Georgia Tech students who are the first in their family to attend college will have the opportunity to gain global perspectives and experience abroad through a new grant from the Coca-Cola Foundation.

The $1.13 million dollar pledge to Campaign Georgia Tech provides scholarships that encourage first-generation college students to take courses in The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and underwrites complementary study and work abroad in Latin America, Asia, and Europe. 

“Preparing our students to be good global citizens and to lead in an increasingly globalized marketplace is a vital aspect of Georgia Tech’s strategic plan,” said Georgia Tech President G. P. “Bud” Peterson. “This generous grant from the Coca-Cola Foundation will help us make significant progress toward this goal by focusing resources on study and work abroad opportunities around the world.”

The grant is designed to benefit both undergraduate and graduate students. In addition to tuition, fees and study/work abroad, the funding will also support internships and career development programs.

Joseph E. Bankoff, chair of The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, said, “Through this grant, we will be able to provide multifaceted and transformational learning experiences for students who otherwise would not have them. They will enter Georgia Tech as first generation college students and graduate as first generation global citizens. We are grateful to the Coca-Cola Foundation for its support of this program and its continued support of The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs.”

Part of the Coca-Cola Foundation’s initiative to fuel sustainable local solutions for global challenges, the grant also funds two three-year term professorships in The Sam Nunn School for research in natural resource governance for sustainability.  Those faculty will explore the global policy and technical issues concerning access to clean water, alternative energy, environmental protection, and economic sustainability.

“Our grants invest in the ingenuity of grassroots partners who contribute to the well-being of communities around the world,” said Ingrid Saunders Jones, Chairperson of The Coca-Cola Foundation. “With our support, these partners work to improve the quality of life for their families, their neighbors, their cities and their countries.”

The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs within the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts was created in 1990 and named in honor of former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn in 1996. The only school of its kind at a major technological university, The Sam Nunn School is committed to a new model of professional education in international affairs that focuses on understanding the global context of advances in science, technology and policy. Nunn School alumni are distinguished leaders in the fields of policy, law, business, education, communications, and the non-profit sector.