{"74471":{"#nid":"74471","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Taking Georgia Tech from Excellence to Preeminence","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe winds of change are evident at Georgia Tech,\nparticularly in the College of Engineering. There are new faces and new\nleadership\u2014people who are committed to manifesting change in order to move\nGeorgia Tech, the College of Engineering, and the H. Milton Stewart School of\nIndustrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) to their highest aspirations. As the\ntechnological university of the twenty-first century, Georgia Tech has to be\nflexible, adaptable, and continually improving and transforming. These new\nleaders represent the new face of Georgia Tech and engineering. They bring with\nthem not only a sense of urgency, but new perspectives, strategies, and ideas.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EG. P. \u201cBud\u201d Peterson, president of Georgia Tech, arrived\nin April 2009. He was followed by Rafael L. Bras, who became provost in\nSeptember 2010. Gary May, dean of the College of Engineering, and Jane Ammons,\nthe H. Milton and Carolyn J. Stewart School Chair at ISyE, both started their\nnew duties on July 1, 2011.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFrom their diverse backgrounds, these Georgia Tech\nleaders are crafting a vision of the future. Looking forward, they are\nenvisioning exciting possibilities and enlisting others in a shared view to\nlead Georgia Tech from excellence to preeminence. The four recently shared their\nthoughts on Tech\u2019s path forward.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThere\nis a lot of discussion regarding the \u201cGrand Challenges for Engineering\u201d for the\ntwenty-first century\u2014some of which are health,\u0026nbsp;\nclean energy, national\u0026nbsp; security,\nand education and lifelong learning. What is Georgia Tech\u2019s role in meeting\nthese challenges?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPeterson\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nWe believe that over the next twenty-five years, many of the world\u2019s most\ncritical problems will be solved at research and educational institutions like\nGeorgia Tech. We\u2019re already working on breakthroughs in a number of fields.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBras\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nOur tradition is not only to create knowledge but also to use that knowledge\nfor the betterment of society. The Georgia Tech Strategic Plan states: \u201cGeorgia\nTech has accepted the challenge to create the conditions that lead to solving\ncritical global problems. Rather than settle for incremental steps forward, we\nhave set forth a course to facilitate bold and deliberate contributions to\nhuman progress.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMay\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nAs the proprietor of the largest, most diverse, and one of the best engineering\nprograms in the nation, it is incumbent upon Georgia Tech to be a leader in\ncreating solutions and empowering students to meet societal challenges. The\n\u201cGrand Challenges\u201d are so named because they will require significant time,\neffort, and resources by a variety of constituencies to resolve them.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAmmons\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nGeorgia Tech faculty, students, and alumni are creative, bold, solution-driven\nleaders when addressing the complex grand challenges of today. ISyE leaders are\nparticularly equipped with holistic systems thinking approaches. Their success\nand impacts to date make us optimistic as we cultivate the leaders of tomorrow.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow\ncan we help stimulate future collaborations of engineers with social scientists,\nindustry, government, business, and other friends of the Institute to address\ncomplex societal issues?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPeterson\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nTech has a long track record of creating collaborative partnerships with\ngovernment, business, and industry, and we must continue. New interdisciplinary\nfields are emerging that span technology, science, policy, business, law, and\nthe arts. Our success will depend on our ability to utilize science and\ntechnology to build on our history of excellence and shape our future.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAmmons\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nWe celebrate the many ways that ISyE faculty, students, and alumni have\ncollaborated with our disciplinary partners as well as business, government,\nand not-for-profit organizations to improve complex societal issues. Examples\ninclude our need for national economic competitiveness in manufacturing and\nsupply chain engineering, our critical healthcare delivery systems, important\nenvironmental and sustainability thrusts, and humanitarian logistics and\ndisaster relief. We will stimulate future collaborations by building on these\nsuccesses and developing our students as leaders with systems thinking and\ncollaborative mindsets.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow\ndo we leverage our state and national leadership roles to advance our global\naspirations?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPeterson\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nDuring the past two decades, Tech has grown into a globalized university, with\npartnerships in more than thirty countries and campuses and operations in\nFrance, Ireland, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, and China. Our Logistics\nInnovation and Research Center established last year in Panama, and the new\nTrade and Logistics Innovation Center in Mexico are prime examples of how we\nhave leveraged our leadership and partnered internationally on projects that\nwill benefit several countries, including the United States.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBras\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nTech is already a global university. The Times Higher Education\u2019s World\nUniversity Rankings place Tech tenth among the world engineering and technology\nuniversities. More than 40 percent of our undergraduate students have an\ninternational experience, far more than most competitors. Through the prominent\nleadership roles of many among our faculty and our globalization efforts, we\nare in a unique position to propel our reputation for excellence to a new, very\nhigh level.