The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) named Georgia Tech as a silver award winner of its 2018 Circle of Excellence Awards for the launch of the Inclusive Leaders Academy, specifically the program’s curriculum, communications and marketing, and impact.

A panel of experts from peer schools, colleges, and universities selected the Inclusive Leaders Academy entry in the “Diversity Programs: Internal Constituencies” category among nine entries, and Georgia Tech was the only award winner in this category.

In 2017, Georgia Tech received a Circle of Excellence Award in the same category for the launch of Institute Diversity’s Leading Women@Tech program.

“This is the second year that CASE has recognized our outstanding commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we remain steadfast in our path forward to building an inclusive, safe, and healthy community,” said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity.

The Inclusive Leaders Academy is a professional leadership and legacy development program for staff and research leaders and faculty administrators, and Leading Women@Tech is a program to engage women leaders. To date, more than 250 faculty and staff members have participated in these programs.

“Both programs were launched intentionally after reviewing Georgia Tech’s Climate Assessment Survey. One of the major findings was a desire for targeted professional, career, and leadership development opportunities,” said Pearl Alexander, executive director of diversity, inclusion, and engagement for Institute Diversity. “We are grateful for the Institute’s investment and the opportunity to lead this transformative work of strengthening our faculty and staff managers. We appreciate the partnerships that make this experience possible and look forward to making even greater impact going forward.”

According to peer professionals in the judges’ report, “We were impressed that Georgia Tech used the 2012 Climate Assessment Survey as the basis for this program. Diversity and inclusion are everyone’s responsibility, and by creating culture champions, Georgia Tech is able to develop competent leaders on their campus and in the community.”

Entries are assessed on their overall quality, innovation, use of resources, and the impact on the institution or its external and internal communities. In 2018, more than 675 higher education institutions, independent schools, and nonprofits worldwide submitted 3,200 entries for consideration across 100 categories.

To learn more about the CASE Circle of Excellence Awards, visit www.case.org/Awards/Circle_of_Excellence_x75314.html.