A milestone moment has arrived for Georgia Tech’s campus in Metz, France.

Georgia Tech Lorraine (GTL), Tech’s first international campus, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, an event to be commemorated by a visit from Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson from June 14 through 16.

“Georgia Tech Lorraine fits very well with our 25-year strategic vision,” Peterson said.  “We are committed to fostering international alliances to enhance learning experiences, build research collaborations and promote economic development.  We believe that the most pressing challenges in business, industry and society cross national boundaries, and by working together, there is no limit to what we can accomplish.”

The celebration will include a variety of events to honor the occasion:

•  Former Mayor of Metz, Jean-Marie Rausch, will receive the Honorary Alumnus Award from the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, the first foreign individual to receive such a prestigious honor.
• A letter of intent will be signed between Georgia Tech, GTL and representatives of French government institutions to establish the Lafayette Institute, an open platform for technological innovation and commercialization in the area of optoelectronics.
• The signature of a memorandum of understanding between the Georgia Department of Education and the Rectorat of the Academy of Nancy-Metz providing for exchanges of faculty and students, as well as innovative means of collaborations between French and Georgia high schools, to promote the French and English languages.
• President Peterson will join the 220 GT students attending the summer program at GTL to visit the largest World War II American cemetery in St. Avold, near Metz.

More than 400 people are expected to attend the celebration. The U.S. delegation will also include John Brock, CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises, with the French delegation including local officials and members of Parliament. The ceremony will be transmitted live to the French Embassy in the U.S. and to the Atlanta Campus, where State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox will sign one of the agreements. 

“The anniversary of GTL will be a great opportunity to share our significant achievements of the past 20 years and our vision for the next 20 years with all the GTL constituencies for what should be a festive time,” said GTL President Yves Berthelot, who also serves as a professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering.  “The anniversary will also be the perfect setting to announce the creation of a new GTL foundation, incorporated in France, bringing to France the powerful American philanthropic ideal.”

The school began with a master’s program in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and has since expanded to offer master’s degrees in mechanical engineering and computer science along with an undergraduate program.

Student attendance and interest in GTL has blossomed in recent years, with the campus receiving a record number of applications last year. More than 2,500 undergraduate and 100 faculty members have spent at least one semester on the Metz campus. 

“Many consider GTL as the model of what a U.S. technological research university presence in Europe should be,” Berthelot said. “We have created a node in the heart of Europe where Georgia Tech is plugged into a network of excellence in education and research and development.”

For more information on GTL and 20th anniversary activities, visit http://www.gtl20.gatech.edu.