President G.P. “Bud” Peterson launched Tech’s new 25-year Strategic Plan on Aug. 31—the culmination of a yearlong process that brought together hundreds of members of the Tech community. Through public town hall meetings and working groups of students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends, the vision for Georgia Tech in 2035, “Designing the Future,” as the plan is called, came to life with five overarching goals:

• to be among the most highly respected technology-focused learning institutions in the world;
• to sustain and enhance excellence in scholarship and research;
• to ensure that innovation, entrepreneurship and public service are fundamental characteristics of our graduates;
• to expand our global footprint and influence to ensure that we are graduating good global citizens; and
• to relentlessly pursue institutional effectiveness.

“Designing the Future” called for the Georgia Tech community to develop proposals for innovative strategies to meet the goals outlined in the plan. Dean Alan Balfour, together with school chairs, research center directors, faculty, students and campus colleagues, has formed a draft proposal putting forth several exciting concepts to set a course for the College of Architecture in response to the strategic plan.
The College of Architecture provides a natural test bed for many ideas within the strategic plan—with its unique disciplines, methods and approaches offering a robust framework to take on global challenges like the environment, water, health, energy, food, shelter and communication. Among the College of Architecture’s strategies are:

• cross-institute centers with joint ownership by two or more colleges;
• cross-institute initiatives, some with links beyond Georgia Tech;
• College of Architecture-based initiatives with reach across Georgia Tech; and
• College of Architecture-based labs, research centers or initiatives with a specialized focus.

In December, Georgia Tech leaders will gather for a day-long retreat to discuss, integrate and validate proposed actions. The first public draft of the College of Architecture’s proposals will be made available in early 2011, when Dean Balfour will call on alumni and friends for active participation to contemplate the ideas, brainstorm with colleagues and help activate the proposals.