Located along Northside Drive between Eighth and Ninth streets, the 191,000-square-foot facility offers 862 beds in double-occupancy rooms. The first traditional residence hall constructed on campus since 1969, Bud and Val Peterson Residence Hall features collaborative learning areas, an esports lounge, a fitness room, community lounges, a kitchen on the first floor of each wing, and a 24/7 cashierless market. 

The opening of the new residence hall allows Tech to keep pace with enrollment as the Institute continues to grow. This fall, over 4,100 first-year students will enroll at the Institute, along with 1,400 transfer students in the fall and spring. With growth comes the need for new infrastructure, as Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera said during Thursday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.  

“It turns out that more unbelievable students from every county in Georgia, from every corner of our country and countries around the world, want to have the learning experience here. It’s our duty to figure out creative solutions, not just to house them, but to provide them with a transformative experience,” he said. “The transformation of our students happens right here. It happens in the residence halls. It happens in the friendships that you make, the study groups, the activities, and when you’re learning to be independent and to grow up. This is not just a dorm where you come to sleep.” 

The residence hall is named in honor of Georgia Tech’s 11th president and first lady. During Peterson’s tenure from 2009 to 2019, Tech enhanced student programs and grew enrollment; increased collaboration and built strategic partnerships in Atlanta and Georgia; expanded its global reach, with a focus on innovation; executed Campaign Georgia Tech, which raised $1.8 billion for the Institute; and more than doubled new research awards, exceeding $1 billion for the first time in 2019. As president, Peterson launched the Online Master of Science in Computer Science program, which has since become a global model for accessible education. 

He has remained involved with the Institute as president emeritus, a Regents’ Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, and a member of the steering committee for Transforming Tomorrow: The Campaign for Georgia Tech. 

In his remarks, Peterson recounted his first time visiting Tech, the feeling he got when he was on campus, and his path to eventually becoming Tech’s next president, succeeding President Emeritus G. Wayne Clough, who was in attendance at the ceremony.  

Becoming a candidate for the job of president was “one of the most important decisions I’ve made in my professional career,” Peterson said. “This is a remarkable place with remarkable people doing remarkable things. Val and I are enormously honored to be recognized in this fashion.”  

As first lady, Val Peterson was a dedicated presence on campus and an ardent supporter of students and faculty. She served as the chief spokesperson for the Tech Ends Suicide Together initiative when it launched in 2016 and mentored students and campus organizations. Val Peterson holds two bachelor’s degrees and a teaching certificate from Kansas State University and a master’s degree from Texas A&M. She has been recognized as an honorary alumna by the Georgia Tech Alumni Association for her devotion to the greater good of the Institute. Nicknamed the “Queen Bee” of Georgia Tech, she found it “quite fitting” that the new hall bears the couple’s names, because they lived together in a dorm room at KSU when they were first married.  

“That’s where it all began. Those two towers, like us, together forever,” she said. “My hope for the students who live in Peterson Hall is that their experience parallels our paths, not only in school but in life.” 

Each space in the new residence hall is designed to encourage students to interact and develop shared experiences, a mindset that Kasey Helton, associate vice president of Campus Services, says was fostered during Peterson’s tenure.  

“We weren't trying to create 860 places to sleep. We were trying to create 860 opportunities to belong. That sense of belonging is exactly what Bud and Val spent a decade here building. They championed living-learning communities, expanded opportunities for students to develop global perspectives, strengthened support for student well-being, and helped make a Georgia Tech education accessible to all students. That same spirit is built into this hall,” Helton said.  

The opening of the Bud and Val Peterson Residence Hall brings the Institute’s capacity to more than 9,600 bed spaces across nearly 50 residence halls. Move-in for the fall semester begins Aug. 15, including the first group of students who will call Bud and Val Peterson Residence Hall home. 

The Institute is one of 17 public schools to receive a five-star ranking and the only institution in the state to receive the designation. To compile its list for 2026 and to “help families find schools that deliver strong value,” the publication evaluated more than 700 four-year colleges on 25 metrics, including graduation rates, costs, financial aid, student debt, and alumni salaries. 

In its breakdown, Money declares, “Georgia Tech gets results.” 

Cementing its status as a national leader in outcomes and value for all students remains a top priority in the Institute’s strategic plan. Since 2019, as in-state tuition has risen nationwide by an average of $2,200, Tech has reduced its in-state tuition and fees by nearly 25%. Georgia Tech students continue to outpace the national average with a 93% graduation rate, 75% of whom finish in four years or less.   

