Relentless Advocacy in Government and Community Relations

Each June, the Office of Government and Community Relations works with the Alumni Association and the Office of Development to organize the President’s annual summer tour. That’s just one week out of the year, though. 

This team of people works year-round to help Georgia Tech connect with surrounding government, community, and business partners. 

At the Staff Council’s recent Inform Georgia Tech event, Dene Sheheane, vice president of Government and Community Relations, shared some insight on the department’s goals and how it operates. 

“Our motto is, ‘gentle pressure relentlessly applied,’” Sheheane said.  

The office consists of three teams focused on community, federal, and state relations. 

Community relations primarily focuses on connections with surrounding neighborhoods and entities, including Atlanta Public Schools, the City of Atlanta, and the Westside Communities Alliance.

The federal team consists of two full-time staff members, one in Atlanta and one in Washington, D.C., who work with government leaders and agencies on a national
level. Georgia Tech receives $408 million in federal funding for research — among the top of its peer institutions that do not have a medical school. This means maintaining relationships with federal agencies is crucial to the research enterprise. 

For many people, though, the most visible area of Government and Community Relations’ work may be at the state level. As the University System of Georgia (USG) institution with the largest economic impact, Georgia Tech has numerous partners statewide but a smaller number of alumni engaged directly in politics. Of the 236 state congressional representatives, 10 are Tech graduates. (In U.S. Congress, it’s just three of 535.) Locally, the numbers fair slightly better, where 2 out of 15 Atlanta City Council members are Tech alumni (and one, Andre Dickens, is a Tech employee).

Government and Community Relations is careful to serve in a bipartisan role, making friends and allies on both sides of the aisle under Atlanta’s Gold Dome. It connects both College Democrats and College Republicans with guest speakers and local representatives to educate and advocate for student issues.

The office also manages internship programs both in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., placing Tech students in various roles at the intersection of policy and technology at both capitols.

“We have people request Tech students because they know they make great interns,” Sheheane said.

Sheheane then discussed the 2016 legislative session in particular and the challenges it brought. 

“This was my 26th session, and I’ve never had anything quite like it,” he said.

Though Georgia Tech voluntarily withdrew its request for funding for the Library Renewal project until completion of abatement of the facility, Sheheane said the project is well positioned to receive that funding next year. 

Successes this year included funding for an expansion of the Advanced Technology Development Center, Georgia Tech’s startup incubator serving the state of Georgia; legislation to provide a HOPE GPA boost for students taking STEM courses; full formula funding and full major repair and renovation funding; and funding for salary merit increases.

Meanwhile, the team is already looking to next year to prepare for continued conversations about ongoing issues such as tuition rates and campus carry legislation. 

“Several states now have campus carry in some form, and USG schools are doing safety reports now in response to the legislation that was put forward this session,” Sheheane said. Georgia Governor Nathan Deal ultimately vetoed the bill that had passed both chambers but was opposed by several USG police chiefs and presidents, including Georgia Tech’s.

Sheheane reminded attendees of the USG’s political policy, which encourages employees to engage in citizen obligations and normal political processes, including holding local office, so long as the position does not conflict or interfere with their professional duties and responsibilities. Employees may not hold state or federal office, though. (The full policy can be viewed at c.gatech.edu/usg-personnel.) 

The Staff Council will host its next Inform Georgia Tech session in August, with a focus on campus services, health, well-being, and parking. A session later in the fall will focus on campus planning. 

Learn more and see archived presentations at staffcouncil.gatech.edu.