President Bud Peterson Retiring From GA Tech

Georgia Tech President Bud Peterson has told Georgia Institute of Technology faculty and staff via campus wide email that he will be stepping down this Summer:

From: …On Behalf Of GT President
Sent: Monday, January 7, 2019 11:27 AM

Subject: Looking Ahead: Plans for the Future

To the Georgia Tech campus community:

I have indicated to Chancellor Steve Wrigley my desire to step down as president of Georgia Tech this coming summer. While we have not identified a specific date, I anticipate that in the coming weeks, he will establish a search committee and that I will continue to serve as president until the new president has been identified and is able to begin his/her tenure.  

In 1975, I made a career change and resigned my position as an associate engineer at Black & Veatch to pursue a Ph.D. in order to work with young people through my teaching and research activities. It is my hope and expectation that upon completion of my duties as president, I will be able to return to the faculty and resume my teaching and research at Georgia Tech.  

The opportunity to serve as president of Georgia Tech for the past 10 years has been one of the highlights of my career. While we have faced several challenges, I believe we are on a very positive trajectory, a trajectory that has characterized Georgia Tech and served it well for many years.  

Georgia Tech is a great institution and great institutions are built on great people, great faculty, great staff and great students. Since our very first visit to Georgia Tech in the fall of 2008, Val and I have continued to be impressed with the quality of the people of Georgia Tech, and the dedication and commitment to making Georgia Tech the nationally recognized institution that it is today. 

Much like the 3,500 students who graduated last December, Georgia Tech has an enormously bright future. With your continued hard work, dedication and focus on excellence, I have no doubt that we as an institution will be able to accomplish some truly remarkable things in the years to come.    

In closing, I want to express my deep appreciation to each of you for all you have done as we continue to strive toward our goal of “defining the technological research university of the 21st century.”  Val and I look forward to continuing to work with you through the upcoming transition period to ensure that Georgia Tech can continue its pursuit of excellence, a pursuit that has helped to make Georgia Tech one of the finest institutions of higher education in the country. 

G.P. “Bud” Peterson, President
Georgia Institute of Technology
225 North Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30332-0325

There have been recent top level management changes at the University as well as the retirement of head football coach Paul Johnson. Peterson, however, should be remembered as the President who bridged the divide over the downtown connector. Midtown Atlanta is now vibrant with new workers and construction cranes, a testament to the IT and general technology focus of the companies that have chosen to co-locate on Tech’s campus.

As a Ga Bulldog, I always enjoy competition with Georgia Tech. As someone who understands the importance on economic development of this world class institution, I look forward to the announcement that Peterson’s successor will continue to integrate the school into more and more of Georgia’s current and future growing industries.

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