Tech recently completed its most successful fundraising year in history, including millions of dollars for need-based scholarships, advancing opportunities for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds.  

The recognition from Money is the latest accolade Tech has received for its value creation and return on investment. The Princeton Review has named Georgia Tech a best value public college for three consecutive years, and this year, Tech retained its place on Forbes’ list of New Ivies, receiving the highest C-suite rating of any university. 

“David has been an important contributor to Georgia Tech’s academic AI strategy from the beginning,” said Raheem Beyah, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “With expertise in AI use in the classroom, a commitment to instructional innovation, and a deep appreciation for and understanding of faculty perspectives, David is exceptionally well-positioned to lead this work.”  

Joyner’s appointment kicks off the next phase of the academic AI strategy, which was developed with input from faculty, staff, students, and academic leaders from across the Institute. The strategy is organized around three goals: advancing AI-driven teaching and learning, equipping faculty and students to build and integrate AI tools effectively and responsibly, and strengthening Georgia Tech’s impact and leadership through responsible AI innovation and engagement.  

As interim vice provost for AI in Education, Joyner will work closely with faculty governance leaders, academic leadership, and campus partners to coordinate implementation efforts, support strategic initiatives, expand access to AI resources, and help align activities across the Institute. 

Joyner currently serves in the College of Computing as associate dean for Off-Campus and Special Initiatives and executive director of Online Education and the Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS) program. He will continue to serve as executive director of OMSCS while stepping down from his associate dean responsibilities to assume the role of interim vice provost for AI Strategy.  

Joyner is a recognized leader in online learning, educational technology, and AI-enabled education. His research focuses on learning at scale, online instruction, and the use of AI to support student success and teaching innovation. Through his leadership of OMSCS and his work as a researcher and instructor, he has helped shape how Georgia Tech and higher education approach technology-enhanced learning. 

“I am thrilled to take on this role at such a pivotal time for AI and education,” said Joyner. “Georgia Tech’s faculty, staff, and students are already making incredible strides in this area, and I can’t wait to highlight and empower what they’re doing while helping us all articulate how we both use and address AI responsibly, in every sense of the word.” 

Faculty expertise and shared governance will remain central to the implementation of the academic AI strategy. Faculty interested in contributing to pilot projects, sharing effective practices, or helping inform future AI initiatives will have opportunities to participate as the work continues. 

Receiving the highest C-suite rating of any university this year, Tech has been included on the list each year since it started in 2024. This year’s survey polled more than 100 C-suite and hiring executives, who were asked to rate schools and detail how artificial intelligence has changed their hiring of new graduates.  

According to Forbes, each institution on the list is considered a leader in AI adoption, innovating and integrating the emerging technology into its curriculum.  

AI fluency is a valued trait among employers, and one executive said that the ideal job candidate has completed an education that exemplifies “complex emotional intelligence, radical adaptability, and visionary creativity to orchestrate AI tools rather than compete with them.” Emphasizing the importance of equipping graduates with these skills, 60% of respondents say AI has changed their staffing needs, and nearly 25% say it has reduced their need for entry-level college graduates.   

“At Georgia Tech, our students don’t just learn AI. They apply it in real-world contexts across fields like finance, medical innovation, and manufacturing,” said Raheem Beyah, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “They graduate with both technical depth and domain expertise, shaped through hands-on experience and close partnerships with industry, so they’re ready to step in and create value on day one.” 

Outside of the classroom, providing students access to an AI supercomputer, the launch of Tech AI, and researchers leading multiple National Science Foundation AI institutes have cemented Tech’s status as a leader in AI innovation.  

Return on investment remains a critical factor in today’s conversations about higher education as well, and Tech continues to rank highly in that area. In 2025, the Institute was named the best-value public college by The Princeton Review, and the Department of Education’s College Scorecard ranked Georgia Tech first among public universities in measuring ROI 15, 20, and 30 years after graduation. 

“The Institute will serve as a space to share ideas, learn from one another, and discover common ground,” said Amanda Murdie, dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.  

“This is especially important in a moment when technology is rapidly altering how we encounter information, form beliefs, and relate to one another.” 

“The Institute creates opportunities for students to examine the civic and social implications of technological innovation,” said Aaron Levine, associate dean for research and outreach in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts and interim executive director of the Institute for Technology and Civic Leadership.  

“It will support leaders who can approach difficult questions thoughtfully, drawing on evidence, expertise, and an understanding of diverse perspectives.”  

