May 2009 Articles at a Glance

In this month's newsletter:

Coming Soon
Incoming Students: Register for FASET Orientation
Leveraging Your Company’s Matching Gift Program
Student Bill+Payment Now Available
2009-2010 Online Parking Registration Now Available   
After-Hours Escort Shuttle: Georgia Tech Stingerette

Featured Articles
President Peterson Speaks about His Family and Background
Tech Students Represent at 2009 Meeting of the Minds
OMED Celebrates the Tower Awards
Biggest Loser Competition Yields Proud Winners!

Student Perspectives
The Most Educational Semester of My Education

From the Parents Program

Greetings from the Georgia Tech Parents Program! The end of the spring term is here, and it is hard to believe that we are coming to the close of another great year at Georgia Tech. There have been many milestones for the Parents Program and the Tech community in the past year. The Parents Program was delighted to have more than 450 parents attend the Parents Reception at Freshman Convocation and more than 2,200 attend Family Weekend! We also appreciate the 90-plus parent volunteers who lent a hand at on-campus events as well as the more than 20 parents who participated in volunteer opportunities in their own regions! We extend our sincere thanks for your support of the Parents Program and this great Institute, and we look forward to another great year.

Georgia Tech also experienced some noteworthy changes during this academic year. Namely, we welcomed our eleventh president, Dr. G.P. “Bud” Peterson. This edition of ParentNews includes the second installment of The Whistle’s interview with Dr. Peterson. Additionally, the Board of Regents, the governing board of the University System of Georgia, elected to end the guaranteed “Fixed for Four” tuition policy for new incoming students and implemented tuition increases for students enrolling this fall. For students who enrolled under the Guaranteed Tuition Plan, this recent announcement will have no impact on the cost of tuition this fall. The Parents Program has posted a letter from Dr. Peterson to help parents navigate through these changes. In addition, parents are encouraged to access the 2009-2010 Tuition Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to help answer any questions.

We look forward to the upcoming summer activities and meeting some of our new Georgia Tech parents for the first time. If we don’t see you this summer, we hope to see you for Family Weekend in September. To our parents of graduating students, we say, “Congratulations! A job well done!” We wish you and your family the best and hope you will stay involved with the Georgia Tech community.
  
Go Jackets!

Warmly,

Kim Sterritt
Director, Parents Program

Incoming Students: Register for FASET Orientation

FASET Orientation, a program within the Office of Success Programs, is Georgia Tech's orientation program for new undergraduate students (freshmen and transfers) as well as their parents, family members, and guests. FASET Orientation, a tradition since 1972 stands for Familiarization and Adaptation to the Surroundings and Environs of Tech. Online registration for the incoming Freshman Class begins Wednesday, May 20 at 9 a.m. EST via the FASET Orientation Web site www.faset.gatech.edu. A registration brochure outlining this process will be mailed to all deposited students in mid-May.

During orientation, new students receive academic advisement, register for courses, and complete other business items. In addition, Georgia Tech faculty, staff, and administrators discuss important campus services, student organizations, the undergraduate curriculum, and other academic programs. Most importantly, students and guests have an opportunity to meet and interact with current Tech students as well as get to know other new students and guests.

Parent and Guest Orientation runs concurrently with the student program and focuses on a variety of topics of interest to parents of new students. FASET helps parents and guests understand how to support their students through the various experiences they will encounter at Tech. In addition, parents and guests are invited to attend a special reception hosted by the Georgia Tech Parents Program – yet another great opportunity to meet other parents and key Georgia Tech representatives.

Family participation during your student's transition to college is invaluable, and we hope you will choose to attend FASET. For more information about FASET Orientation, visit the FASET Web site at www.faset.gatech.edu.

We look forward to meeting you this summer!


Leveraging Your Company’s Matching Gift Program

Now is the time to leverage you company’s matching gift program and give an annual expendable gift to the Parents Fund. Your company could double or even triple your annual gift to the Georgia Tech Parents Fund. Contact your company’s human resources office to request a matching gift form or check your company’s Web site. Simply complete the required information and mail the form to us. The Parents Fund needs your help in supporting student life initiatives, so please check with your company today!

