Envisioning the Future of Education

The efforts to realize the Strategic Plan’s vision took a giant leap forward in 2018 with the release of “Deliberate Education, Lifetime Education,” the final report of the Commission on Creating the Next in Education, an Institute-wide Commission of more than 50 faculty, staff, and students. The report is based on Commission input and recommendations.

Using the year 2040 as a long-term vantage point, the Commission was asked to explore and evaluate innovative approaches to higher education, and address issues facing current and future students. The group was also tasked with making recommendations on alternative educational models that reduce costs, improve the effectiveness of current methodologies, and increase opportunities and accessibility to serve the needs of the next generation and beyond.

The overarching recommendation of the Commission is a proposal called the Georgia Tech Commitment to a Lifetime Education. The proposed commitment is a promise to students to provide an educational experience that is highly individualized and sustainable for a lifetime as personal and professional needs change.

The Georgia Tech Commitment to a Lifetime Education is one of three sections into which the Commission’s report is organized. The other two are:

• The Five Initiatives (Educating the Whole Person, Developing New Products and Services, Reinventing Advising for a New Era, Introducing Artificial Intelligence and Personalization Technologies, and Deploying a Distributed Worldwide Presence), and
• The Culture of a Deliberately Innovative Organization.

“The commitment to our core mission as a public technological research institution will remain unchanged, but we must be responsive to the larger forces impacting the higher education landscape,” said Rafael Bras, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “The first day of classes at Georgia Tech in 2040 will serve a much more diverse population than the traditional students who have largely defined our past. We must ready ourselves now to meet such demands.”

At a town hall meeting in the spring, Georgia Tech community members had the opportunity to ask questions of the Commission leadership and hear next steps on the formation of implementation groups. Plans are underway for the formation of working groups to address topics such as business models for new educational products and services, building a deliberately innovative culture, realizing the Georgia Tech Commitment to a Lifetime Education, and initiative execution.

“Georgia Tech has a rich history of innovation, and we are encouraged by the current and ongoing projects as the Commission transitions into the implementation stage,” said Bras. “We are making strides with a new advising initiative, new credentials, exploration of mini-mesters, and other efforts around our K-12 partnerships. The momentum is building, and we look forward to engaging our colleagues in future efforts.”

Convened by Bras in late 2015, the Commission is co-chaired by Richard DeMillo, executive director of Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities, and Bonnie Ferri, vice provost for Graduate Education and Faculty Development.

Read the report

Global Change Program Launched

Last spring saw the launch of the Global Change Program, a new initiative designed to coordinate and grow educational and research activities focused on providing solutions and creating economic opportunities at the intersection of global change, climate change, and energy.

The launch followed a year of deliberations by an executive committee of campus stakeholders brought together under a joint charge from the Office of the Provost and Office of the Executive Vice President for Research. The 22-member committee was led by President Emeritus G. Wayne Clough and represented all six colleges.

 

“Growth of current programs like the Carbon Reduction Challenge and development of new programs will allow future generations of learners to understand issues of global change from the vantage point of their own discipline.”

Kim Cobb, ADVANCE Professor and Georgia Power Chair in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

“The work of the committee highlighted the many ongoing and exciting efforts in the global change space happening in schools, units, and centers across the Institute,” said Rafael Bras, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “Bringing these groups together in a coordinated, collaborative, and multidisciplinary way will amplify Georgia Tech’s thought leadership and expertise, expand academic programs, and strengthen key partnerships with industry and peer institutions.”

The program is directed by Kim Cobb, ADVANCE Professor and Georgia Power Chair in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Early program activities include curriculum design for undergraduates, including creation of an “Energy and Climate” minor and a climate solutions lab. The program will also host speakers and roundtable events to showcase Georgia Tech’s contributions to global change-related subjects. Objectives include possible expansion of academic programs to graduate students, and growth of new partnerships both within Georgia Tech and with public and private partners.

“The initial thrust of the Global Change Program will focus on undergraduate education and the creation of critical connections among our research and academic faculty,” said Cobb. “Our students want exposure and real-world, hands-on experience with these topics as they enter the workforce. Growth of current programs like the Carbon Reduction Challenge and development of new programs will allow future generations of learners to understand issues of global change from the vantage point of their own discipline.”

“The implications of global change are economic, environmental, and cultural,” said Clough, who served as Georgia Tech’s president from 1994 to 2008. “The work is happening all over campus, and Georgia Tech has a tremendous opportunity to influence the scholarship and policy solutions that address issues of global change and ready students for the careers of the future.”

Diversity and Inclusion Fellows

Twenty faculty, staff, and students completed the inaugural Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program at the program’s poster expo and celebration event.

The first cohort of fellows included Jennifer Beveridge, Brienné Coates, Santanu Dey, Lana Ferreira, Michelle Gaines, Stephanie Gillespie, Tia Jackson-Truitt, Ronald Johnson, Timothy Lieuwen, Susannah McFaul, Jerrold Mobley, Lauren Neefe, Dionne Nickerson, Irina Nikivincze, Yelena Rivera-Vale, Sebastian Ruf, Calvin Runnels, Hussein Sayani, Jacquelyn Strickland, and William Todd.

The goals of the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program are to cultivate a network of ambassadors who will advance a culture of inclusive excellence and create an environment where people feel safe, comfortable, and empowered to discuss diversity and inclusion at Georgia Tech.

“Through this program, we wanted to create a grassroots movement that would accelerate cultural change at Georgia Tech,” said Magnus Egerstedt, professor and Julian T. Hightower Chair in Systems and Controls in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, executive director of the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines, and co-director of the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program.

Projects from the first cohort included podcast stories, blogs, icebreakers, online training modules, panel discussions, and circus arts performances focusing on the dimensions and intersectionalities of diversity, including race, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, and disability.

Next:  Celebrating and Supporting Our Students