{"546501":{"#nid":"546501","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Relentless Advocacy in Government and Community Relations","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EEach June, the Office of Government and Community Relations works with the Alumni Association and the Office of Development to organize the President\u2019s annual summer tour. That\u2019s just one week out of the year, though.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThis team of people works year-round to help Georgia Tech connect with surrounding government, community, and business partners.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EAt the Staff Council\u2019s recent Inform Georgia Tech event, Dene Sheheane, vice president of Government and Community Relations, shared some insight on the department\u2019s goals and how it operates.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cOur motto is, \u2018gentle pressure relentlessly applied,\u2019\u201d Sheheane said. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe office consists of three teams focused on community, federal, and state relations.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003ECommunity relations primarily focuses on connections with surrounding neighborhoods and entities, including Atlanta Public Schools, the City of Atlanta, and the Westside Communities Alliance.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe federal team consists of two full-time staff members, one in Atlanta and one in Washington, D.C., who work with government leaders and agencies on a national \u003Cbr \/\u003E level. Georgia Tech receives $408 million in federal funding for research \u2014 among the top of its peer institutions that do not have a medical school. This means maintaining relationships with federal agencies is crucial to the research enterprise.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EFor many people, though, the most visible area of Government and Community Relations\u2019 work may be at the state level. As the University System of Georgia (USG) institution with the largest economic impact, Georgia Tech has numerous partners statewide but a smaller number of alumni engaged directly in politics. Of the 236 state congressional representatives, 10 are Tech graduates. (In U.S. Congress, it\u2019s just three of 535.) Locally, the numbers fair slightly better, where 2 out of 15 Atlanta City Council members are Tech alumni (and one, Andre Dickens, is a Tech employee).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EGovernment and Community Relations is careful to serve in a bipartisan role, making friends and allies on both sides of the aisle under Atlanta\u2019s Gold Dome. It connects both College Democrats and College Republicans with guest speakers and local representatives to educate and advocate for student issues.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe office also manages internship programs both in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., placing Tech students in various roles at the intersection of policy and technology at both capitols.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cWe have people request Tech students because they know they make great interns,\u201d Sheheane said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003ESheheane then discussed the 2016 legislative session in particular and the challenges it brought.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cThis was my 26th session, and I\u2019ve never had anything quite like it,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThough Georgia Tech voluntarily withdrew its request for funding for the Library Renewal project until completion of abatement of the facility, Sheheane said the project is well positioned to receive that funding next year.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003ESuccesses this year included funding for an expansion of the Advanced Technology Development Center, Georgia Tech\u2019s startup incubator serving the state of Georgia; legislation to provide a HOPE GPA boost for students taking STEM courses; full formula funding and full major repair and renovation funding; and funding for salary merit increases.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EMeanwhile, the team is already looking to next year to prepare for continued conversations about ongoing issues such as tuition rates and campus carry legislation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cSeveral states now have campus carry in some form, and USG schools are doing safety reports now in response to the legislation that was put forward this session,\u201d Sheheane said. Georgia Governor Nathan Deal ultimately vetoed the bill that had passed both chambers but was opposed by several USG police chiefs and presidents, including Georgia Tech\u2019s.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003ESheheane reminded attendees of the USG\u2019s political policy, which encourages employees to engage in citizen obligations and normal political processes, including holding local office, so long as the position does not conflict or interfere with their professional duties and responsibilities. Employees may not hold state or federal office, though. (The full policy can be viewed at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/c.gatech.edu\/usg-personnel\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Ec.gatech.edu\/usg-personnel\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe Staff Council will host its next Inform Georgia Tech session in August, with a focus on campus services, health, well-being, and parking. A session later in the fall will focus on campus planning.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003ELearn more and see archived presentations at\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/staffcouncil.gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E staffcouncil.gatech.edu\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EAt the Staff Council\u2019s recent Inform Georgia Tech event, Dene Sheheane, vice president of Government and Community Relations, shared some insight on the department\u2019s goals and how it operates.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"At the Staff Council\u2019s recent Inform Georgia Tech event, Dene Sheheane, vice president of Government and Community Relations, shared some insight on the department\u2019s goals and how it operates."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2016-06-21 14:32:01","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:21:57","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-06-21T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2016-06-21T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"546511":{"id":"546511","type":"image","title":"Government Relations at the Capitol","body":null,"created":"1466535601","gmt_created":"2016-06-21 19:00:01","changed":"1475895338","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:38","alt":"Government Relations at the Capitol","file":{"fid":"92107","name":"12513788_10153527141729209_4075170383685422275_o.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/12513788_10153527141729209_4075170383685422275_o.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/12513788_10153527141729209_4075170383685422275_o.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":284657,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/12513788_10153527141729209_4075170383685422275_o.jpg?itok=MFDQ2xRN"}}},"media_ids":["546511"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/gov.gatech.edu\/","title":"Office of Government and Community Relations"},{"url":"http:\/\/staffcouncil.gatech.edu\/","title":"Staff Council"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"172143","name":"gcr"},{"id":"15363","name":"Government and Community Relations"},{"id":"172144","name":"inform georgia tech"},{"id":"167004","name":"staff council"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.means@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ELaura Means\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGovernment and Community Relations\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}