The Westside Communities Alliance, a signature initiative of Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts Dean Jacqueline Royster, received the USG Chancellor’s Service Excellence Team of the Year Gold Award for 2014.  The awards ceremony was held Friday October 10 at Kennesaw State University.

“We look forward to ever-evolving opportunities for action and success, both on the campus and in the Westside communities,” Royster said.  “This award affirms our commitment and inspires our ongoing pursuit of excellence.”

The WCA Executive Leadership Team includes Jacqueline J. Royster, IAC Dean and team leader, Chris Burke, GT Director of Community Relations, Sheri Davis-Faulkner, WCA Director, and College of Architecture alumni Mackenzie Madden, WCA Associate Director. 

The Alliance is a collaboration among Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, College of Architecture, and Office of Government and Community Relations and partners in neighboring Westside communities.

The College of Architecture has been instrumental in supporting the WCA since its inception in 2011, along with the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts and the GT Office of Government and Community Relations. The College of Architecture has continuously funded four graduate research assistants for the WCA. As a collaborative network, the WCA functions as a nexus for inter-communication, action and advocacy, by bringing communities, academic institutions, and stakeholders from various arenas together to tackle local challenges and find points of synergy for positive action.

A primary goal for the WCA is to operationalize a dynamic model of multi-institutional civic engagement, research, and action. We use our platform to spotlight economic and educational anchors, as well as cultural and historic assets, in addition to highlighting the significant investments made by community leaders and residents throughout Atlanta’s Westside.  Ongoing CoA work includes projects from the Social Justice committee and various studios particularly those of Michael Dobbins and Herman Howard. During the WCA’s Spring 2014 Community Studio, Michael Dobbins (Professor of the Practice), Herman Howard (Part-Time Lecturer), Nisha Botchwey (Associate Professor), Daniel Immergluck (Professor), Katie O’Connell (SCaRP student), and Brian Thomas (SCaRP alumni) all volunteered their time to work with community members to facilitate discussion on their particular research interests.

In the 2014-2015 school year the WCA will finish developing a westside data dashboard, provide additional capacity-building for community-based organizations, and coordinate Institute support for four Atlanta public schools within the Booker T. Washington High School cluster.  Visit our website, get on our listserv, take a service-learning course, volunteer to engage with westside communities, and join the Westside GT Taskforce. The WCA depends on the academic expertise and the volunteer spirit of our GT community whose motto is “Together, we can do better.”