G. Wayne Clough - President of Georgia Tech

President of Georgia Tech

On September 1, 1994, Clough became the first Tech alumnus to serve as the President of the Institute, succeeding John Patrick Crecine, and was in office during the 1996 Summer Olympics. In 1998, he separated the Ivan Allen College of Management, Policy, and International Affairs into the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts and returned the College of Management to "College" status, a major organizational change that built upon the large (and controversial) reorganization of the institute by Clough's predecessor.

During his tenure, research expenditures increased from $212 million to $425 million, computers became required for all students, enrollment increased from 13,000 to 18,000 students, Tech received the Hesburgh Award, and Tech's U.S. News & World Report rankings steadily improved.

Clough's tenure was especially focused on a dramatic expansion of the Institute; over $1 billion was spent on expanding or improving the campus. These projects included the completion of several west campus dorms, the manufacturing complex, 10th and Home, Technology Square, The Biomedical Complex, the Student Center renovation, the expanded 5th Street Bridge, the Aquatic Center's renovation into the Georgia Tech Campus Recreation Center, a new Health Center, the Klaus Advanced Computing Building, and the Nanotechnology Research Center.

Clough also spearheaded research opportunities for undergraduate students, later known as the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), the creation of an International Plan, and the creation of a fund to make Georgia Tech more affordable for low-income students (the G. Wayne Clough Georgia Tech Promise Program). The students of Georgia Tech affectionately dubbed him "Funk Masta G. Wayne" during his presidency in accordance with the expansion and growth he encouraged in urban Atlanta, and he was generally known to have a warm and friendly disposition and a distinctive beard.

In 2006, members of Georgia Tech's college Republican club sued Georgia Tech, aided by the Alliance Defense Fund, in a case known as Sklar v. Clough that lasted until April 2008. The largest result of this case was that Georgia Tech's Student Code of Conduct and Community Guide was changed to remove penalties for harassing or discriminating against other students.

On March 15, 2008, Clough announced in an email to students and staff that he would be stepping down as President on July 1, 2008, after nearly fourteen years as President.