Institute News

Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is now accepting nominations for the 2022 Diversity Champion Awards, honoring one student, staff and faculty member, and one unit who have worked to advance a culture of inclusion and belonging at Georgia Tech. 

With the launch of its first ever strategic plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion, Georgia Tech is carving a path towards a more inclusive campus community.

Philonise Floyd, activist and brother of George Floyd, will be the featured speaker at the 2022 Black History Month Lecture.

Faculty and staff members recommend documentaries, feature films, and television series that explore race, identity, history, and memory.

Celebratory banners will be on display through end of May.

Ford Greene, Ralph Long Jr., and Lawrence Williams, Georgia Tech’s first Black students, and Ronald Yancey, Tech’s first Black graduate, will receive the 2022 Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage.

Alumnus and former Georgia Tech staff member Andre Dickens will be the 61st mayor of Atlanta.

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia has approved the naming of Georgia Tech’s Student Center in honor of John Lewis, the renowned civil and human rights leader and longtime U.S. representative from Georgia’s fifth congressional district.

ISyE alumnus Ted Colbert III will be honored as the 2022 Black Engineer of the Year (BEYA) at the 36th annual BEYA STEM Conference.

President Ángel Cabrera is among just a handful of Hispanic leaders to helm a major U.S. university. This National Hispanic Heritage Month, he reflects on his time as a student in the College of Sciences at Georgia Tech — and speaks to the critical role of recruiting and supporting more Hispanic and Latinx students and faculty in STEM.

After a national search, the Georgia Institute of Technology has selected Leo Howell as its new chief information security officer.

The 13^th annual Georgia Tech Diversity Symposium was hosted Sept. 15, sponsored by Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Georgia Tech's Office of Hispanic Initiatives will sponsor and co-sponsor a host of virtual and in-person events open to faculty, staff, and students in celebration of 2021 Hispanic Heritage Month.

OMED welcomed incoming first-year students to its 41st annual challenge program, a five-week, summer-intensive academic program.

Following a national search, Diley Hernández was selected as associate vice president for Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She began her new role on July 6.

The Career Alliance @ Georgia Tech is a new initiative that provides traditionally underrepresented students with focused support for success in today’s competitive job market. 

On June 18, the Office of Minority Educational Development and campus Black student organizations partnered to host Juneteenth events, which included a virtual discussion led by Associate Professor André Brock and an afternoon celebration on Tech Green.

Georgia Tech alumnus M. Brian Blake, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at George Washington University, has been named Georgia State University’s first Black president.

One year after the death of George Floyd, Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, shares a reflection and hope for the Georgia Tech community.

The 2021 Tower Awards were hosted by OMED on April 8 and 9. This year marked the 27th year the awards have celebrated the academic achievements of traditionally underrepresented minority students at Georgia Tech.

The Center for the Study of Women, Science, and Technology (WST) at Georgia Tech hosted its 2021 WST Distinguished Lecture event featuring Purdue University's Ellen Ernst Kossek.

The Georgia Tech Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council has launched three working groups comprised of Council members and issue-area experts from across the campus.

A photo of second-year student Naomi Davis in a Georgia Tech protective face mask has gone viral around campus.

Activist, author, and educator Angela Davis delivered a virtual keynote address at Georgia Tech’s 2021 Black History Month Lecture on Feb. 10. The lecture was seen by more than 1,700 unique viewers.

As the first Black IE/OR Ph.D. in the world, and Georgia Tech's first Black tenured professor, Esogbue has been a trailblazer throughout his academic career.

Angela Davis, political activist, philosopher, educator, and author, will be the keynote speaker at Georgia Tech’s 2021 Black History Month Lecture on Feb. 10.

Al Vivian, son of civil rights leader C.T. Vivian, was the keynote speaker for the Race at Georgia Tech: A Call to Action conversation on Thursday, Jan. 21.

The 2021 Focus Program was hosted virtually for the first time in its 29-year history. This year’s program brought together over 300 registered participants in a multidimensional interactive virtual platform.

Nikole Hannah-Jones, award-winning investigative journalist and creator of The New York Times Magazine’s  “The 1619 Project,” led a discussion of her landmark multimedia initiative at the Institute’s 10^th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture on Jan. 14.

The stage is set for the campus' 2021 Martin Luther King Jr. celebration and commemorative event series, featuring several mostly virtual events.

More than 50 representatives from across the campus have been appointed by President Ángel Cabrera to the newly formed Georgia Tech Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council which will identify issues of campus racial and gender disparity, bias, and inequity to be addressed in order to deliver upon the Institute’s vision of diversity and inclusion.

The African American Male Initiative at Georgia Tech hosted its Fall Leadership Summit on Oct. 22, featuring a host of discussions led by campus and community leaders and engaging sessions for students.

Author Sonia Nazario gave the keynote address at Georgia Tech’s third annual Hispanic Heritage Month Lecture.

The 2020 Georgia Tech Diversity Symposium featured campus presenters discussing disability awareness and its importance to diversity, inclusion, and the campus community. The event was hosted virtually for the first time in the program's history.

McLaughlin will assume the lead academic role effective October 1, 2020. 

For the seventh consecutive year, Georgia Tech has been named a HEED Award recipient — a national honor recognizing colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.

The 2020 OMED Challenge program successfully hosted 75 incoming first-year student participants in the wake of Covid-19.

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG) approved changes to its sexual misconduct policies and procedures at its meeting Tuesday, Aug. 11, in accordance with new federal Title IX regulations that go into effect August 14.

