Paul and Daisy Soros, Hungarian immigrants and American philanthropists, established their Fellowship program for New Americans—immigrants and children of immigrants—in December of 1997 with a charitable trust of fifty million dollars. They created the program as a way to give back to the country that had afforded their family such great opportunities.

Mr. and Mrs. Soros decided on a fellowship program because it allowed them to assist young New Americans at critical points in their educations, which they felt was an unmet need. They also wished to call attention to the extensive and diverse contributions of New Americans to the quality of life in the United States.

The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans is a $90,000 merit-based fellowship exclusively for immigrants and children of immigrants who are pursuing graduate school in the United States. The program draws more than 2,400 applications annually for just 30 fellowships. The rigorous selection process is focused on identifying the most promising New Americans who are poised to make significant contributions to the nation through their work. In addition, the selection team looks for a commitment to the United States’ fundamental principles and ideals.

Read more about Biya's multifaceted journey and achievements here.

This month, the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion launches to provide more programs and pathways to success for underrepresented students on campus. As part of Institute Diversity, the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion encourages students to excel academically, interact across cultures and perspectives, and value inclusion.

The purpose of the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion is to serve students from all backgrounds and encourage them to be inventive leaders who think globally. The Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion will be a positive, enriching environment, connecting students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community stakeholders through effective programs, projects, networks, and research.

S. Gordon Moore Jr., executive director, student diversity and inclusion, serves as the director of the new Center.

“One of the findings from Georgia Tech’s Climate Assessment Survey expressed feelings of marginalization by gender, race, and ethnicity among undergraduate and graduate students,” said Moore. “By launching the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion, we will better serve the more than 4,000 students who benefit from our programs now—and increase capacity to serve even more current and future students.”

Focusing on the recruitment, retention, and advancement of underrepresented minority and women students, the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion houses the following units:

• Office of Hispanic Initiatives (OHI) – Provides programs and pathways to success for the Hispanic/Latino community, primarily current and prospective students and their families, faculty, and staff.
• OMED: Educational Services – Provides programs and pathways to success for traditionally underrepresented students: African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, and Multiracial.
• Center for the Study of Women, Science, and Technology (WST) – Develops initiatives and collaborations that promote women faculty and student interaction around research and practices in STEM.

In the year ahead, the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion will offer an Outreach Initiative to assist Georgia Tech in discovering and developing its future pool of talented and diverse students.

“I am excited to see how the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion can create synergy among units in sharing resources, insights, and connections to help increase the diversity of our student population,” said Auston Kennedy, undergraduate student, H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering.

Two open houses will be held at the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion: August 22-24 for the campus community and October 29 for alumni. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community stakeholders are encouraged to visit the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion (681 Cherry Street NW) to take a tour of the renovated Chapin Building, learn more about its units and initiatives, and meet its talented staff.

To serve more current and future students, the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion also welcomes partnerships with foundations and donors. Learn more at www.csdi.gatech.edu.

The Gender Equity Champion Award winners were honored at the Eighth Annual Diversity Symposium on Friday, September 16.

“I am excited to be part of an effort that celebrates and recognizes the remarkable contributions of campus community members who are advancing gender equity at Georgia Tech,” said Julie Ancis, associate vice president of Institute Diversity and chair of the Gender Equity Champion Awards Committee.

Gender Equity Champion Award recipients have demonstrated one or more of the following in the last three years:

• Commitment to gender diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Leadership in building a culture of gender inclusion and equity.
• Behavior that illustrates commitment to the inclusion of persons within the Institute who represent the gender diversity of the Georgia Tech community.
• Organized, conducted, and/or supported events and activities that promote respect and inclusion related to gender and gender expression.

Award recipients included:

• Faculty Award – Mary Frank Fox, ADVANCE Professor, School of Public Policy, and co-director, Center for the Study of Women, Science, and Technology
• Staff Award – Shannon Sullivan, graduate program manager, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering
• Student Award – Kendall Rankin, undergraduate student, H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering
• Unit Award – School of Physics

Mary Frank Fox’s research focuses on gender, science, and academia — the study of women and men in academic and scientific organizations and occupations — with significant implications for science and technology policy. “The Gender Equity Champion Award embodies values that are close to my heart — equitable conditions that benefit all,” said Fox.

Shannon Sullivan is a licensed professional counselor whose passion is empowering young people to develop themselves personally and professionally. “My work is about daily conversations with people. For someone to recognize that our individual conversations make a difference in students’ lives, I am deeply touched by this honor,” remarked Sullivan.

Kendall Rankin is the founder and executive director of The Diamond Campaign, a nonprofit she started during her sophomore year to empower women through service and education. As Rankin stated, “I believe that Georgia Tech is committed to gender equity as we have made huge strides in recent years, but I encourage each of you to find a way to support women on campus and to ensure we have an inclusive community.”

Diversity is a top priority to the School of Physics, and the school is committed to recruiting and retaining women faculty and students. “For the past two years, the incoming class of graduate students is 30 percent female in the School of Physics, which is currently above the national average,” explained Pablo Laguna, school chair and professor.

These awards at the Eighth Annual Diversity Symposium come on the heels of Georgia Tech’s Gender Equity Initiatives announcement at the Institute Address in fall 2016 and the Office of the President’s listening sessions on gender equity in fall 2015.

“One of the impact areas of the Gender Equity Initiatives is to create recognition opportunities and increase the visibility of the Institute’s commitment to gender equity,” said Archie Ervin, vice president of Institute Diversity. “The annual Diversity Symposium is one of the best opportunities to come together as a campus community, honor campus leaders who are committed to diversity, and have robust, informed discussions on important issues like gender equity.”

To learn more about the Gender Equity Champion Awards and the Diversity Symposium, visit diversity.gatech.edu.