Georgia Institute of Technology Office of the Provost | Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta, GA

Our alumni make us proud. Not only are they extremely well-educated entrepreneurs who create wealth for many, but they are great human beings and loyal Georgia Tech alumni who are also providing outstanding services to their alma mater.

I am not a spiritual or religious man. I try hard to be a good man, undoubtedly influenced by my Catholic upbringing and education. It is in that context that I find it particularly horrific to wake up to the news of a terrorist attack on Christian churches in Sri Lanka. 

In December 2016, Bloomberg Philanthropies convened the American Talent Initiative (ATI). Its goal could not have been loftier: to, by 2025, add 50,000 low- and moderate-income students to the ranks of universities or four-year colleges with a six-year bachelor’s graduation rate of at least 70%. Georgia Tech was among the first 30 ATI members. 

When I heard that Lin-Manuel Miranda was to resume the lead role and stage "Hamilton: an American Musical" in Puerto Rico for the benefit of his and my devastated island, my wife, Pat and I decided that we would find a way to attend no matter what it would take.

I never planned to be a university professor. I believe that life is a result of “chance and necessity.” Being at the “right place at the right time” is as much a function of our own designs as it is of chance.

Although Georgia Tech is entering an era of new leadership, I am confident the basic formula will not change: The focus on excellence and the commitment to progress and service will remain the same.