Support the School
While the School of Industrial Design has made great leaps in the past five years and is now ranked in the top 10 for both its undergraduate and graduate programs — No. 2 for undergrads and No. 7 for grads — there is still a funding gap for student scholarships. To recruit the best and brightest, we must offer competitive scholarships to students who have been admitted to Georgia Tech and have financial need.
As the only industrial design program in the University System of Georgia, our graduates are prepared for careers in everything from robotics and smartphones to medical equipment and sporting goods, as well as to become leaders in design thinking and practice.
The Key To Our Future is Our Students
Awarding an undergraduate scholarship or graduate fellowship to these talented and ambitious young people can directly impact their success. Competition has never been more fierce, and many schools have substantial resources to attract students. You can make a difference by establishing a permanent endowment to fund scholarships or fellowships.
Both individuals and corporations can create a lasting legacy in the School and in the lives of students through substantial educational and living support.
Attracting Top Talent
Attracting the most promising, talented, and successful faculty -- teacher-scholars and practitioners -- is vital for our students and the School. The faculty is a driving force in the program through their work in the design studio, the classroom, and the professional design community. Given the collaborative nature of innovation in the design process, the School of Industrial Design realizes the value of partnerships with design practitioners who can create essential links between the design industry and our School.
Creating corporate or individual professors of the practice with a permanent endowment fund would allow students to collaborate with industry and establish potential professional opportunities after graduation.
Maintaining a Leading Edge in Technology
Industrial design is a technologically intensive field, and it is vital that the School remain at the leading edge in its approach to design education. To offer our students access to the current and next generation of technology and equipment, the School must maintain currency in 3D printing, computer-controlled equipment and 3D surface scanning technology.
While we must maintain equipment currency, we are eager to create a Materials Technology and Process Reference Library that would house material samples and physical and video demos. You can have a lasting impact on the quality of the program by contributing to the School’s equipment and technology fund.
Opportunities for All Students
It’s simple. Both students and faculty are drawn to programs of extraordinary quality: a cutting-edge curriculum, rising-star lecturers, international study, corporate partnerships, and material resources within the School. Students want multiple opportunities in their courses, research, and professional outreach and connections.
Sponsored design studios, lectures, or internships would have a significant impact on enriching the program in industrial design. You can help the School remain at the forefront of design education.
Creating Collaborative & Beneficial Partnerships
Reaching out to Atlanta’s professional design community to create collaborative and beneficial partnerships for our students and faculty is a top priority for the School of Industrial Design. Sponsored design studios or special projects are just a few of the opportunities for collaboration and connection. Corporate sponsorship increases name recognition for you and offers a valuable “real life” experience for our students.
Getting involved through philanthropy is an opportunity to raise your corporate profile on campus and to establish a rapport with the next generation of designers.