Strategic Plan Working Groups Begin Phase II Activities

Posted April 14, 2020

Georgia Tech’s strategic planning process has moved into phase two: goal setting. Working groups will now focus on six strategic themes that resulted from the plan’s visioning phase. During visioning, more than 5,700 students, faculty, staff, alumni, campus partners, and community leaders shared varied perspectives, aspirations, and dreams to help shape the future of the Institute.

In February, applications to serve on the working groups were received from interested students, faculty, and staff. Co-leaders for each working group were also identified. Comprised of more than 250 people representing colleges, schools, and other units from across campus, the working groups will meet weekly and engage between meetings through online collaboration tools, and surveys to complete the strategic analysis and draft goals. In some instances, the working groups will engage guest speakers and subject matter experts to complete their strategic analysis. The working group drafts will then be considered by Institute leadership over the summer, with the final goals and objectives to be finalized and communicated in early fall. 

“I thank every member of the working groups for ensuring that the momentum around our strategic plan effort continues, even in these uncertain times and as their professional and personal lives are disrupted,” said President Ángel Cabrera. “This crisis highlights the critical role Georgia Tech plays in finding solutions to global challenges and in developing leaders who can make a difference locally and around the world. That is indeed the core idea behind our mission and vision and the foundation of our new strategic plan, so the timing of this effort could not be better.”

The themes and working groups are as follows:

Amplify Impact: Embrace our power as agents of change for the public good and concentrate our research and learning efforts on identifying and solving the most critical and complex problems of our time, locally and globally.

Co-Leaders:

• Michael Oxman, managing director, Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business; Professor of the Practice, Sustainable Business, Scheller College of Business.
• Mitchell Walker II, professor and associate chair for Graduate Programs, Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering.

Champion Innovation: Champion our leadership position as an engine of innovation and entrepreneurship, and collaborate with other public and private actors to create economic opportunity and position Atlanta and Georgia as examples of inclusive innovation.

Co-Leaders:

• Sherry Farrugia, chief operating and strategy officer, Pediatric Technology Center.
• Raghupathy Sivakumar, professor and Wayne J. Holman Chair, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; founding director, CREATE-X.

Connect Globally: Strengthen our role as a convener of worldwide collaboration and build a global learning platform to expand our reach and amplify our impact.

Co-Leaders:

• Amy Henry, executive director, Office of International Education.
• Anna Stenport, professor of Global Studies; chair, School of Modern Languages; co-director, Atlanta Global Studies Center.

Expand Access: Empower people of all backgrounds and stages of life to learn and contribute to technological and human progress.

Co-Leaders:

• Lizanne DeStefano, professor, School of Psychology; executive director, Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC).
• S. Gordon Moore Jr., executive director, Student Diversity and Inclusion, Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. 

Cultivate Well-Being: Strengthen our culture of well-being and create an environment of holistic learning where all members of our community can grow and learn to lead healthy, purposeful, impactful lives.

Co-Leaders:

• Tiffiny Hughes-Troutman, director, Center for Assessment, Referral, and Education (CARE).
• Neel Naik, undergraduate student, H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering.

Lead by Example: Lead and inspire by example by creating a culture of deliberate innovation in our own practices and being an example of efficiency, sustainability, ethics, and inclusion.

Co-Leaders:

• Raj Vuchatu, interim deputy director for Research Operations and Information Systems, Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI).
• Nazia Zakir, assistant vice president of Environmental Health and Safety, Facilities Management.

Members of the Georgia Tech community are encouraged to visit strategicplan.gatech.edu to review the foundational narrative, vision, theme, values, and beliefs that will ultimately shape the strategic plan. There, you can also follow working group progress and activities, and learn more about the process, data collection and analysis methodology, and next steps. Questions should be sent to strategicplan@gatech.edu.