With an eight-month review process complete, the Georgia Tech-Savannah Task Force has presented its findings to President G. P. “Bud” Peterson. The report, “Defining a Path Forward for Georgia Tech-Savannah,” is a comprehensive review of the coastal campus and the Georgia Tech Regional Engineering Program (GTREP).

Georgia Tech Provost and Chair of the task force Rafael L. Bras shared recommendations outlined in the report firsthand with the Savannah campus faculty and staff on June 1.

Highlights from the task force include recommendations that will allow Georgia Tech-Savannah to continue to have a strong presence in Southeast Georgia by creating a new academic and operational model for the campus while phasing out current degree programs.

 “Through the review process, it has been our priority to consider the needs of our faculty, staff and students, as well as the community and stakeholders that we serve,” said Provost Bras.

The campus will operate in a “business as usual mode” during the summer and fall semesters of 2011. If the report is accepted, Georgia Tech will work individually with students in Savannah to provide the support necessary to aid them in completing their Georgia Tech degree program, according to Bras.

Pending formal acceptance of the recommendations, the task force endorsed a gradual transition plan to phase out the current focus on undergraduate degree programs. An implementation plan for the new operational model would be initiated in parallel with this process.

The proposed organization, designed to be viable and self-sustaining, includes a portfolio of programs ranging from co-curricular undergraduate activities to instruction for the military and executive and other non-credit education programs to professional master’s degrees. In addition, the recommendations include the option of developing regional research opportunities.

“The report captures input from our Savannah and Atlanta campuses and stakeholders in the Savannah community and coastal region,” said Bras. “I sincerely appreciate the concerns and the ideas that have been expressed.”

Currently, Georgia Tech-Savannah offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in four engineering majors: civil, computer, electrical and mechanical. A Master of Science (undesignated) is also available.

Changes to the academic programs are subject to the policies of the University System of Georgia and notification to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). 

There will be a 10-day comment period for those who would like to share ideas or respond to the task force report. Comments may be submitted at the following link through June 10, 2011: http://savannah.gatech.edu/task-force-update-comment.