Georgia Institute of Technology Campus Plan Update 2022

Institutional Mission and Student Body Profile

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is a top 10 public research university with an emphasis on science and technology. Georgia Tech’s mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. Our motto of “Progress and Service” is achieved through effectiveness and innovation in teaching and learning, research advances, and entrepreneurship in all sectors of society.

A member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), Georgia Tech seeks to influence major technological and policy decisions. For more than 20 years, Georgia Tech has been ranked among the top 15 public universities in the United States by U.S. News and World Report. Our engineering and computing Colleges are the largest and among the highest-ranked in the nation. The Institute also offers outstanding programs in business, design, liberal arts, and sciences. The Institute is consistently rated among the top universities in the nation for the graduation of underrepresented minorities in engineering, computer science, and mathematics. Georgia Tech also awards more engineering degrees to women than any other U.S. institution. The typical Georgia Tech undergraduate is of traditional age (≤ 24), enters as a first-year student, lives on campus, attends full-time, and is seeking a first undergraduate degree.

In fall 2021, Georgia Tech attained a record high enrollment of 17,454 undergraduates, 79% of whom were enrolled in STEM majors[1]. In addition to its undergraduate population, the Institute had a fall 2021 enrollment of 26,391 graduate students for a total enrollment of 43,845. Between fall 2013 and fall 2021, the Institute experienced a 20% increase in undergraduate enrollment. Data indicate that enrollment growth continued in fall 2022 with a total enrollment of almost 45,300 students, including 18,413 undergraduates. In 2021-22, 4,016 undergraduate degrees were awarded, a 3% increase in undergraduate degrees awarded in 2020-21. Between 2012-13 and 2021-22, undergraduate degree production increased by 29%. Appendix A illustrates undergraduate enrollment and degree trends.

Georgia Tech values the diversity of its student population and is committed to expanding access to underrepresented students. In 2021-22, Tech achieved an historic high in its undergraduate female enrollment of 6,942 students, representing a 44% increase from fall 2013 when undergraduate female enrollment was 4,873. In the overall undergraduate class, women represented 40% of undergraduates in 2021-22, an increase from 33% of undergraduates in 2013-14. Undergraduate enrollment of underrepresented minorities reached a historic high of 3,202 students in fall 2021 and has risen by 41% since fall 2013. Underrepresented minorities comprised 20% of the undergraduate student body in fall 2021.

Georgia Tech is involved in an array of outreach activities specifically designed to attract K-12 students. The Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC) conducts a comprehensive summer program to expose K-12 students to STEM topics and careers. Additional K-12 outreach programs are conducted by the Center for Engineering Education and Diversity (CEED), and Women in Engineering (WIE), both units within the College of Engineering. Through the School of Mathematics, the College of Computing, and Professional Education, Georgia Tech offers distance mathematics and computer science courses to dual enrolled high school students. In 2021-22, Distance Math served 627 students from 92 Georgia high schools in 28 counties. In its second year, Distance Computer Science enrolled 129 students from 48 Georgia high schools in 16 counties.

Summer bridge programs ease the transition from high school to Georgia Tech. Challenge is a five-week summer residential program for underrepresented minority students coordinated by the Office of Minority Education and Development (OMED) Educational Services. While many bridge programs offer remedial pathways as a transitional model, Challenge at Georgia Tech provides advanced pathways through academic, professional, and culturally intense courses and workshops designed to enhance transitional success based on constructivist learning.

As of fall 2022, Georgia Tech achieved a first-to-second-year retention rate of 98% for the first-time, full-time freshman 2021 cohort and a six-year graduation rate of 92% for the 2015 first-time, full-time cohort. The 98% retention rate is a record high for first-to-second year retention at the Institute. The 92% graduation rate also represents a record high for the Institute. Further, the four-year graduation rate for 2017 first-time, full-time cohort was 57%, also a record high. See Appendix B for a historical illustration of institutional retention and graduation rates.

