The search for Georgia Tech's next president officially kicked off Tuesday, August 12, 2008. That's when the 20-member presidential search committee received marching orders from Board of Regents' Chair Richard Tucker, Regent Willis Potts, who is chair of the search committee, and Susan Herbst, University System of Georgia (USG) executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer.

The search committee heard details on the upcoming search process and be formally charged with its mission from Tucker, Potts and Herbst in a meeting on the Tech campus in Atlanta.

"We have a truly excellent committee now in place," said Tucker. "I look forward to seeing the results of the committee's work, and feel confident that we will be able to locate a president who will further enhance Georgia Tech's prominence in national and international higher education."

The Board of Regents has engaged R. William Funk and Associates, Dallas, Texas, to serve as the search firm for the committee. The company was selected to aid in the search from a number of national higher education executive recruiters.

The national search will replace former Georgia Tech President G. Wayne Clough, who stepped down on June 30 to become the 12th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Tucker announced the membership of the Tech presidential search committee in July.