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Georgia Institute of Technology

Undergraduate School

Mailing Address
225 North Avenue NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30332
Phone
(404) 894-4154
Email address
admission@gatech.edu
School Information
"Founded on Oct. 13, 1885, the Georgia School of Technology opened its doors in October 1888 to 84 students. The School’s creation signaled the beginning of the transformation of the agrarian South to an industrial economy" (Source: https://www.gatech.edu/about/history-traditions). Today, Georgia Tech has a total enrollment of nearly 40,000 students. The university offers over 130 majors and minors and has a student to faculty ratio of 19 to 1.
General Information
Georgia Tech has responded to the events surrounding George Floyd by launching various diversity centered initiatives. The university has created various resource lists for diversity and inclusion as well. Furthermore, the AAMI, Focus, and Impact Community programs offer support to diverse students. The university does offer Diversity and Inclusion Education and Training. The university requires Implicit Bias Training of all academic leaders. At this time, the university does not require Critical Race Training of all students at this time. However, see developments below:

Actions Taken

Admissions Policies
  • Georgia Tech's Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion's Initiatives focus on the "recruitment, retention, and advancement of underrepresented minority and women students."
Anti-Racism, Bias, and Diversity Training
  • Georgia Tech offers Diversity and Inclusion Education and Training to "all members of the Tech community."
  • In 2021, Georgia Tech announced that all academic leaders are required to take Implicit Bias Workshops and renew such IB training every 4 years.
  • On June 21, 2022, the Office of Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion reported that "The sixth cohort of Culture Champions recently completed the 18-credit requirement of the 2022 Inclusive Leaders Academy (ILA) program at Georgia Tech.." and "Thirty-five staff, faculty, and research leaders across 27 departments join hundreds of previous participants as Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion seeks to grow a community of self-aware, mindful, and socially intelligent people called inclusive leaders."
  • On August 19, 2022, the Office of Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion reported that it would "expand its offerings of implicit bias education to include more comprehensive curricula that will provide guidance on mitigating bias in the workplace and search committees and addressing microaggressions."
  • In late 2016, all 11 recommendations of the "Black Student Experience Task Force" were approved by then-President George Peterson and include "Community Orientation and Training" which is described as follows: "Launch online and in-service training for faculty and staff that addresses issues of gender and ethnic diversity, equity, and inclusion within the student experience. Following this training, faculty and staff will serve as ambassadors for an equitable and inclusive Georgia Tech."
Curriculum Changes and Requirements
  • On September 22, 2020, the School of History and Sociology crafted an Anti-Racism Action Committee. The HSOC will "revisit/revise the undergraduate curriculum, including existing course titles, exploring new course offerings, and potentially amending requirements for the major" and "develop a robust Black Studies minor using HSOC’s existing African American Studies Certificate as a starting point."
  • Georgia Tech's School of History and Sociology Anti-Racism Action Committee states that it would "Revisit/revise the undergraduate curriculum, including existing course titles, exploring new course offerings, and potentially amending requirements for the major."
Faculty/Staff Requirements
  • The "ADVANCE-IDEI" Implicit Bias Workshops for faculty "aim to increase awareness of the impact of implicit bias and facilitate equitable decision-making across various processes related to faculty evaluations." In addition, as of July 2021, "all faculty who serve on reappointment, promotion, and/or tenure committees, and faculty search committees are required to participate in an implicit bias workshop." 
Program and Research Funding
  • On April 28, 2021, Georgia Tech reported that its Associate Professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, Andre Brock, "received a $551,906 sub-grant from the University of Michigan to further interdisciplinary research into issues of 'race, difference, and computation'.”
  • The Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program brings together "faculty, staff, and students who individually and collectively advance their action, research, or teaching objectives while improving inclusivity on campus." The Program is a "bottom-up initiative, tapping into the creativity and diversity of thought among our campus community to crowdsource ideas that create long-term culture change."
  • Georgia Tech's "ADVANCE" Program "builds and sustains an inter-college network of professors who are world-class researchers and role models to support the community and advancement of women and minorities in academia." The Program's goal is to "develop systemic and institutional approaches that increase the representation, full participation, and advancement of women and minorities in academic STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics] careers—thus contributing to a more diverse workforce, locally and nationally."
Resources
  • Georgia Tech offers numerous "diversity related training resources."
  • The African-American male Initiative provides support and resources to African-American men specifically through "academic resources, mentoring, and leadership training."
  • Georgia Tech has an Impact Community program which "incorporates elements of existing Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs such as events, mentorship, community service, and community building."
  • Georgia Tech's Focus program is intended for historically underrepresented students and provides assistance with applying to graduate schools.
  • On February 25, 2022, the Institute's campus newspaper Technique published an article by its Editorial Board entitled "Critical Race Theory in classrooms" which states, "On January 26th, the Georgia Senate filed Senate Bill 377 in an effort to remove the teaching of divisive topics from K-12 public schools and universities in Georgia. We, at the Technique, strongly oppose the bill, the larger-scale movement of censorship, and the implications of the movement for a new generation." The article goes on to state, "By barring students of color from having these important conversations just because it makes their white peers uncomfortable, the government is robbing these students of the tools of awareness and education they need to navigate a world that’s already against them."
  • Georgia Tech's "Serve-Learn-Sustain" webpage offers an Anti-Racism Resource List which includes: "From White Racist to White Anti-Racist," "Anti-racism for white people and parents" and "1619 Project."
Symbolic Actions
  • On June 19, 2020, the HSOC Chair responded to the deaths of Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor by stating, "Brooks, Floyd, and Taylor are hardly the first to suffer this injustice, and sadly will probably not be the last."
  • On May 31, 2020, the president released a statement on George Floyd stating, "Like many of you, I have struggled to process the senseless, heartbreaking killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis."
  • Georgia Tech committed that the IDEI will "host a panel discussion with President Àngel Cabrera that will feature the lived experiences of Black and non-Black faculty, staff, and students."
  • Tia Jackson-Truitt, the director Diversity and Inclusion Education and Training, joined IDEI.
Last updated November 16th, 2023
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