As a science and technology-focused institution, the enrollment and degree progression of STEM majors is central to our mission. The sustained economic impact made possible through a better-prepared STEM workforce is significant, and graduating a larger number of STEM students to meet workforce needs is a high priority for Georgia Tech. One measure of progress is the number of students enrolled in STEM majors. Tech has achieved an increase in STEM enrollment from 11,699 undergraduate students in 2013-14 to 13,845 undergraduate students in 2021-22. As of fall 2021, 79% of Georgia Tech undergraduate students were seeking a STEM degree.

Efforts to engage and retain more women students represent one of our best opportunities for increasing the number of STEM majors and degrees awarded. Since fall 2013, the number of women enrolled in STEM majors at Georgia Tech increased from 3,478 (30% of undergraduate STEM enrollment) to 5,207 (38% of undergraduate STEM enrollment) in fall 2021. Data from fall 2022 suggest that the number of women seeking an undergraduate STEM degree will exceed 5,300 for the first time. Appendix C illustrates the enrollment of women in STEM majors from 2014 through 2022.

Once enrolled, women at Georgia Tech consistently graduate at a higher and faster rate than men. For the 2015 cohort, the six-year graduation rate for women was 93% compared to 91% for men. Similarly, women in STEM majors achieved a 93% six-year graduation rate compared to a 91% rate for men. Appendix D illustrates undergraduate graduation trends by gender. Appendix E illustrates overall STEM graduation rates and STEM graduation rates by gender.

Georgia Tech continues to be a national leader in the number of STEM students enrolled and the number of degrees conferred each year. In 2021-22, 3,329 undergraduate STEM degrees were awarded. Appendix F illustrates the historical trend for STEM degrees awarded.

Given Georgia Tech’s commitment to expanding access and diversity within its student population, disaggregating success metrics by race/ethnicity is crucial. In fall 2021, the first-to-second-year retention rate for underrepresented minority (URM) students in the fall 2020 cohort was 97%, which matched the overall first-to-second year retention rate for the cohort. The six-year URM graduation rate for the 2015 cohort was 86% (compared with a 92% overall rate). URM six-year graduation rates have improved from 72% for the 2006 cohort to 86% for the 2015 cohort. Considering the Institute’s two largest URM groups, six-year graduation rates for the fall 2015 cohort were 81% for Black or African American students and 90% for Hispanic or Latino students. Appendix G illustrates historical trends for URM graduation rates.

Despite the continuing challenges posed by Covid-19, Georgia Tech’s enrollment and degree progression metrics remain very strong. Over the last two years, our students, faculty, and staff demonstrated grit, resilience and flexibility while navigating a dynamic, rapidly evolving environment. The improvement practices instituted through the Complete College Georgia (CCG) initiative and the Momentum framework proved robust and effective in promoting degree persistence and progress. Georgia Tech’s positive enrollment trends, retention and graduation rates, and number of degrees conferred highlight the Institute’s continuing ability to meet the workforce needs of the twenty-first century.

Student Success Inventory

Georgia Tech provides undergraduates with an extensive array of engagement opportunities and support scaffolding across multiple campus units. These high impact practices (HIPs) are designed to foster academic success, engagement, well-being, and a sense of community. Our strategies and their effectiveness are detailed in our annual Complete College Georgia update reports.

In prior years Georgia Tech’s Momentum Year plans focused on enhancements to undergraduate advising as a component of purposeful choice. Our Momentum Approach plans considered longer-term, systemic issues aligned with purpose, mindset, pathways, and data/communication. Issues we explored include:

• Reviewing our many high impact experiential opportunities through an engagement lens to ensure equitable student participation
• Exploring the threading of degrees with threads being defined along external perspectives and engineered for career exploration
• Analyzing academic standing policies to ensure that standards allow for timely identification of students off course academically
• Addressing students’ overemphasis on GPA as fueled by employers who may prioritize GPA requirements in recruitment processes

Many of these systemic issues clearly align with our overall emphasis on enhancements to academic advising. While academic advising remains an area of focus for 2022, we are targeting our Momentum efforts to a set of initiatives that intersect with Strategic Enrollment Management planning underway in association with the Institute Strategic Plan (ISP). Further, we see great power in our Amplify Momentum Project (GT-AMP) mini-grant project, our Big Idea from Momentum Summit IV (MSIV). We will be assessing the GT-AMP projects currently underway throughout 2022-23. For 2022, our priority student success initiatives include:

