Georgia Institute of Technology

The strategic planning process will chart a new course for Georgia Tech for the next twenty-five years —one that:

• Provides greater agility in a rapidly changing environment
• Enables us to make investments today to better prepare for tomorrow, and
• Helps us better serve the state, the region, and the nation through our education, research, creative works, and service.

The committee will identify and facilitate the topics of discussion that will follow the Presidential Investiture Ceremony on September 3. In August, members of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee were divided evenly according to the number of discussion topics, and additional "core contributors" were named to engage the larger campus community and to think creatively about how Georgia Tech can fulfill its vision as the technological research university of the twenty-first century. Each subcommittee will be asked to prepare a "position paper" that outlines a response to the issues posed for review by the campus community throughout the academic year. Individual action plans will be combined into an overall Campus Action Plan to be introduced next fall.

More than sixty people representing a cross-section of faculty, staff, alumni, and other friends representing the broad interests of Georgia Tech were invited by Dr. Peterson to serve on the committee. Others will be invited to serve as core contributors to each subcommittee, and the entire campus is invited to participate beginning September 3 with the breakout sessions following the Investiture Ceremony.

The process is designed to be as open and inclusive as possible. For the afternoon sessions following the Presidential Investiture on September 3, the entire campus is encouraged to turn out, offer input, and take ownership of the topics that are the most appealing to them. There will be much work to be done after September 3, and those interested are welcome to participate in next steps.

There will be ongoing communications as we make progress toward our goal. Position papers prepared by various subcommittees will be shared in various ways, including open forums and Web-based communications. This Strategic Planning Web site will be a source for archived documents and other resources. This site will also offer additional opportunities for feedback as we work through these strategic issues.

To prepare for the August 3 initial planning meeting, President Peterson asked the President's Cabinet, Institute deans, and leaders of affiliated organizations to read Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers." Gladwell defines outliers as those who have been given opportunities and have the strength and presence to seize them. His theme is that people are products of history and community, opportunity and legacy. The book provided a thought-provoking look at how talented people and groups exploited circumstances and leveraged their cultural legacy to achieve success, and was used to help spark some exciting ideas consistent with our current vision statement.