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMay\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nDuring the last two decades, the College of Engineering has played a leadership\nrole in establishing Tech\u2019s global reputation. Not only do these activities\nbetter prepare our graduates for an increasingly \u201cflatter\u201d world, but they also\nallow the university to have better access to international student and faculty\ntalent, to partner more seamlessly with multinational corporations, and to\ncontinue to build its brand.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\ncan be done to heighten interest in engineering and science education and\nresearch to increase the visibility and importance of these areas to society?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBras\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nFirst we need to articulate the excitement of the creative nature of science\nand engineering, the value we bring to society as knowledge and wealth creators\nand drivers of progress, our role as providers of solutions to societal\nproblems, and our capacity to transform and preserve life. Second, we must\ncontinue outreach efforts to K-12 education\u2014that leaky pipeline must be fixed.\nAnd third, we must plug our own leaky pipeline by improving the delivery of our\neducation, making it exciting, rewarding, and fun. Technology can help in that\ntask.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMay\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nResearch shows that the general public still has a poor understanding of what\nengineers do. Data suggest that the public believes engineers are not as\nengaged with societal and community concerns as scientists or as likely to play\na role in saving lives. When judging the relative prestige of professions,\npeople tend to place engineering below medicine, nursing, science, or teaching.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAs engineers, we clearly have a vested personal\ninterest in more people having an accurate and positive impression of\nengineering. In addition, a better understanding of engineering would encourage\nstudents\u2014particularly women and underrepresented minorities\u2014to pursue\nengineering careers.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EA consistent effort by the College of Engineering\nand its constituents can create positive momentum toward making engineering\nmore appealing and better understood by students, educators, parents,\npolicymakers, and society at large.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPeterson\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nEinstein once said that in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. I believe\nwe\u2019re experiencing this now as our nation and our state look for answers to\ngrowing globalization, the need for stronger domestic manufacturing, the need\nfor innovation and getting those innovations to the marketplace to help create\na stronger economy and more jobs, and the need to prepare the workforce for the\nfuture. Georgia Tech has a seat at the table for President Obama\u2019s new Advanced\nManufacturing Partnership. Georgia Tech is a leader in science, technology,\nengineering, and math (STEM) education and is involved in four of the five\n\u201cRace to the Top\u201d projects recently selected by the state for funding. Today,\nwe\u2019re helping to recruit and educate tomorrow\u2019s leaders in the STEM fields.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAmmons\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nWe have a mandate to spread the excitement and creativity of science and engineering,\nincluding its role in creating wealth, jobs, and making our world a better\nplace. From K-12 outreach to more inspiring hands-on learning experiences at\nthe college level, we need to cultivate the spirit of the National Academy of\nEngineering\u2019s \u201cChanging the Conversation\u201d to inspire our current generation of\nengineering students that \u201cDreams Need Doing.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\nshould we be doing to prepare our graduates with the skills necessary to be\nsuccessful\u0026nbsp; and to adapt, change,\u0026nbsp; and advance in a truly global marketplace?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAmmons\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nPerhaps our task is as much about helping students \u201clearn how to learn\u201d and\nbeing stewards of their own intellectual and interpersonal development as it is\nunderstanding current knowledge and technology. They face a world with increasing\ntechnical and social change that will require them to continually increase the\nfirst and second derivatives of their personal growth and adaptation.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPeterson\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nTechnology changes so rapidly that our graduates must commit to lifelong\nlearning. I also feel that interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary experience\nis becoming a must. And, we need to continue to prepare leaders who are both\ninnovative and entrepreneurial.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBras\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nWe cannot forget that an educated person needs understanding of much more than\njust science and engineering. We must provide our students with the\ncommunication skills, the knowledge of cultures and societies, and the social\nawareness and sensitivities to lead wherever they are.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMay\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nWe have the most talented students that we have ever had in the history of the\nInstitute. These students have grown up with nearly instantaneous and\nubiquitous access to information. Given these realities, it makes little sense\nto educate them exclusively using traditional methods in traditional\nengineering curricula. On the contrary, our objective must be to empower our\nstudents to be independent learners and fearless in the face of complex\nproblems. To accomplish this, the educational experience must maximize\nflexibility, have a multidisciplinary orientation, and encourage thinking that\nfacilitates the creation of solutions.