• Assessing funded mini-grant projects and examining their impact, GT-AMP Phase I
• Funding a second round of mini-grant projects in alignment with Strategic Enrollment Management planning and the ISP, GT-AMP Phase II
• Analyzing degree complexity and its impact on degree completion
• Updating, expanding, and communicating a comprehensive catalog of student success initiatives
• Exploring equity in success metrics and expanding access through enhanced support for underserved populations (e.g., first-generation students, transfer students)
• Evaluating major selection and change of major protocols

Each initiative, progress to date, challenges, and next steps are highlighted below.

Update on our Big Idea

Georgia Tech’s Big Idea from MSIV in 2021 was to link our Momentum work with our ISP by establishing an internal mini-grant program—the Amplify Momentum Project or GT-AMP. Based on historical precedent of internal mini-grant projects generating interest and innovation from a broad cross section of the Georgia Tech community, the MSIV team coalesced around this mini-grant idea. The goals established for GT-AMP include explicitly connecting the Momentum framework to the Amplify Impact focus area of the 2020 ISP, informing the campus community about the Momentum framework through the application process, and promoting innovative initiatives aligned with Momentum themes and the ISP.

A small working group of MSIV participants crafted a request for proposals (RFP) related to GT-AMP. The RFP stressed that the proposed initiatives must empower students to make and deepen purposeful choices, create and cultivate productive academic mindsets, attempt and maintain full momentum along a clear pathway, heighten academic engagement, or complete critical milestones. The working group forwarded the RFP to the Office of the Provost seeking support for launching GT-AMP. The Office of the Provost generously committed to funding the mini-grants in FY 22 and FY 23.

In late summer 2021, the RFP was circulated broadly to the campus community, and a website was created to communicate the goals of the project and to capture proposal submissions. By the October 2021 proposal deadline, 19 GT-AMP initiatives had been submitted for consideration. The proposals represented funding requests from a wide cross section of the Georgia Tech community, including Serve-Learn-Sustain, the Library, Academic Effectiveness, Athletics, and several academic Colleges and Schools (e.g., Biology, Chemistry, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Psychology, Materials Science and Engineering, College of Design). Thus, one of the goals of GT-AMP—communicating the Momentum framework and its connection to the ISP to a broader campus community—was clearly accomplished.

A five-person team of faculty and staff completed a review of the GT-AMP submissions in November 2021[2]. Seven projects were recommended for support, and funding was allocated in January 2022. Six of the projects are eighteen months in length, while the seventh project has a six-month duration. All the projects are now underway. They address a variety of Momentum themes embedded in high impact practices that cultivate academic mindset, heighten engagement, and promote experiential or interdisciplinary learning. Specific information about the funded projects can be found online: https://completecollege.gatech.edu/2021-22-gt-amp-projects/.

The RFP included a requirement for project assessment and data reporting. Each proposal included a set of project outcomes and measures of success. These outcomes and measures will be used to assess GT-AMP’s impact in advancing both ISP themes and Momentum goals. All the funded teams submitted a project abstract for the GT-AMP website referenced above, along with photos designed to highlight their project activities. Team representatives participated in Momentum Summit V (MSV) activities. Their first assessment report was due in July 2022. At present, the projects are progressing successfully and addressing the goals outlined in the proposals.

Due to the strong interest in GT-AMP across campus, the Office of Undergraduate Education plans to promote a second round of RFPs in summer 2023, pending available funding. Since Georgia Tech is its second year of a 10-year Strategic Plan that emphasizes student well-being, equity, and inclusive engagement, GT-AMP projects fit perfectly within the ISP and the Momentum framework. The first and most prominent ISP core value is “Students are our top priority.” ISP focus areas include Amplify Impact, Champion Innovation, Connect Globally, Expand Access, Cultivate Well-being, and Lead by Example. As part of ISP implementation, Georgia Tech is engaged in a sequence of strategic enrollment management discussions about moving our ISP focus areas into action. A second phase of GT-AMP mini-grants will align this planning and the Amplify Impact and Expand Access focus areas of the ISP with the Momentum framework and allow us to communicate and sustain our Momentum work within the Institute community.

