OMED Celebrates Three Decades at Tech","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Office of Minority Educational Development (OMED) celebrates three decades of assisting Tech\u0027s underrepresented students during Homecoming week.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOn Friday, the Georgia Tech Black Alumni Organization (GTBAO) kicks off with the seminar \u0022Diversity in Today\u0027s Society\u0022 at 9 a.m. in the Global Learning Center, featuring Vice Provost for Academic Diversity Gilda Barabino and Kathleen Bertrand, senior vice president for Community Affairs for the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Homecoming 30th Anniversary Party will be held later that evening at the Twelve Hotel at Atlanta Station, after receptions for the GTBAO and the Georgia Tech Hispanic Alumni Network. On Saturday, OMED sponsors a pre-game tailgate at the Campanile.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBegun in 1979, OMED\u0027s mission is to provide programs and services that aid in the retention, development and performance of Georgia Tech students who are traditionally underrepresented in academia. Its services and programs, however, are available to all Tech students. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022This milestone isn\u0027t about what we\u0027ve done,\u0022 said OMED Director and Senior Partner S. Gordon Moore Jr. \u0022It\u0027s about establishing a checkpoint, looking at what we\u0027re doing and where we are going.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOMED\u0027s success, he says, is based upon a continuous Institutional effort, from the top down. \u0022You don\u0027t have something like this, and not have people in the administration help to keep it around,\u0022 he said. \u0022Crecine added the resources, and [President G. Wayne] Clough reached out to diversity groups and [helped us] continue.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Tech has had a lot of success with minority students,\u0022 he continued. \u0022The question is whether the Institute wants to continue to that success, and I believe we do, based upon comments from President [Bud] Peterson and the establishment of the vice provost for Academic Diversity.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022[Peterson] has done his homework. He understands we have experienced growth in [the number] of Hispanic students, but we have fallen behind in the percentage of African American students. It\u0027s good to hear the president is concerned the percentages are down. When we look [at underrepresented students in general] in the STEM fields, we\u0027re still far behind.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYet OMED has received significant national recognition for its work with students. In 2004, OMED\u0027s Challenge retention program received one of four Lee Noel and Randi Levitz Retention Excellence awards, and in 2007 the organization received a Golden Torch Award from the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAwards are just one measure of OMED\u0027s success. \u0022A good indication we\u0027re doing something right is the amount of institutions that call on us,\u0022 he said, adding that the University of Michigan, Rice University and Purdue University have all approached Georgia Tech to get more information on the programs across campus. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I think Tech can be the model for academic excellence and inclusion among minority students,\u0022 Moore said. \u0022The argument of \u0027equity versus excellence\u0027 doesn\u0027t work here at Georgia Tech. You have to be excellent to even come here.\u0022 He also points out that most of Tech\u0027s minority graduates have been in the last 15 years. \u0022Critics talking about that or thinking that imbalance [between equity and excellence] exists at Tech really don\u0027t know our students.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFor now, Moore and the OMED staff will look ahead to helping students achieve their success every day. \u0022I just love what I do,\u0022 he said. \u0022That\u0027s the greatest thing about being in education. Every day I get to see the product. Every day some student will remind you of why you do this. Every day I see the results. I understand the importance of this. It\u0027s important to produce those who can produce for themselves.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"On Friday and Saturday, the Office of Minority Educational Development celebrates its anniversary.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Organization continues assisting underrepresented students."}],"uid":"27191","created_gmt":"2009-10-14 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:03:09","author":"Robert Nesmith","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2009-10-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2009-10-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"45986":{"id":"45986","type":"image","title":"Office of Minority Educational Development","body":null,"created":"1449174338","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:25:38","changed":"1475894406","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:40:06","alt":"Office of Minority Educational Development","file":{"fid":"190084","name":"taf56494.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/taf56494_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/taf56494_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":269927,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/taf56494_0.jpg?itok=MLUSnMbU"}}},"media_ids":["45986"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.omed.gatech.edu\/redux","title":"Office of Minority Educational Development"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.provost.gatech.edu\/units\/vpad\/index.html","title":"Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Diversity"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"6972","name":"Gordon Moore"},{"id":"6971","name":"Office of Minority Educational Development"},{"id":"6045","name":"OMED"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003ES. Gordon Moore\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOMED\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:gordon.moore@omed.gatech.edu \u0022\u003EContact S. Gordon Moore\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-894-2000\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["gordon.moore@omed.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}