If you have any questions, please contact Trish Wichmann at trish.wichmann@gatech.edu or 404-385-7605.

Mail forms to:
Trish Wichmann
Director of Development for Student Affairs
Student Services Building
353 Ferst Drive
Atlanta, GA 30332-0285


Student Bill+Payment Now Available

Bill+Payment offers students the ability to manage their account and make payments online. With the click of a button, students can authorize parents or other designated parties to access their accounts and make secure online payments too! With

Bill+Payment, students and parents can monitor the balance, make timely and convenient payments, view online payment history and store payment methods for quick and easy future payments. Ask your student to add you as an Authorized User. Visit the Office of the Bursar for more information on how to activate this innovative payment portal.


2009-2010 Online Parking Registration Now Available   

As end of the spring semester comes to close, don’t forget that your student needs to register for a 2009-2010 parking permit. To register, students need to visit www.parking.gatech.edu and follow the registration prompt. The registration site will remain open until 11:59 p.m., June 30, 2009.


After-Hours Escort Shuttle: Georgia Tech Stingerette

As a reminder…the Stingerette Escort Service provides safe, after-hours transportation for Georgia Tech students, faculty, and staff, and is intended for use when safe, alternative travel is not available. This service is limited to transportation within Georgia Tech-operated living accommodations, academic buildings, and Georgia Tech facilities situated within the defined campus boundaries. This is an excellent means of transportation for all students! Students should plan ahead and reserve the shuttle 20 minutes prior to the desired pick-up time. For more information, click here.

Before G.P. “Bud” Peterson began his tenure as Georgia Tech’s next president, he spoke with The Whistle about his family and personal experiences. Part II of this interview follows. Read entire article...


Tech Students Represent at 2009 Meeting of the Minds

Karen E. Harwell, Ph.D.
Director, Undergraduate Research

Each April undergraduate students from the twelve universities composing the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) athletic association gather to present their research. This year, the fourth annual Meeting of the Minds conference was held at North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh, NC, April 2-4, 2009. More than 65 students from conference schools gave either poster or oral presentations on a variety of topics including international relations, public policy, biological science, nursing and chemistry. Georgia Tech was exceptionally well-represented this year by six students in varying fields of study. Read entire article...


OMED Celebrates the Tower Awards

Cynthia Moore, Associate Partner
OMED: Educational Services

OMED (Office of Minority Education Development): Educational Services recently celebrated the 15th Anniversary of its annual Tower Awards, honoring academic excellence among traditionally underrepresented students at Georgia Tech.

More than 600 students, family, faculty, staff, corporate supporters and guests were in attendance to celebrate the academic accomplishment of Tech students. OMED remains committed to maintaining the excellence that Georgia Tech represents in the world of educational diversity. The students we honor are living testaments of what is possible when institutions like Georgia Tech provide the resources and support necessary to help all of its students succeed. We at OMED truly believe that our continued collaboration with the Georgia Tech community has contributed significantly to the inclusive environment that currently exists at Georgia Tech.

For more information about this event, including the award winners, visit the 2009 Tower Awards Web site.


Biggest Loser Competition Yields Proud Winners!

Clayton Benedict
Student Marketing Assistant, CRC

Although the Campus Recreation Center’s (CRC) Biggest Loser Competition has just come to an end, it is a new beginning for 26 people. This is the CRC’s second year of the competition, and, while the program is still in the early stages, the results have been outstanding. This year’s winner, Mike Williams (left in picture) is a Georgia Tech student who lost more than 25% body fat during the spring semester. However, this competition celebrates everyone’s accomplishments. By the end of the competition, all 26 participants had lost an average of 10.38% body fat, and collectively shed an amazing 394 pounds. “It is truly awesome working in a program like this, that allows you to help people change their lives for the better,” stated Greg Lennartz (right in picture), one of the certified personal trainers leading the progra