Even though our campus experience has endured many changes over the past months, we’re still making it our mission to get our Yellow Jackets involved and engaged. To kick off the spring semester, the Center for Student Engagement is hosting Engage2021! This multi-day event aims to bring together students from all across campus to kickstart Spring involvement. Engage2021 will take place from Saturday, Jan. 16, to Monday, Jan. 18, and will feature programs from the three areas of the Center for Student Engagement: Civic Engagement, Fraternity and Sorority Life, and Student Organizations.

Engage Symposium | Saturday, Jan. 16

10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Platform: Hybrid  

Audience: Georgia Tech Community 

The Center for Student Engagement at Georgia Tech will host the Engage Symposium, focused on all interested students and current student leaders. It will be presented in a hybrid format with in-person participants and synchronous livestreaming from Tech’s Ferst Center for the Arts.  

The symposium will highlight leadership lessons from notable local, regional, and state leaders in a moderated interview format. A current Georgia Tech student will interview these guest leaders live on stage! The Ferst Center, which at full capacity holds an audience of nearly 1,000, will be limited to a live audience of 100 student participants to allow for social distancing. Tech students will also be able to view and participate in the program virtually.  

Speakers for the Engage Symposium include Frank Brown, CEO of Communities in Schools of Atlanta; Cheneé Joseph, executive director of the Historic District Development Corporation; and Doug Hooker, executive director of the Atlanta Regional Commission. 

This symposium was inspired by a new Georgia Tech student organization podcast focusing on social change and civic engagement: the MOVEments podcast, which launched in September 2020. Sydney Blakeney, host of MOVEments, will be the host for the Engage Symposium. 

Greek Emerging Leaders Experience | Saturday, Jan. 16 

9 a.m. 

Platform: Hybrid  

Audience: Emerging Leaders of Georgia Tech Social Fraternities and Sororities

The Greek Emerging Leaders Experience, hosted by Fraternity and Sorority Life, will take place in the Ferst Theater at the Engage2021 Summit. This program is designed to give new members of the Greek community the tools to amplify their impact and leadership potential within their chapter, council, and the greater community. 

The program will be divided into four segments: Exploring Leadership; Living Your Values Through Ritual and Service; Embracing Diversity and Community; and Managing Complexities (accountability, expectations, and difficult conversations).

Please have your emerging leader(s) fill out this form to indicate their participation in the program https://gatech.campuslabs.com/engage/submitter/form/start/451977 by Jan. 6.

Student Leader Retreat | Sunday, Jan. 17 

9 a.m. – noon

Platform: Gatherly 

Audience: All Georgia Tech Students

The Student Leader Retreat (SLR) is an annual program that strives to create a space where Georgia Tech students can practice their leadership skills by collaborating with other organizations and administrators to develop relationships and serve their constituents better.  

While the Student Leader Retreat usually entails a two-day event where students can engage and build community at an off-campus, overnight retreat center, the 2021 SLR will look different in light of the coronavirus pandemic.  

Building on a 15-year tradition of providing a forum for meaningful dialogue on campus issues and initiatives, the 2021 Student Leader Retreat will occur virtually on Sunday, Jan. 17, from 9 a.m. to noon. As part of Engage2021, the SLR will feature speakers and participants including recent alumni, current graduate and undergraduate students,  Georgia representatives, and staff from the Center for Student Engagement. Click here to view the full schedule.

For full details and to RSVP, click here.

Winter Organization Fair | Sunday, Jan. 17 

2 – 4 p.m.

Platform: Gatherly 

Audience: All Georgia Tech Students

Each spring semester, the Center for Student Engagement and SGA host an Organizations Fair, providing students opportunities to connect with 550+ Registered Student Organizations. 

In Spring 2021, we will be hosting a virtual tabling fair on Gatherly! In addition to hosting a number of our student organizations, the Winter Organizations Fair will include departments and offices from across campus. Got a question? There's an office for that. Check out the Winter Organization Fair to also learn more about campus resources and engagement opportunities!

For full details and to RSVP, click here. 

MLK Day of Service | Monday, Jan. 18

Platform: Hybrid 

Audience: Georgia Tech Community

MLK Day of Service is an immersive service program that connects Georgia Tech community members to hands-on service projects and social issue education in the Atlanta area. Each year, on the observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we offer the chance to make it a “day on, not a day off,” partnering with Atlanta community organizations to connect, serve, and move us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a Beloved Community.  

Our 2021 event has been adjusted to a hybrid format to account for our community partners and Georgia Tech community members' needs during the coronavirus pandemic. You can choose how you’d like to serve this year! We will offer the following options:   

• MLK Small Group Service Projects | Organized with local community partners, these will be in-person service projects hosted on campus during our formal Day of Service hours. Space will be limited.
• MLK Virtual Projects | Organized with local community partners, these projects will allow for engagement during the MLK Day of Service without an in-person component.  
• MLK Engage Where You Are | Commit to strengthening your connection to the community wherever you are, through service or another community engagement option that you choose!  

All participants will be invited to attend an MLK Day of Service welcome and kickoff at 9 a.m. The Georgia Tech community will also be invited to join us for a conversation with this year’s MLK Day of Service speaker, John Onwuchekwa, co-founder of Portrait Coffee in Atlanta, Georgia.    

For more information about the event and to register, click here.