Supplemental Updates on CCG Initiatives

Aligning our Momentum framework with the focus areas embedded in the ISP is an area of emphasis throughout 2022-23. Intentionally crafting and communicating that alignment will amplify the resilience of our Momentum work and enhance institution-wide support for the Momentum framework generally. Georgia Tech emphasizes best practices that are proven to increase student engagement and degree progression, adopting CCG and Momentum strategies appropriate for supporting the success of our students. Since the beginning of CCG in 2011, Georgia Tech has institutionalized multiple initiatives designed to remove or lessen the structural or motivational obstacles faced by undergraduates. Georgia Tech’s success initiatives and student support structures are decentralized, embedded within diverse units of Colleges and Schools, Student Engagement and Well-Being, the Office of Undergraduate Education, and Enrollment Management. All are responsible for fostering student success, engagement, and well-being. This decentralized approach is rooted in Georgia Tech’s culture, reflects our values, and allows for innovation and flexibility in program design. Throughout the pandemic this approach has proven to be robust. Units pivoted quickly under unprecedented circumstances to safeguard the continuation of their programs and services. Given the tremendous impact of the pandemic on students, the structure of decentralized services guaranteed that students could access assistance in multiple ways. Furthermore, our decentralized support structure ensured that a variety of units reached out to students offering their support and guidance. Several well-established initiatives designed to support our CCG initiatives are highlighted below.

High Impact Learning Initiatives. Georgia Tech offers high-impact curricular and co-curricular opportunities to promote active learning practices and enhance academic development. According to the Association of American Colleges and Universities, these teaching and learning practices have been widely tested and found to have a positive impact on student retention and student engagement[3]. Among the options for Georgia Tech students are a first-year seminar (GT 1000), numerous learning communities, an undergraduate research program, a study abroad program, and career-engaged experiential learning opportunities (e.g., internships, co-op, and service learning). Participation levels in these optional programs are significant.

Further, in 2021-22, 62% of incoming first-year students (n = 2,129) participated in the first-year seminar, GT 1000, and 98% of these students were retained to fall 2022. Through the Career Center, 541 undergraduates registered for 632 semester-long, major-related co-op positions in 2021-22. Of this total, 91% of the positions were STEM related. In addition, 1,523 undergraduates registered for 1,738 semester-long internships, 89% of which were STEM related. The co-op/internship program provides in-depth access to STEM opportunities, helps students form connections between theory and application, strengthens students’ motivation to stay on course to graduation, and increases the number of employment offers students receive prior to and upon graduation.

Graduation rates for students participating in academic engagement programs are among the highest at Georgia Tech. For example, the six-year graduation rate for students in the 2015 cohort who participated in the co-op program was 96%. The six-year graduation rate for students in the 2015 cohort who participated in the internship program was 99%. Students in the 2015 cohort who participated in the undergraduate research opportunities program (UROP) achieved a 98% six-year graduation rate.

During 2021-22 Georgia Tech continued its commitment to learning communities, hosting six communities for first-year students (five year-long communities and one summer launch community, iGniTe) and two for upperclassmen. More than 500 first-year students participated in the summer iGniTe program and almost 800 students took advantage of the five year-long communities (Explore, Grand Challenges, Global Leadership, Impact, and Honors Program. See Appendix H for graduation rates of participants in select high-impact learning initiatives.

Programming for Underrepresented Minorities. OMED, a unit within the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion, provides programming specifically targeted to promote the success of underserved minorities.

Edge is a year-long peer mentoring program designed to support first-year students, both academically and socially, through their first academic school year at Georgia Tech. Edge is peer mentoring program that pairs highly engaged continuing students with first- and transfer-year underrepresented minority students. The Edge program recently expanded its scope to address the needs of students beyond their first year. Edge Plus offers 2nd and 3rd year students an opportunity to receive targeted support cognizant of their specific needs which may differ from the needs of incoming students.

