This fall, we're debuting a new public flagship event for our city. We call it Avant South at Georgia Tech, and we’re holding the inaugural two-day summit Sept. 28 – 29. With it, we’re aiming to create an annual convention that will bring the finest minds and voices to Atlanta every autumn to explore and discuss the most consequential issues related to technology facing humanity.

I hope you saw Atlanta native and proud Yellow Jacket Christopher Eubanks stun the tennis world at Wimbledon two weeks ago! Just a few months after cracking the top 100 ranked men’s tennis players, the 27-year-old broke through to the quarterfinals, upsetting two top-ranked seeds along the way. Chris’ unbelievable run at Wimbledon made us all proud and highlighted one of my favorite things about Georgia Tech — that one of the world’s finest research universities also has a rich, storied tradition of athletic excellence.

Last week, Beth and I were proud to represent Georgia Tech at the state dinner hosted by President Biden and the first lady in honor of Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India. It was a perfect opportunity to celebrate the immense contributions of Indian and Indian Americans to Georgia Tech and to America’s science, technology, and business.

Few events inspire like Commencement at Georgia Tech. With the Atlanta skyline surrounding our historic stadium, you get to watch thousands of the best and brightest students from all over the world as they celebrate their fine work and prepare to go out and make a difference. As always, this new graduating class teems with the confidence, talent, and creativity our world needs, and I want to share just a few examples from this amazing group.

One of my great joys as president is having the opportunity to thank and congratulate our amazing students, faculty, and staff for their extraordinary accomplishments and service to our community. Each spring, we hold some of my most treasured traditions dedicated to doing just that.