The Technological University Reimagined: Georgia Institute of Technology, 1994-2008

In 1994 Georgia Tech was a good regional technological university, but the outgoing president left under a cloud of problems with financial systems, federal audits, deferred maintenance, threats to accreditation, and the looming commitment to serve as the Olympic Village for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. As the first alumnus of Georgia Tech to serve as president, G. Wayne Clough was determined to find the means to solve these problems and save the reputation of the university. Believing Georgia Tech had enormous untapped potential, Clough set out to use his experience at four comprehensive universities to change the course of the university for the future. It would come down to a set of key decisions, gaining support for them, and executing with persistence. First, focus on the students, particularly the undergraduates, and their wellness and success. Second, take a campus not known for esthetics or sustainability, and surrounded by dilapidated neighborhoods, and make it into one to be admired. Third, embark on an ambitious building effort to provide facilities to compete with the best in emerging cross-disciplinary research areas. Fourth, expand Georgia Tech’s global reach through research partnerships and study abroad programs for students. Fifth, energize the business school and the sciences and humanities programs by lifting them from service roles to equal status with the engineering programs. Sixth, build a state, regional, and national policy presence. Lastly, support programs allowing financially disadvantaged students to attend Georgia Tech and earn their degrees without incurrence of debt. When it was all said and done, Georgia Tech would be ranked among the top ten public universities in the country and among the top thirty in the world.