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow\nis the changing availability of resources affecting our students and faculty\nboth near- and long-term?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBras\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nDuring the past three years, the state support of Georgia Tech has been reduced\nby more than 90 million dollars. Although we have recovered a portion of that\nloss with tuition and other income, the overall support from the state is down\nto less than 20 percent of total annual expenses. Staff and faculty are doing\nmore with a lot less, our student-to-faculty ratios are higher than ever,\nbeyond what they should be to ensure continuing excellence. We will need to\nthink of new revenue-generation ideas, new ways of controlling costs, and new\nways of delivering education without sacrificing quality and excellence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAmmons\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nISyE faculty, staff, and students have been significantly impacted by the\nreduction in resources. ISyE has one of the largest student-to-faculty ratios\nof any Georgia Tech unit, and our students are frustrated by the very large\nclass sizes and significant waiting lists for classes. On the positive side,\nour faculty and staff have been creatively seeking new revenue sources,\ncontrolling costs, and innovating in the classroom.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMay\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nAs we know, student and faculty interaction is also critically important and\ninextricably linked to the student-to- faculty ratio. The quality of student\nand faculty interaction will definitely improve with a more manageable ratio.\nOur students want and deserve an improved environment for intellectual\nexchange, and we are committed to that objective.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPeterson\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nWe\u2019re all feeling the pinch of this global recession in one way or another, and\nit is definitely impacting higher education. Students have increased\ncost-sharing in their education. We continue to preserve the quality of our\nacademic programs to ensure that we are able to provide an educational\nexperience consistent with the very best institutions in the country. In times\nlike these, we are particularly grateful to members of the Georgia Tech family,\nfriends, and supporters who have contributed to Campaign Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\nis your vision for further developing the diversity of our students, staff, and\nfaculty to leverage the diverse talent and perspective that is needed to solve\nthe important societal problems?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMay\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nThe economy is critically dependent on the talents and knowledge of a diverse\nand available technical workforce. U.S. jobs are growing fastest in areas that\nrequire knowledge and skills stemming from a strong grasp of science, technology,\nengineering, and mathematics (STEM). In some areas\u2014 particularly in computer\nand information technology\u2014 business leaders are warning of a critical shortage\nin skilled domestic workers that is threatening their ability to compete in the\nglobal marketplace. To realize a diverse technical workforce, the educational\nenvironment for underrepresented engineering students must be systematically\nimproved across all levels of the kindergarten to PhD educational continuum. \u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EParticular attention must be paid to transition\npoints along that continuum\u2014for example, from high school to college, college\nto graduate school, and graduate school to the workforce. At Georgia Tech,\nwe\u2019ve seen that a key factor for motivating students to pursue advanced degrees\nand research careers in STEM is a fruitful research experience as an\nundergraduate. As the nation\u2019s most diverse engineering college, this is\nnothing short of an obligation for us.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPeterson\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nWe are continuing to strengthen our national leadership position in the total\nnumber of engineering degrees awarded to underrepresented minority students and\nwomen. And, we now have a number of programs in place to recruit and retain\nunderrepresented minorities in all of the academic programs we offer\u2014not just\nengineering\u2014and in the past three years, we have increased the number of\nunderrepresented minorities in the freshman class by nearly 40 percent and\nwomen by 8 percent. As we commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the\nmatriculation of the first black students at Tech, we are reminded of how far\nwe have come and how much more we need to do to recruit, develop, retain, and\nengage a diverse cadre of students, faculty, and staff to create a campus\ncommunity that exemplifies the best in all of us and fosters inclusive excellence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAre\nthere any capabilities, human or institutional, that we have that are\nunder-developed or under- utilized, and what should we do about that?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAmmons\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nThe heart of Georgia Tech is our people\u2014our students, alumni, staff, and\nfaculty. We have the opportunity to grow stronger and more impactful as we\nenhance the diversity of talent and perspective in people and our Georgia Tech\nleadership.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMay\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nOur human resources\u2014faculty, staff, alumni, and students\u2014are our greatest\nasset. I would like to see us make greater use of these resources by\nidentifying and utilizing more mechanisms for these constituencies to provide\nsubstantive input to our decision-making processes. We have access to many\nsmart, gifted, and dedicated people. If two heads are better than one, then\nsurely we as leaders can benefit from our people.