Georgia Tech faces new federal scrutiny, gets record $100 million gift
Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera gave his annual Institute Address on Thursday, Sept. 4, highlighting its growth and the new scrutiny on colleges and universities under the Trump administration.
Cabrera noted that Georgia Tech is now the largest university in the state, thanks to its online master’s programs enrolling 26,000 students. Undergraduate admission applicants reached a record high of 67,000 this year, and the class of 4,075 first-year students is the largest in Tech’s history, alongside 1,000 transfer students.
Cabrera also touted Tech’s physical growth with the new George and Scheller Towers with classrooms, labs and retail space opening in Tech Square next year. Also under construction is the new Curran Street student residence hall, the transformation of the historic Biltmore Hotel into an entrepreneur hub, and the planned arts innovation hub called Creative Quarter on Marietta Street.
“The year ahead won’t be easy,” Cabrera said. “We face considerable risks with a heightened level of government scrutiny over discrimination, research compliance, and international collaborations. The penalties can be severe, so we have to be committed to full compliance.”
He noted that between January and June, $50 million in research projects were cancelled by the Trump administration. However, Cabrera said $600 million in research awards were granted over the same period, with Georgia Tech ending the fiscal year with $1.5 billion in research awards.
Cabrera made it clear that Georgia Tech would “make sure none of our programs are deemed out of compliance,” noting that there is also a possibility that Congress could vote reduce its reimbursements of indirect costs for sponsored research.
“We’re ready to be do our part in helping our government be more efficient, but without adequate funding we can’t do the critical research for the American people,” Cabrera said.
Cabrera’s comments came just one day after Emory University announced that it would “discontinue” all programs and offices related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the wake of the Trump administration’s threats to academic funding. Georgia Tech dissolved a number of student resources shortly after President Trump’s inauguration after he announced a plan to end DEI initiatives nationwide.
Cabrera closed his address by announcing a $100 million bequest from the late Georgia Tech alumnus John W. Durstine to transform the Institute’s George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. The gift — the largest single gift in Tech’s history — will establish endowed chairs, professorships, and faculty awards, ensuring that Tech continues to “recruit, develop, and retain world-class faculty for generations to come.”
Durstine shaped truck and light vehicle design with the Ford Motor Co. for more than 30 years.
“John could have left his estate to many good causes, and he chose to invest in Georgia Tech’s faculty because he knew firsthand the transformative impact that our outstanding faculty have in the lives and careers of our students,” Cabrera said. “This gift will have an enduring impact and will ensure that Georgia Tech faculty have the resources to push the boundaries of mechanical engineering, inspire our students, and help improve the human condition. His legacy will live on in every discovery, every innovation, and every student who learns from the faculty his gift supports.”
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