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Founder's Day Honors Todd, Allen Legacy Expanded

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The 2010 Founder's Day celebrated the legacy of College namesake Ivan Allen Jr. by honoring Atlanta's William J. Todd. The day's events highlighted human-centered research at Georgia Tech and recognized individuals in the college and community for their commitment to humanitarian endeavors. A new Ivan Allen Jr. Prize was announced as a prelude to a broader Institute-wide commitment to the legacy of Mayor Allen at Georgia Tech.

"Humanitarian Leadership on a Global Level: Georgia Tech Responds to the Allen Legacy"

Interim Dean Kenneth J. Knoespel introduced Mayor Allen's "legacy of action" through a morning symposium showcasing interdisciplinary research. "In the past 10 years, Founder's Day has recognized that the College that bears the name of former Mayor Allen has worked to build programs and projects that have participated in change, including and beyond the disciplines represented by this college," Knoespel said. "Our work has also engaged Georgia Tech, the city, and almost every continent around the world."

Dean Designate of the College, Jacqueline Jones Royster, and Georgia Tech President G. P. "Bud" Peterson offered welcomes. Moderated by Associate Dean for Research Susan Cozzens, the symposium featured Kirk Bowman (International Affairs), Marilyn Brown (Public Policy), and Carl DiSalvo (Literature, Communication, and Culture) presenting research on climate change. Seymour Goodman (International Affairs) and Adam Stulberg, both professors in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, and Adjo Amekudzi from the School of Civil Engineering presented research in the area of security. Presentations from Michael Best (International Affairs) and Fox Harrell (Literature, Communication, and Culture) presented research in Africa. Harley Etienne (Public Policy), Greg Nobles (History, Technology, and Society), and Roberta Berry (Public Policy) focused on research and work engaging in Atlanta.

The 10th Annual Founder's Day Luncheon

The 10th annual Founder's Day Awards luncheon honored William J. Todd as the recipient of the Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Progress and Service. A Georgia Tech alumnus (Mgt '71), Todd is President and CEO of the Georgia Cancer Coalition. In his introduction of Todd, President Peterson commended Todd's global humanitarian leadership and his vision to make Georgia the national leader in cancer care and to reduce suffering and death to cancer.

Accepting the award, Todd emphasized the bond between Mayor Allen (Commerce '33) and Georgia Tech saying that the Institute's motto of "Progress and Service" personifies the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts and the Institute as a whole. "It's the perfect motto for Georgia Tech," Todd said. "It is in plain, action-oriented, and values-driven language. The whole Institute was formed in this [New South] principle, and Ivan Allen Jr. epitomized that."

Peter Brecke, Assistant Dean for Information Technology, Susan Cozzens, Associate Dean for Research, and John Tone, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, presented the Ivan Allen Jr. Legacy Awards recognizing current students, alumni, and faculty for their accomplishments.

Sam Nunn School of International Affairs Associate Professor Adam Stulberg was the recipient of the 2010 Ivan Allen Jr. Legacy Faculty Award. Co-Director of the Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy, Stulberg was lauded by Tone as "a challenging teacher, first-rate scholar, and visionary leader whose work has had an enormously positive role in the world." Stulberg has worked on projects supported by the MacArthur Foundation to strengthen the nuclear nonproliferation. He has worked closely with former Senator Sam Nunn to influence direction through the U.S. Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. He organizes the biennial Sam Nunn Bank of America Policy Forum.

Economics and International Affairs student Trey Birch won the 2010 Ivan Allen Jr. Legacy Undergraduate Student Award. Among his achievements, Birch established the Youth Enrichment Program through which Georgia Tech students tutor and mentor young people in the nearby English Avenue neighborhood. Cate Powell, an International Affairs student, won the 2010 Ivan Allen Jr. Legacy Graduate Student Award. Her work includes the POP Jewelry Collective which helps create a sustainable business that supports the education of children in India. Program coordinator for CARE's Hope for African Children Initiative alumna Sarah Kenagy (International Affairs, 2007), won the 2010 Ivan Allen Jr. Legacy Alumni Award. Students and faculty members each received a glass sculpture and a check for $1,000.

A special Legacy Award was given posthumously to Ferdinand A. "Ski" Hilenski, development officer for the Ivan Allen College in recognition of his vision and work with the Allen legacy and to expand the legacy to all of Georgia Tech. Hilenski died of cancer in July, 2009. His wife, Lu, and daughter, Cate, accepted the award on his behalf. Inman Allen, son of Mayor Allen, said that without Hilenski's efforts, the College could not exist in its current incarnation.

A New Allen Prize, an Expanded Allen Initiative

This was the final awarding of the Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Progress and Service. Knoespel and Peterson were joined by Inman Allen and prominent Atlanta citizen Tom Glenn in announcing the establishment of a new prize, the Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage. The new prize will recognize individuals from the global community who have made a positive impact on society through compassionate and courageous leadership. The award is endowed in perpetuity by the Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation. It carried a $100,000 stipend for recipients. It is anticipated that it will be given for the first time in 2011.

President Peterson announced that Georgia Tech is committed to continuing the Allen legacy. "The Allen legacy inspires the Ivan Allen College and all of Georgia Tech to represent in our teaching, research and public service all the human values he stood for," Peterson said. "We intend to provide our students with the means by which they can make decisions based on the moral and ethical principles that led Mayor Allen to risk being ostracized by his peers to defend what was right. We are committed to an Ivan Allen Jr. legacy that will weave Mayor Allen's values of social responsibility and courage into the fabric of our academic endeavors. The initiative is a work in progress. We will be announcing components in the coming months."

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  • Workflow Status:Published
  • Created By:Rebecca Keane
  • Created:03/21/2010
  • Modified By:Fletcher Moore
  • Modified:10/07/2016