G. Wayne Clough, president of the Georgia Institute of Technology, will be honored this week by the nation's oldest engineering society for his lifetime contribution to education.

Clough will receive the 2004 Outstanding Projects And Leaders (OPAL) award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) during the organization's fifth annual awards gala May 12 in suburban Washington, D.C.

"Throughout his career, Wayne has contributed greatly to the education of civil engineering students," ASCE President Patricia D. Galloway said. "His teaching, research, administrative and professional leadership has touched an astounding number of people."

The ASCE instituted the OPAL Awards in 2000 to recognize the lifetime achievements of civil engineers whose contributions have greatly enhanced the health, safety and economy of the nation and the world. In only its fourth year, the OPALs have become the pre-eminent awards for civil engineers and the ASCE's principal mechanism for bringing worldwide attention to the contributions and accomplishments of the civil engineering community.

"I'm very flattered to receive such an honor from my civil engineering peers," Clough said. "It's very meaningful to me and I'm deeply appreciative to ASCE for selecting me to receive this. But in doing so, they are also selecting Georgia Tech and recognizing our excellence here.

"This institution has evolved so impressively since my days here as a student, and it has been a real privilege to work with our faculty, our students and staff to reach our current status," Clough said. "They have been partners in my leadership and I'm happy to accept this as a recognition of that."

Clough began his career 40 years ago as an assistant professor at Duke University. From there he moved to Stanford University, where he became a full professor. In 1982 he transferred to the Virginia Polytechnic and State University as a professor of civil engineering and coordinator of its geotechnical programs.

It was at Virginia Tech in 1990 that Clough began his career in administration as dean of the College of Engineering. He then rose to the rank of provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Washington in 1993.

In September 1994 Clough became Georgia Tech's tenth president and the Institute's first alumnus in that office. During his tenure enrollment has increased from 13,000 to 16,600, and test scores and retention rates have increased dramatically.

In addtion, the academic quality of the student body has rised to become one of the strongest in the nation. Tech's SAT scores are the second-highest among public research universities, according to U.S. News and World Report. Tech's SAT scores rank 25th overall according to the magazine's rankings.

In recognition of these acheivements, Georgia Tech has been ranked in the top ten of U.S. News and World Report's top public universities list since 1999, and the Institute was honored in 1999 with the Hesburgh Award, the nation's top tribute for support of undergraduate teaching and learning.

Clough's commitment to increasing diversity at Georgia Tech is evident in the Institute's 71 percent increase in minority enrollment during the past decade and in its 39 percent increase in female enrollment. Recognized as a national leader in graduating minorities and women in engineering and science fields, Georgia Tech ranks first in the nation at all degree levels combined. Also, female faculty members have increased 81 percent, and minority faculty members have increased 59 percent during the past 10 years.

These efforts were recognized in 2001 and 2003 by Black Issues in Higher Education, which cited Georgia Tech as the first university to graduate the largest number of African-American engineers at the undergraduate, graduate and doctorate levels.

Also during his tenure as president, Georgia Tech became the Olympic Village for the 1996 Centennial Olympics, and the Institute completed a capital campaign that raised more than $700 million. Clough's leadership has helped to reshape the campus during the past decade, with Georgia Tech adding $1 billion in new facilities and more than 5.2 million square feet of new space. For seven consecutive years research expenditures increased, and a statewide regional engineering program was implemented.

As a result of his research activities and the rising stature of Georgia Tech, President Bush nominated Clough to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Clough also is a member of the Markle Foundation Task Force on National Security in the Information Age. He has authored or co-authored more than 50 papers, nearly 40 research reports, 15 chapters in published books, and has contributed to more than 30 conference proceedings.

During his distinguished career, Clough has been honored with numerous awards, including a State of the Art Award and the Karl Terzaghi Lectureship from ASCE and the George Westinghouse Award from the American Society of Engineering Education. Clough remains one of only a handful engineers to twice receive ASCE's prestigious Norman Medal, and he has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

For the past six years, Clough has been listed as one of the "100 Most Influential People in Georgia" by Georgia Trend. He also has served as chair of the governor's Blue Ribbon Natural Gas Task Force and NAE's special committee, "The Engineer of 2020" -- an education initiative for engineers who meet the needs of a new era.

Clough also is a member of the executive committee of the U.S. Council on Competitiveness and co-chairs its National Innovation Summit with Samuel J. Palmisano, chairman and CEO of IBM Corp. In addition, Clough is a member of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and he is a trustee of the Georgia Research Alliance.

Clough received his bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering from Georgia Tech and his doctorate in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Founded in 1852, ASCE represents more than 133,000 civil engineers worldwide and is the nation's oldest engineering society. ASCE celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2002.