Teri Nagel
Communications Officer, College of Architecture

The College of Architecture has a long and distinguished tradition at Georgia Tech, bringing together almost all the designed and built environment disciplines. The College offers degrees in architecture, building construction, city and regional planning, industrial design, urban design, and music technology. Its seven research centers champion advancements in assistive technology, accessibility, digital media, music technology, green design, smart growth, intelligent materials, integrated project delivery, and digital fabrication, to name just a few.

After the year-long celebration of its centennial year, the College is transforming internally to provide students with better services and fewer disciplinary restrictions. The newly formed Office of Undergraduate Programs is designed to offer streamlined, expert advisement for undergraduate students, and improved access to extra- and co-curricular opportunities like research, exhibitions, internships, and Institute-wide projects.

“I think [the single office] is good because it gives a more unified sense of the entire College,” said Aubrey Winship, a fourth-year Building Construction major from Jacksonville, Florida. Winship thinks it will be especially helpful to students involved with projects or classes that cross disciplines at the College and across the Institute. “Before it was incredibly separate and difficult to make it work.”

The new Office of Undergraduate Programs is made up of the following seasoned instructors and student advisement professionals:

Sabir Khan, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education
Associate Dean Sabir Khan oversees the three undergraduate programs in the College of Architecture. He has led the Common First Year (CFY) since it was founded in 1999; has taught on the Architecture faculty at Georgia Tech since 1993; and has organized and taught in the Barcelona Summer Study Abroad Program for the College of Computing for ten years. His expertise is in interdisciplinary design education and cross-cultural practices in art, architecture, and design. Professor Khan earned a Master of Architecture degree from Rice University and a baccalaureate degree from Princeton University. He has won numerous design and research awards and is one of the founders of Atlanta Pecha Kucha. He also is a principal in the firm of Cottle Khan Architects, based in Atlanta.

Ann Gerondelis, CFY Curriculum Coordinator
Ann Gerondelis is an architect and educator who earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Architecture from Georgia Tech. Her role, as Common First Year curriculum coordinator, is to work with the team of CFY instructors to keep the CFY curriculum fresh and relevant while maintaining its core principles. In talking about the CFY, Ann explains, “I am fascinated by the curriculum. I love many aspects of it: not only what we teach but how we teach it, working with our bright students and seeing them mature, facilitating teamwork among our richly diverse CFY instructors, and relishing in the great design thinking and making that emerges from our collective efforts."

Karen Houston, Program Manager and Academic Advisor
Karen Houston has been with the College of Architecture for more than twelve years as the academic advisor and program support manager in the Building Construction Program. As the program manager for the Office of Undergraduate Programs, she oversees undergraduate student services for the College which includes academic advising, career development, freshman recruiting, and program marketing and development. Karen is also enrolled at Mercer University, where she is pursuing a degree in Human Services.

Troy Whyte, Academic Advisor
Troy Whyte is a native of Augusta, Georgia, as well as Georgia Tech alumnus. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Management in 1997 and has worked in the College of Architecture, specifically with the program of Industrial Design, since 1998. In Troy’s eleven years in the College, he has developed a keen interest in product design, architecture, and urbanism.

Catherine Denny, Administrative Assistant
Catherine Denny has more than 20 years of experience providing administrative and executive support in both academic and corporate settings. Her organizational skills, professional experience, and friendly face serve her well in handling the 700 undergraduates within the College of Architecture. Cathy earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Tuskegee University and has also taken education courses at Armstrong Atlantic State University.

For additional information on the Office Undergraduate Programs at the College of Architecture, please contact Teri Nagel at teri.nagel@coa.gatech.edu.