Challenge is a five-week, academic intensive summer residential program for incoming first-year students. During Challenge, students are immersed into the Georgia Tech environment; they live in on-campus housing, take classes taught by Georgia Tech professors, and participate in cultural, professional, and academic workshops and activities. Challenge is designed to help prepare incoming first-year students for a successful college career by equipping them to navigate the 7 C’s (computer science, chemistry, calculus, communication, career development, cultural competency, and community service).

AAMI (African American Male Initiative) is an eleven-time award-winning grant program aimed to cultivate innovative talent through targeted cultural and gender-based initiatives for Black males. AAMI is the first-ever statewide initiative specifically focused on increasing post-secondary education attainment among African American males.

ILARC (Interactive Learning and Resource Center) hosts drop-in and appointment tutoring services, guided study groups, topic-specific review sessions (concept classes by graduate students), and GPA planning.

• For the 195 URM students participating in Edge, the average cumulative GPA achieved at the end of the first year was 3.37 compared to 3.29 for URM non-participants.

• For Challenge (105) fall enrolled URM participants), average GPAs were higher for African American/Black students and Hispanic students compared to GPA’s of non-participating matched peers earning an average GPA of 3.19 (compared to 3.16 for non-Challenge URM participants) with 69% earning a 3.0 or better in their first Fall semester. Additionally, 99% of the 2021 Challenge participants were retained into fall 2022.

• For AAMI (165 undergraduate participants) the 2021-22 cohort averaged a cumulative GPA of 3.19 and garnered a 100% first-year retention rate. AAMI participants graduate at a rate of 82.5% compared to 73.7% for non-participating peers. AAMI continues to demonstrate the importance of peer leadership in raising expectations and cultivating a climate of excellence.

• For the 2021-2022 academic year, there were a total of 474 documented tutoring engagements, and 3990 ILARC in-person visits.  The average GPA of URM students who participated in tutoring for the 2021-22 year was 3.10. The average GPA for all URM students was 3.39. See Appendix I for Challenge and AAMI participation and outcomes.

Midterm Progress Reports. Georgia Tech’s early alert system provides useful feedback for students adjusting to an academically rigorous environment. We identify students who are off track with Midterm Progress Reports (MPR’s) for 1000- and 2000-level courses. Submitted 40 percent into the term, MPR’s allow faculty teaching freshman- and sophomore -level courses to assess student performance with an “S” (Satisfactory) or “U” (Unsatisfactory). All students with U’s are contacted by Tutoring and Academic Support (TAS) and Undergraduate Advising and Transition (UAT), offered tutoring, academic coaching, and success resources, and encouraged to meet with relevant faculty and their academic advisor. Additionally, we require all first-year students with two or more midterm U’s to meet with their academic advisor or a UAT staff member. Academic advisors access the MPR data through their Academic Advising CANVAS site, and we are working to embed MPR alerts into Advisor Link, our recently implemented Salesforce advising platform. Registration holds are typically used to enforce the mandatory advisement. During advisement, students receive guidance, encouragement, and referrals to relevant campus resources.

Our MPR strategy impacts many students. During fall 2021, 42,157 midterm grades of “S” or “U” were entered for 1000- and 2000-level courses to 28,439 unique students. A total of 3,142 U’s were assigned. During spring 2022, 35,818 midterm grades of “S” or “U” were entered for 1000- and 2000-level courses to 12,775 unique students. A total of 2,669 U’s were assigned. Further, 226 first-year students received 2 or more midterm U’s in fall 2021, and 244 first-year students received 2 or midterm U’s in spring 2022. These students were targeted with required interventions by academic advisors.

Following outreach or intervention from UAT, TAS and their academic advisors, students converted 52% of their midterm U’s to A/B/C/S grades by the end of fall 2021. In spring 2022, students converted 48% of their midterm U’s to A/B/C/S grades by the end of the semester.