As part of its ongoing commitment to embrace diversity in all its forms while supporting the research and learning functions of the Institute, the Georgia Tech Library invites students, faculty and staff to explore a curated collection of materials celebrating the life of Civil Rights icon John Lewis.

“Race at Georgia Tech: A Call to Action” drew more than 1,000 unique viewers during 90 minutes of candid, passionate reflections on Black experiences at Tech.

Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (IDEI) will host a virtual panel discussion entitled “Race at Georgia Tech: A Call to Action,” on Thursday, July 16.

Conversations about race emerge from the shadows.

Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (IDEI) is leading Tech’s effort in collaboration with units across the campus.

Archie Ervin shares his thoughts on the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbury and racial injustice in ‘Commitment to Drive Change.'

The University System of Georgia Board of Regents (BOR) has approved Georgia Tech’s updated mission statement.

This is the third consecutive year the Tech chapter has been the recipient of the award on the regional level and the first time in over a decade it has received the honor on the national level.

Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has named Tia Jackson-Truitt as its inaugural director of Diversity and Inclusion Education and Training.

Georgia Tech ERG offers virtual workshops and courses for the campus community.

The Division of Student Life, the Alumni Association, and the Office of Development are partnering to collect and distribute emergency funding through the Georgia Tech Parents Fund and Roll Call to support students in need.

When it comes to Black History Month, Crystal Bell is grateful for an opportunity to highlight the academic, cultural, and historical achievements of African American figures.

Alonzo Whyte is just in his first year as a faculty member of the Neuroscience program at Georgia Tech, but his positive outlook and appreciation for diversity is already shining brightly.

Thousands of people focused on the future of Georgia Tech by helping us complete phase one — visioning and drafting — of Georgia Tech’s strategic planning process. Now, the process moves into the goal-setting phase that will include an opportunity for review and input from the Georgia Tech community.

OMED: Educational Services and the African-American Male Initiative (AAMI) at Georgia Tech hosted its 2020 Academic Empowerment Fair on February 13, with support by almost a dozen Institutional departments, 20 campus organizations, 30 advisor and alumni volunteers, and corporate sponsors.

Former Tallahassee mayor and 2018 Democratic Florida gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum said that the strongest tribute to black American history may be the ballot itself.

Mary Frank Fox, ADVANCE Professor in the School of Public Policy, has been elected Chair of the Social, Economic and Political Sciences Section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The 2020 Focus Program welcomed over 200 participants from more than 90 institutions across the country.

Pioneer who was one of the first black students at Georgia Tech died Jan. 25.

Journalist Yamiche Alcindor gave the keynote address at the campus' 2020 MLK Lecture on January 15.

OMED: Educational Services welcomes Jelani T. Liddell as its assistant director of Outreach Initiatives.

There will be frequent dialogues open to members of both communities throughout the semester.

Rosario Marin, author, advocate, and 41^st treasurer of the United States, delivered the keynote address at the Office of Hispanic Initiative’s second annual Hispanic Heritage Month Lecture.

Georgia Tech has received the 2019 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. This is the sixth consecutive year the Institute has been a recipient of the award.

A standing-room only crowd gathered at the Global Learning Centr for the 11th Annual Diversity Symposium.

The story behind the making of bronze sculptures of Georgia Tech's first African American students and first African American graduate.

The three-time Georgia Tech graduate brings more than a decade of STEM diversity research experience to her new role.

The 2019 Challenge program hosted 140 incoming first-year Georgia Tech students this summer, representing the largest -- and most diverse -- cohort in the program’s 39-year history.

The first African American students and graduate will be recognized at the Diversity Symposium on September 4, 2019.

In 2018, all undergraduate and graduate students at Georgia Tech were invited to participate in the Climate Assessment Survey to gauge the Institute’s progress on building an inclusive campus community.

The 2019 Tower Awards were presented Thursday, April 4. Hosted by OMED: Educational Services, the event marked the 25^th year the ceremony has celebrated the academic achievements of traditionally underrepresented students at Georgia Tech.

Two graduates talk about their time at Tech and the family they found on campus

Celebration Includes New Recognition for Level Up Program Graduates, Occurs on Same Day as the LGBTQIA Resource Center’s Gift to Tech Award Ceremony

Anyone with a concern such as unsafe working conditions, academic misconduct, or abuse are encouraged to access the EthicsPoint system.

This month, the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion launches to provide more programs and pathways to success for underrepresented students on campus. 

A record number of students applied for acceptance to Georgia Tech this year, with applications exceeding 30,500 for the first time. Of those who were accepted, around 2,860 will make up the new class.

The process developed to assess the black student experience at Georgia Tech is about to enter its next phase.  The Task Force is expected to prioritize its recommendations and present them to President Peterson next month. 

Young entrepreneurs at Georgia Tech have a new opportunity to get resources for their ideas through an alumni-launched venture called The Black Burdell.  

The committee charged by President Peterson will be supporting focus group sessions and individual interviews with Georgia Tech students faculty and staff, and members of the task force in order to assess and better understand the climate and environment here at Georgia Tech. 

Last month, the Student Government Association (SGA)’s Cultural and Diversity Affairs Committee began seeking signees for its Campus Inclusivity Pledge, asking all students, staff, and faculty to underscore their commitment to a positive campus culture.

A task force comprised of students, faculty, and staff is examining issues related to the African-American student experience at Georgia Tech to ensure the campus is welcoming, inclusive, and supportive. 

The Intel Diversity Scholars Program at Georgia Tech will recruit and retain underrepresented minority students to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) majors and prepare them for graduate school. The effort is anticipated to benefit about 1,000 students over five years through mentoring, scholarships and professional development workshops.