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBras\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nOf course, every organization can improve. We have an enormous opportunity to\ntransform education with the opening of the G. Wayne Clough Undergraduate\nLearning Commons. We have an opportunity to reinvent the delivery of\nundergraduate education and redefine the role of libraries as a center of\nlearning.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPeterson\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nAs we create a more inclusive environment and campus community, we will be even\nmore effective in realizing our full potential. In addition, we must continue\nto think and plan long term, looking at the big picture. And, without a doubt,\nthe biggest wins will come through collaborative partnerships, within\ndisciplines, with other universities, with government, business and industry,\nand with our alumni.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\nare the things Georgia Tech should be most proud of as an organization, and\nwhy?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPeterson\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nOur people! Georgia Tech students, faculty, staff, and alumni are developing\ninnovations, conducting breakthrough research, saving lives, and changing the\nworld.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMay\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nGeorgia Tech has a culture of excellence. We believe in going far beyond the\nordinary to pursue the extraordinary\u2014 in academics, technology, research, and\nservice. We have a rich culture characterized by attributes such as rigor, pragmatism,\ncollegiality, entrepreneurship, and diversity. Since its inception, Georgia\nTech has embraced a \u201ccan do\u201d spirit that is evident throughout all facets of\ncampus.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAmmons\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nOur Georgia Tech core\u2014the quality, drive, commitment, and successes of students,\nalumni, faculty, and staff.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBras\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nWe should be most proud of our students, past and future. We must be proud of\nour legacy of offering opportunity to all willing to work hard, many of whom\nare the first generation of college students in their families. We must find a\nway of making sure that cost is never an impediment to any meritorious\ncandidate.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFrom\nyour perspective is there a message or call to action we need to deliver to our\nconstituents?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAmmons\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nOur call to action is clear: let\u2019s work together to address the important needs\nof today\u2019s world while developing well-prepared leaders of tomorrow.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMay\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nThe challenge in sustaining and enhancing the Georgia Tech culture requires an\nintellectual shift in focus from merely training technical professionals to\nempowering leaders capable of creating the solutions required by the global\nsociety. Within the College of Engineering, we will focus on the Georgia Tech\nglobal brand through fostering innovation, leadership, strong student-faculty\nrelationships, and interdisciplinary studies.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBras\u003C\/strong\u003E:\n\u201cWhat does Georgia Tech think?\u201d will be a common question in research,\nbusiness, the media, and government. The only thing I have to add is to ask all\nalumni, students, staff, and faculty not to wait until asked\u2014let\u2019s tell the\nworld what we think.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPeterson\u003C\/strong\u003E:\nOur Industrial and Systems Engineering program is the best in the nation, and\nit is because of the commitment and quality of our people. In addition to being\nproud of your alma mater, we challenge you to find ways to partner with the\nInstitute and to help us develop leaders for the next generation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cem\u003ESpecial thanks to Kay Kinard and Patti Futrell for their contributions and assistance with this article.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EG.P. \u0022Bud\u0022 Peterson, president of Georgia Tech, Rafael Bras, provost, Gary May, dean of the College of Engineering, and Jane Ammons, H. Milton and Carolyn J. Stewart School Chair for ISyE, recently shared their\nthoughts on Tech\u2019s path for the future.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27511","created_gmt":"2011-12-16 13:01:18","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:10:53","author":"Ashley Daniel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-01-02T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2012-01-02T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"74491":{"id":"74491","type":"image","title":"(Clockwise) President \u0022Bud\u0022 Peterson, Dean Gary May, Provost Rafael Bras, and ISyE School Chair Jane Ammons","body":null,"created":"1449178046","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:27:26","changed":"1475894688","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:44:48","alt":"(Clockwise) President \u0022Bud\u0022 Peterson, Dean Gary May, Provost Rafael Bras, and ISyE School Chair Jane Ammons","file":{"fid":"193784","name":"untitled-1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/untitled-1_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/untitled-1_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":314350,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/untitled-1_0.jpg?itok=ZmungNg-"}}},"media_ids":["74491"],"groups":[{"id":"1242","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE)"}],"categories":[{"id":"132","name":"Institute Leadership"}],"keywords":[{"id":"594","name":"college of engineering"},{"id":"15581","name":"G. P."},{"id":"2484","name":"Gary May"},{"id":"109","name":"Georgia Tech"},{"id":"1202","name":"H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering"},{"id":"7987","name":"Jane Ammons"},{"id":"15591","name":"Rafael L. Bras"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:barbara.christopher@isye.gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBarbara Christopher\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIndustrial and Systems Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404.385.3102\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}