When the White House wants to come calling, you roll out the red — better yet, gold — carpet.

Such was the case for Georgia Tech in March 2015 when President Barack Obama came to talk to the campus community about college affordability.

From the time the students, faculty, and staff first learned they would get to hear from the nation’s leader on their own turf, they swarmed at the opportunity.

They waited hours in lines that snaked through campus for ticket pickup and arrived at McCamish Pavilion as early as 4 a.m. the day of the president’s visit.

Read on to learn more about the campus community’s experience hosting President Barack Obama on March 10, 2015, and about Georgia Tech’s history of past presidential visits.

The President Visits Georgia Tech: Before, During and After