Georgia Institute of Technology

Even though I won't be at Tech as a student when these ideas are implemented there are a few things I hear other students have issues with. Nevertheless, I am very grateful we able to contribute to Tech's future. I noticed a lot of students feel their curriculum is too rigid, while others feel just fine about it. I think one way to improve this is by making addition to the degree options. We have International, Business, and Research Options, but what about students who want a minor? I personally do not know any other students with a minor aside from myself. Could it be possible to allow students to customize their curriculum to be able to have a minor while graduating in four years? I know that we must maintain the rigor and excellence of the curriculum, but taking classes outside of your major for "fun" doesn't take anything away. In my curriculum I am pursuing a "Non-Approved" minor so I can’t count classes towards my degree. I don't think this is fair because I am only pursuing another passion. In the future students should be able to design a curriculum based off of those in place now and be able to tailor it whatever their interest is being rigorous and comprehensive. One thing I personally feel could be better is advisement. In some the Institute's schools there are mandatory advisements, while in others there isn't. Even though I am building a relationship with mine, it was because I put forth the effort. I feel like the students should feel like the faculty and staff (everyone) really care. I'm not saying baby us, but help us feel more welcomed and at home. I agree with the above ideas of creating an environment that celebrates success. Also I would like to see more student morale. I know that everyone will not like every class. But we could have an environment where students are looking forward to the new things they are learning in class. The idea of the calendar period only for enrichment is a great idea! I wouldn't mind learning how to code better while not having to worry about a real grade or going to seminars about society or other interesting topics. In the future I want to also see Georgia Tech as its own "country" meaning that it runs like a finely tuned piano, more or less. It would be able to allocate resources freely and be able to make changes and improvements without much hassle from the "higher-ups." Above someone comments on work we have to do. I feel that all work for my classes have been relevant and appropriate. I don't think the work load should decrease or it's difficulty. I also have tons of problem sets and papers but I'm able to do it all while having a life. I do not consider myself a genius but I work hard to get everything done while doing what I want. One thing I definitely want Tech to continue is, having a nice environment both esthetically, professionally, culturally, and academically. Being at Tech it feels like a private school. I often forget its public. I love the feeling of the community.

Ideas: 1. I would like to see us develop more academic programs--25 years down the road, maybe we could have a med school, or some other programs. We can extend our academic focus and still be a rigorous institution. 2. Requiring study in a foreign language would be a good idea. Right now, it is almost impossible to get into a foreign language class unless you are in that major. However, all students can benefit from learning a foreign language and we are going to become less and less competitive with graduates from other schools who still have the problem-solving mindset but are internationally marketable. 3. We need a smaller faculty/student ratio. This is a must. The classes where I feel happiest about my student/faculty experience are the smaller ones where the teacher actually knows your name and keeps track of how well you are doing in the class. 4. We need more teachers to teach our classes. Why are we hiring professors and then telling them to only spend a small percentage of their time on teaching? As students, we are putting probably 80%-90% of our efforts and attention into learning--we deserve the same from the professors. For first and second year classes, the teachers that I have seen that stand out as being really good teachers are the academic professionals--these professors are here to teach first, and then research second. We could have first and second year professors be hired solely/mostly for teaching, and then still keep our upper levels classes taught by research-oriented professors too. I know it is important for Tech's reputation to maintain a high level of research productivity; there just needs to be a way to address this and teaching of classes as being equally important issues. 5. Along with student-faculty relations, we need to encourage an atmosphere whereby faculty are approachable by students and where there is a feeling of academic excitement about learning. Maybe students could have faculty mentors in their upper class years.

In accordance with the "Ideas for Enriching the Student Experience" post, I would like to highlight a few aspects 1. Subsidize all housing expenses for students -- this is an excellent idea. Coming from living off-campus experience, I would have much rather wanted to live on campus with its benefits than to live off campus. Unfortunately, I could not afford on campus housing this semester. 2. Develop a comprehensive curriculum that is carried out in every residence hall -- to a certain point, that is a fantastic idea. The new language example is an excellent idea. 6. Textbooks available at no cost -- this simply goes without saying. The amount of money students would save, the ease of accessibility, the sustainability. So many benefits here For points 10 and 11, that may be very difficult for certain students, but I definitely encourage those points. As far as Aswin Natarajan's comments are concerned, I am in complete agreement. Although I would say point 2. is beneficial for GA students, not a hindrance. I would say point 3 is the most important in his argument, and it truly is an immense deterring factor for students applying to the university. Go Jackets!

Thank you for giving the Georgia Tech community the opportunity to be a part of this process. I have a few ideas that I would like to share with the committee: 1. Subsidize all housing expenses for students and require that all students must live in campus housing. This idea would help decrease student loans and decrease the number of barriers to being immersed within the Georgia Tech community. If we could successfully house every student for free, we could also ... 2. Develop a comprehensive curriculum that is carried out in every residence hall every year. This curriculum could build off the existing living learning model by providing additional access to faculty outside of the classroom. However, this curriculum could cover additional aspects of an individual's education that they can't schedule due to degree requirements. For example, one residence hall be dedicated entirely to learning a language, another hall could work on solving an issue facing the city of Atlanta - such as urban planning or homelessness, another on life skills. 3. Every student must complete 100 hours of community service before graduating 4. Eliminate all student loans 5. Develop a bank within Georgia Tech that funds student projects and research. 6. All textbooks are available via the Web at no cost to students 7. Establish Georgia Tech as the leader in the education of women. This idea would help remove so many of the biases that hinder the ability of women to advance globally. Construct a new building for the Women's Resource Center and combine it with an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to the advancement of women in STEM disciplines. Create a grand funding mechanism within this center to encourage the establishment of careers in STEM fields and magnet schools for young women in countries around the world. 8. Develop a fully structured four to six year student experience plan. Much like the outline of course requirements that students receive when they begin their education at Tech, we need to expand the idea of requirements and recommendations into the entire experience. But, this plan should be conceived of as if we are helping develop the next president of the United States - it should be a new mark of the Georgia Tech experience. 9. Construct an environment on campus meant to simulate that of a developing country. Allow students and faculty to live in this environment while they learn how to engineer solutions to issues such as water purification, establishing a government, space planning, etc. 10. All students must spend a semester abroad 11. All students must spend a semester working 12. Develop a world class art museum 13. Establish a colony on the moon for students, faculty, and staff - the first galactic classroom to teach about the origins of man and development of new landscapes to sustain life. 14. Create a virtual living area that students can completely immerse themselves in and interact in while simultaneously sleeping or from the comfort of their room. 15. Every student has their own personal robot assistant that can serve as a tutor, planner, and advisor 16. Establish a large farm on the Georgia Tech campus to help generate organic foods, wind power, and soybean fuels