Georgia Tech Celebrates 246th Commencement This Weekend

Approximately 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students from Georgia Tech’s six colleges and 29 schools will participate in the Institute’s 246th commencement.

Rodney Adkins, IBM’s senior vice president of corporate strategy, will address the bachelor’s degree ceremony on Saturday, December 14 at 9 a.m. Adkins will also receive an honorary degree.

John Cressler, the Schlumberger Chair in Electronics in Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, will address the doctoral and master’s ceremony on Friday, December 13 at 7 p.m.

Recognized as one of the world’s preeminent and most innovative architects, Santiago Calatrava will receive an honorary degree during the Friday ceremony.

The ceremonies will be held on campus in McCamish Pavilion.

Adkins is responsible for leading continuous transformation across IBM, where he has worked for 30 years. In his current role, he develops strategies that are linked to execution plans for a new era of computing and new markets and clients.

He has received numerous honors. He was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2005 and was named corporate executive of the year by Black Enterprise magazine in 2011. Adkins, who serves on the Board of Trustees for the Georgia Tech Foundation, is also on the board of directors for the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering.

Adkins earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech and earned degrees and honors from Rollins College and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

Cressler’s research is focused on developing novel micro/nanoelectronic devices, circuits and systems for next­ generation applications within the global electronics infrastructure. He and his research team reimagine the way electronics in the 21st century can and should be practiced.

He joined the Georgia Tech faculty in 2002, having worked as a faculty member at Auburn University and served on the research staff at IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center. He’s received numerous teaching awards, including the Class of 1934 Distinguished Professor Award, the highest honor Georgia Tech bestows on faculty.

Cressler earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Tech in 1984 and a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1990.

Spanish-born Calatrava has won international critical acclaim for his soaring public structures that transcend the traditional boundaries between art, architecture and engineering.

Trained as a sculptor, engineer and architect, he has completed more than 80 projects, including the Athens Olympic Stadium. Current work includes the World Trade Center transportation hub in New York; the Sundial Bridge in Redding, Calif.; and bridges over Trinity River in Dallas.

More information about Georgia Tech’s Commencement can be found at: http://www.commencement.gatech.edu/