Tech Sets 2020 Legislative Priorities
Georgia State Capitol. Photo courtesy of Getty Images
The Georgia General Assembly began its legislative session on Monday, Jan. 13, with new and returning faces under the Gold Dome following elections in November.
Georgia Tech’s Office of Institute Relations, led by Vice President Lynn M. Durham, hit the ground running this year to promote Tech’s legislative priorities. Top of mind is Tech Square and securing $30.7 million for Phase III, a two-tower complex that will house graduate and executive education for the Ernest Scheller Jr. College of Business and the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering.
Georgia Tech will continue to work to strengthen state partnerships promoting economic development. These partnerships include the Georgia Smart Communities Challenge, which increases resources available to both metro and rural communities across the state to enhance infrastructure, and the Agricultural Technology Research Program, which develops transformational innovations for food manufacturing and environmental sustainability to support the growth of agribusiness across Georgia.
Together with the University System of Georgia (USG), the Georgia Tech team will work to promote important systemwide priorities. This includes $75 million in new Formula Funds for enrollment growth, shared among all USG institutions to support critical day-to-day operations and academic quality, and Major Repair and Rehabilitation Funds to repair aging facilities across the USG.
On Thursday, Feb. 6, Georgia Tech will join the USG’s other research institutions under the Gold Dome for the annual Student Day at the Capitol. This event allows students to share their appreciation for the ongoing support from state lawmakers and learn more about Georgia’s legislative and budgetary processes.
During the 2020 legislative session, Georgia Tech will have 11 students serving full-time as interns to legislators, committees, and staffers through the Georgia Legislative Internship Program, offered in collaboration with the Georgia General Assembly and colleges and universities throughout Georgia.