Georgia Institute of Technology: Working Groups Established to Explore Lifetime Learning Unit
The Georgia Institute of Technology is announcing its intention to launch a new academic unit dedicated to lifetime learning. The new unit will bring together three entities whose work underpins its mission and vision: Georgia Tech Professional Education (GTPE), the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC), and the Center for 21st Century Universities (C21U).
This launch means opportunities for new and expanded research, curricula, students, and professional support for educators at every stage “from K to gray.”
Establishing a new academic unit is a long process, and Tech is at the very beginning. Dean Nelson Baker and Dean Charles Isbell are leading the effort, which currently has three working groups:
Academic vision, research, faculty governance, and strategic planning
Business model and operations
Change management and communications
The Institute has engaged an external consultant, Accenture, to survey the existing state of the lifetime learning market and to provide guidance on possible benchmarks against peers and competitors inside and outside of higher education, market opportunities, and best practices of lifetime education ventures.
In the coming weeks, the working groups will ask members of the Georgia Tech community to contribute their knowledge and creative energy to the process. A series of listening sessions will be offered to members of CEISMC, C21U, and GTPE to provide input starting later this month. More information and a sign-up form will be provided to faculty and staff in those units in the next week. If you are outside of these units and wish to participate in the process, please fill out this web form and you will be contacted for events in the spring. The working groups will integrate insights from the community, the consultants, and from earlier working groups into a detailed proposal for the Board of Regents and the University System of Georgia. That proposal will be submitted in early spring next year.
The idea of a lifetime learning unit has been in development for some time. Georgia Tech’s Commission on Creating the Next in Education and its subsequent report led to the formation of an Institute Strategic Plan working group called “GTPE Next,” also chaired by Deans Baker and Isbell. That group made the recommendation to form the new unit.
The members of the lifetime learning working groups are as follows:
Academic Vision, Research, Faculty Governance & Strategic Planning
Co-chaired by: Charles Isbell, Dean, College of Computing and Jonathan Clarke, Associate Professor of Finance, Scheller College of Business
Sonia Alvarez-Robinson, Executive Director of Strategic Consulting
Richard Barke, Associate Professor, Public Policy
Juana Cunningham, Senior Director of Strategic Consulting
Lizanne DeStefano, Executive Director, CEISMC and Professor, Psychology
Charles Domercant, Senior Research Engineer, Georgia Tech Research Institute
Ashok Goel, Professor, Interactive Computing
Stephen Harmon, Interim Executive Director, C21U, Associate Dean of Research, GTPE, and Professor, Industrial Design
Bradley Hastings, Executive Director of Development, Colleges of Computing and Engineering
David Joyner, Executive Director of Online Education & OMSCS, College of Computing
Greg King, Associate Vice President for Economic Development, Institute Relations
Julia Kubanek, Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research
J. Rhett Mayor, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering and Secretary of the Faculty
Mark Nolan, Associate Vice President of Corporate Engagement
Stephen Ruffin, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, GTPE
Rohan Sohani, Undergraduate Student Body President
Business Model and Operations
Co-chaired by: Nelson Baker, Dean, Georgia Tech Professional Education and Daren Hubbard, Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, Office of Information Technology
Mary Albertson, Director of Technology Licensing, Commercialization
Sonia Alvarez-Robinson, Executive Director of Strategic Consulting
Pam Buffington, Director of External and Faculty Engagement, C21U
Juana Cunningham, Senior Director of Strategic Consulting
Jeffrey Fischer, Director of Information Technology, GTPE
Brandi Foley-Rodgers, Senior Director of HR Strategy and Faculty Administration, Office of the Provost and Office of the EVPR
Kathleen Gosden, Associate General Counsel
Laura Hessler, Senior Director of HR Support, Administrative Service Center
Cindy Hope, Associate Vice President, Research Administration
Glenn Hopkins, Principal Research Engineer, Georgia Tech Research Institute
Emily Howell, Senior Director of Budget Reform
Gloria Kobus, Bursar
Cynthia Martin, Director of Institute Financial Support for Research
Patrice Miles, Assistant Dean of Business Operations, GTPE
Brandon Mitchell, Director of Finance, CEISMC
Reta Pikowsky, Associate Vice Provost and Registrar
Tanesha Steward, Director of Affiliated Organizations, Office of the General Counsel
Kellye Terrell, Senior Director, HR Business Partners, Georgia Tech Human Resources
Management and Communications
Co-chaired by: Renee Kopkowski, Vice President, Institute Communications and Jennifer Herazy, Associate Vice President for Strategy and Administration, Office of the Provost and Office of the Executive Vice President for Research
Brittany Aiello, Communications Program Manager, C21U
Sonia Alvarez-Robinson, Executive Director of Strategic Consulting
Susan Burns, Associate Chair for Finance and Administration, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Ann Claycombe, Director of Communications, College of Computing
Juana Cunningham, Senior Director of Strategic Consulting
Michael Hagearty, Assistant Vice President of Campus News and Special Events, Institute Communications
Shannon Helton-Amos, Director of Marketing and Digital Strategy, GTPE
Susie Ivy, Director of Organizational, Academic and Research Communications, Institute Communications
Morgan McCombs, Director of State Relations, Institute Relations
Alex Orso, Associate Dean of Off-Campus and Special Initiatives, College of Computing
Rachael Pocklington, Program Director of Strategic Communications and Initiatives, Institute Communications
Laura Pusateri, Director of Employee Engagement and Well-Being, Georgia Tech Human Resources
Joëlle Walls, Communications Manager, CEISMC
Sara Warner, Senior Director of Communications, Student Engagement and Well-Being