That focus was reflected in the symposium’s keynote dialogue between Robert George and Cornel West, eminent scholars, longtime friends, and coauthors of Truth Matters: A Dialogue on Fruitful Disagreement in an Age of Division.  

The keynote conversation modeled the kind of thoughtful dialogue across deep differences that the new Institute aims to cultivate. George and West do not expect to change each other’s minds.For them, persuasion isn’t the point. 

“We don’t often completely change each other’s minds about things, but that’s not the goal,” said George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University.  

“You can have 100% agreement and be wrong. My goal isn’t to persuade him, but to learn what I can from him.” 

Listening with care and humility to someone who is coming from a very different place, George added, can offer new ways of seeing an issue. 

For West, that process begins with resisting easy labels. 

“We don’t look at the world through the lens of -isms,” said West, who is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary.  

“You try to listen to a particular argument, put forward by a specific person, and to stay in contact with their humanity. Embrace their humanity.” 

The two-day event also included panel discussions featuring insights from peer institutions and breakout sessions inviting the campus community to contribute feedback and ideas about the new institute. 

The new Institute aims to give students the chance to explore a broad range of ideas about how innovation shapes communities, the economy, and public life. It aims to be a place where people can exchange ideas freely, learn from one another and find common ground — all anchored in open debate, scientific inquiry and evidence-based problem-solving. 

It will also serve as a hub for bringing together leaders from government, industry, academia and other sectors to tackle pressing challenges and pursue science- and data-driven solutions. 

He started running as conditioning for soccer, but as he looked for new challenges, he discovered ultra trail running — any course longer than a traditional marathon. The longest race he’s completed was a 60-mile trek in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, in a torrential downpour. Not concerned with the leaderboards, Clark says he runs to test his limits and reach new personal highs.  

“Sometimes you find yourself far from the finish line, wondering if you can keep going, but that’s when you know you really have to dig deep. In those moments, I put my hands on my knees, look at the ground, count to three, and go again. Eventually, you’ll have this moment where one second you’re wondering ‘Why am I doing this?’ or thinking you won’t do it again, and then a day later you’re looking at what races are coming up and asking yourself, ‘What can I do next?’” 

Whether it’s training for his next race or working toward Institute-wide goals — becoming a top university for return on investment, enrolling students from all 159 Georgia counties, or expanding access through need-based scholarships — Clark is energized by the work that precedes the payoff and sees that mindset on the trail and at Tech.  

“What I love about being at Georgia Tech is that nobody’s satisfied with the status quo. Nobody is satisfied with what we’ve done. There’s always this ambition among our students, faculty, staff, and alumni to ask how we can get better.” 

Clark has worked in various roles during his 25 years in higher education, including more than 20 years at Tech. Noting the parallel between his work and his hobby, Clark says that neither running 60 miles nor paying off a ‘big bet’ happens all at once, and that it’s important to celebrate small victories along the way.  

“Higher education is an ultramarathon,” he said. “In trail running, there are aid stations along the course. You might go miles between them, but when you reach an intersection, and there’s a group willing to share a snack and a drink by the fire, that’s a point to celebrate that you’ve made it that far. And that’s higher education, too. We keep the end goals in mind, but it’s a long course, and you’re never going to just sprint to the end.” 

Clark also stresses that both on the trail and on campus, nothing is achieved alone. He says that his support system — family, friends, and fellow trail runners — is with him every step of the way during races, and that same level of support and collaboration is also critical to shared success at Tech.  

Finding time to train can be challenging, but having learned from his experience co-authoring a book  — The Truth About College Admission: A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together — Clark takes any opportunity to fit a “therapeutic” run into his daily schedule, even if it’s at 4 a.m. or 11 p.m. Training and planning for any hurdle that may arise are what Clark says keeps him calm, even when adversity hits.  

“Even success can create new challenges, and with that comes some long days and tough decisions where you don’t know if you’re taking the right path. With trail running, you may end up a mile off course sometimes, and while that can be discouraging, you know it’s a chance to trust your training, not lose your composure, stay resilient, and keep going until the end,” Clark said.  

Acceptance to Georgia Tech can feel like the beginning of a race, and Clark and the enrollment management team want to ensure that every student has the opportunity to run it.  

“We believe strongly in the idea that talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not, and that's what we're focused on: expanding that opportunity. For a student who has the ability, we need to be a place that gives them the chance to come here, and then support them when they are here, to ensure they can take advantage of all the resources Tech has to offer.”