For the third consecutive year, Georgia Tech has secured a spot on Forbes’ list of New Ivies, showcasing the Institute’s strong reputation among employers.
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.
On April 2, Georgia Tech launched its new Institute for Technology and Civic Leadership with a symposium built around a simple idea. Society benefits when people are willing to listen, especially to those who disagree with them.
“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.
As vice provost for Enrollment Management, Rick Clark develops strategies to expand access to Georgia Tech and help students find their path here. As an ultra trail runner, Clark understands that, while there may be twists and turns along the way, perseverance and a steady approach are vital when the path ahead seems daunting.
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.”
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]]>For their leadership across various industries and positive contributions to their communities, 12 Georgia Tech alumni are among Georgia Trend’s 100 Most Influential Georgians for 2026.
Guided by his BluePrint to 2033, Blake recently announced that 16 of the plan’s 20 initiatives are underway, including work on the new Panther Quad and Campus Greenway expansion on the Atlanta campus. Georgia State recently received an $80 million donation from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation — the largest in the university’s history.
Under Cabrera’s leadership, Georgia Tech has become the state's largest university. With record enrollment, campaign fundraising, and research expenditures, Tech is delivering on the president’s Big Bets strategy. A $100 million bequest from alumnus John Durstine in September 2025 is the largest in Tech history and will transform the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.
First elected in 2020, the second-term chair of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners declared her “unwavering commitment to forward motion” in a 2025 address that highlighted economic growth, improving equity, and the expansion of critical resources in Cobb County.
Reelected to a second term as Atlanta’s mayor, Dickens has led the city since 2021, establishing positive working relationships with state leadership, reducing violent crime rates, and building affordable housing. Under his leadership, the city achieved an AAA bond rating, the highest in the city’s history.
McLean is the vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Air Mobility and Maritime Missions division and site general manager of the company’s 5,000-employee Marietta facility. The C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, built at the facility, was named the winner of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural Coolest Thing Made in Georgia competition.
Since 2023, Miller has led the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority, and the State Road and Tollway Authority. Her team continues to work toward easing congestion around metro Atlanta, including 16 miles of planned express lanes on GA 400, expected to be completed in 2031.
Rice has led the Morehouse School of Medicine since 2014, and under her leadership, the number of Morehouse's M.D. candidates has doubled. She has also worked to expand access to education with regional medical campuses in Albany and Columbus. In 2025, Rice was elected to the Georgia Power board of directors.
As the CEO of metro Atlanta’s largest private employer, Bastian was named the 2025 Tony Jannus Award recipient by the Tony Jannus Distinguished Aviation Society. The award is given annually to individuals who have made major and lasting contributions to the commercial aviation industry.
As president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta since 2017, Bostic has beenresponsible for overseeing monetary policy, bank supervision, and payment services. He will retire at the end of his term in February. He also serves on the Federal Open Market Committee, the monetary policymaking body of the Federal Reserve System.
After serving as Coca-Cola’s CEO since 2017, Quincey announced his intention to step down in December. He will remain with the beverage giant as its executive chairman after reshaping the company’s strategy and adding more than 10 billion-dollar brands during his tenure as CEO.
In 2025, Tomé began leading the company through what she called the “most significant strategic shift in the company’s history,” while helping customers navigate the most“profound shift in trade policy in a century.”
Womack leads the energy provider that serves over 9 million customers. In 2025, he was awarded the title of Georgia Trustee by the Georgia Historical Society — the highest honor the state can confer.
The National Academy of Inventors is honoring two Georgia Tech faculty members for their contributions to technology and society: Deepakraj “Deepak” Divan and Arijit Raychowdhury. Both are in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Raychowdhury is a semiconductor pioneer whose patented circuit and system-on-chip designs have advanced computing efficiency and commercialization. Divan is a global leader in power electronics and grid modernization, whose innovations and ventures have transformed how electricity is delivered and managed worldwide.
“Congratulations to Deepakraj and Arijit on earning one of the most esteemed accolades in technology and discovery. Their groundbreaking work, with nearly 100 patents between them, advances solutions to global challenges,” said Raghupathy “Siva” Sivakumar, chief commercialization officer at Georgia Tech. “Their success exemplifies how research commercialization drives real-world impact, and we’re proud to see them honored as academy fellows.”
Election to NAI is the highest professional distinction specifically awarded to inventors. With this recognition, Georgia Tech’s roster of NAI Fellows grows to 24. Divan and Raychowdhury join a 2025 class of 169 new fellows representing university, government, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. They will be inducted at the NAI 15th Annual Conference on June 4, 2026, in Los Angeles.
Professor Emeritus (2004-2025)
Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Founder, Georgia Tech Center for Distributed Energy
Deepakraj “Deepak” Divan is a globally recognized innovator in power electronics and grid transformation. He was awarded the IEEE Medal in Power Engineering in 2024.
He holds over 85 U.S. and international patents and has authored 400 refereed publications. His pioneering work on soft‑switching converters—integral for efficient energy storage, EV charging, and industrial controls—has spurred a global $70 billion power electronics industry.
Divan laid the groundwork for grid‑forming inverter control, enabling high-renewables integration. He is the co-author of Energy 2040: Aligning Innovation, Economics and Decarbonization, named by Forbes as one of the “10 Essential Books and Podcasts Every Leader Needs in 2025”.
“Being named an NAI Fellow is a tremendous honor,” said Divan. “It reflects years of effort to rethink how electricity is delivered and managed to solve real problems and to drive practical innovations that matter.”
As the founder of Georgia Tech’s Center for Distributed Energy, he led research that transforms electricity delivery through analytics, monitoring, and optimization.
An entrepreneur, Divan co-founded Varentec (backed by Bill Gates and Khosla Ventures) and seeded ventures including GridBlock, Soft Switching Technologies, Innovolt, and Smart Wires—raising over $500 million. A National Academy of Engineering member and IEEE Fellow, he champions scalable energy-access solutions worldwide.
Professor and Steve W. Chaddick School Chair
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Director, Center for the Co-Design of Cognitive Systems
Arijit Raychowdhury has been the Steve W. Chaddick School Chair of ECE since 2021. He is a leading innovator in semiconductor technologies, holding more than 27 U.S. and international patents and authoring over 350 publications.
His work spans low-power circuits, specialized accelerators, and system-on-chip design, with breakthroughs widely adopted in industry.
“This recognition reflects the collective effort of students, colleagues, and partners who share a vision for advancing microelectronics,” said Raychowdhury. “I am honored that NAI champions the same mission to lead through research, education, and innovation."
At Texas Instruments, he developed the world’s first adaptive echo-cancellation network for integrated Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL)—a patented technology that enabled high-speed internet over traditional phone lines that received the EDN Innovation of the Year award. At Intel, he developed and incorporated foundational memory and logic technologies that shaped commercial products across global markets for more than a decade.
His research on fine-grain power management of systems-on-chip at Georgia Tech has been licensed and widely adopted by the semiconductor industry.
He directs Georgia Tech’s Center for the Co-Design of Cognitive Systems and leads initiatives to advance microelectronics design with applications to AI. Over the years, he has served as a founding advisor and board member to multiple startups in the areas of edge-computing and low power design.
Raychowdhury’s research bridges invention and real-world impact, earning him numerous honors, including IEEE Fellow, Semiconductor Research Corporation Technical Excellence Award, and multiple industry awards. Through pioneering designs and mentorship, he continues to drive innovation in computing systems, influencing both academic research and industrial commercialization.