Outreach to Students Not Registered for Fall Semester by the End of Phase I Registration. An annual Non-Registered Student Survey, distributed to students who did not register for fall semester during Phase I registration, was institutionalized in 2014. Historically, not registering for classes during Phase I is a red flag for students who may not be returning or who may be experiencing a barrier to returning. Students who need assistance to register are referred as needed by the Director of Retention and Graduation Initiatives to academic advisors, UAT, TAS, the Career Center, the Dean of Students, the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, the Center for Assessment, Referral and Education, and the Registrar’s Office. In summer 2022, 760 students were surveyed and encouraged to enroll during the Phase II registration period.  One hundred eighty-six students responded to the survey, and 47 students requested individualized assistance with a variety of registration issues, including account holds, approval of registration permits for co-op or internship work terms, major changes, and closed class sections. A summary report was prepared to capture demographics, trends, and issues related to non-registration. See Appendix J for a description of the population, number of students surveyed, and survey response rates.

Peer-Led Undergraduate Study (PLUS). Through Tutoring and Academic Support (TAS), Georgia Tech provides supplemental instruction that supports student success in more than twenty traditionally challenging courses, including calculus, linear algebra, physics, and chemistry. Further, departmental support expands PLUS services offered in chemistry, mathematics, and biomedical engineering.

The number of visits for PLUS sessions represents markers of program success. During 2021-22, 3,788 students participated in PLUS for a total of 14,210 visits. Additionally, TAS compares students’ final grades in courses for PLUS regular vs. non-regular participants. Throughout 2021-22 regular PLUS participants (5 or more visits) consistently outperformed their peers who did not participate.

A few highlights from 2021-22:

• 38.4% (3,788) of students enrolled in a PLUS supported course attended at least one PLUS session in 2021-22 for a total of 14,210 visits
• Enrolled students who visited 5 or more times were 3.1 times more likely to pass than those who didn’t visit PLUS for the course
• Overall, 96% of PLUS regular participants (5 or more visits) earned a grade of A/B/C/S compared to 88% of their peers who did not participate in PLUS for that class

See Appendix K for outcomes by course.

Complete College Georgia-Georgia Tech Steering Committee. The best practices outlined above are guided by the CCG-GT Steering Committee, a diverse team of faculty and staff providing leadership for our RPG initiatives and promoting awareness of our Momentum work across campus. Chaired by Dr. Steven P. Girardot, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, the CCG-GT Steering Committee connects faculty, staff, and leadership stakeholders to review, refine, and assess RPG efforts. See Appendix N for the membership list of the Institute’s 2021-22 CCG-GT Steering Committee.

Summary and Next Steps

Since the inception of CCG in 2011, Georgia Tech has increased its six-year graduation rate from 79% for the fall 2006 first-year cohort to a record high of 92% for the fall 2015 first-year cohort. For the first time ever, Georgia Tech’s first-time, full-time freshmen have achieved a first-to-second year retention rate of 98%. The proportion of women in the undergraduate population continues to grow, and women outperform men in degree progression metrics. While a success gap persists, the six-year graduation rate for underrepresented minority students has risen from 76% for the fall 2007 first-year cohort to 86% for the 2015 first-year cohort. Given the disruptive events in higher education over the past two years, these success metrics are particularly impressive. They underscore the resilience of Georgia Tech students, the dedication and commitment of our faculty and staff, and the robustness of our student support initiatives and high-impact practices as advanced through our CCG and Momentum work.

This report illustrates many of the embedded initiatives and targeted strategies positively impacting student success and degree progression at Georgia Tech. It also outlines progress on our Momentum plans, highlighting accomplishments and areas for improvement. Even though our four-year graduation rate for the 2017 first-year cohort reached a record rate of 57%, an increase from 40% for the fall 2007 first-year cohort, this metric demands further study. At Georgia Tech many factors influence this rate, including student involvement in high experiential education (e.g., co-op and internships, study abroad), the length of degree programs in science and engineering, and the rigor of Georgia Tech coursework. We continue to explore strategies to improve this metric over time.

Throughout 2022-23, we will build on our many successful CCG strategies and focus on implementing our Momentum plan. While data demonstrate that our current strategies are successful, we seek innovative solutions to systemic challenges and opportunities to institutionalize best practices that strengthen student engagement, sense of belonging, and degree progression. Georgia Tech is enthusiastic about our CCG and Momentum initiatives, and we look forward to aligning our Momentum framework with our Strategic Plan while promoting student success throughout the Institute and the USG.