Georgia Tech has amazing students who come from lower-income backgrounds and donors can help bring GTDC access to these students who otherwise might not have it. We know that this program will increase educational quality and opportunities for Tech students; it will plug them directly into job networks and give them policy experience. We intend to maximize the philanthropy that goes directly to the students and to their opportunities in DC.
– Mark Zachary Taylor
Co-Director, GTDC Program
Donors give students extraordinary access to DC policymaking.
Influencing policy depends on what and who you know. Now, Georgia Tech students will have a new, readymade path to careers in government and policy.
GTDC, a partnership of the School of Public Policy and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, gives Georgia Tech students from any major the opportunity to spend an immersive, transformative semester in Washington, D.C. Creating a site for education and research in Washington, D.C. allows GT students and faculty to connect with important networks of policy and practice in DC and amplify Georgia Tech’s impact at the federal level.
GTDC participants engage in courses, internships, research opportunities, and extracurricular activities, including with Georgia Tech alumni. GTDC educates and equips them for policy-related careers in government agencies, the private sector, and NGOs, where they can help solve national and global challenges.
GTDC provides policy-related internship opportunities for students in non-profits, think tanks, and other government institutions, focusing recruitment for internship hosts among DC-based alumni and providing cohort-building activities for the interns and their hosts.
GTDC student leaders will use evidence to make ethical decisions that lead to a more sustainable, equitable, and innovative society. The ultimate goal is to produce a cohort of Georgia Tech alumni who have created a strong and enduring network outside Atlanta, gained valuable work experience, and consider public service as a possible career path.
Low-income students are important participants in policymaking and government, but these risk-averse students will often skip off-campus learning opportunities. With the help of donors, we can make this extraordinary opportunity possible for Georgia Tech students from any background. This transformative learning opportunity extends Georgia Tech’s longstanding commitment to serving our region and nation and improving the human condition.
Transforming Tomorrow: The Campaign for Georgia Tech
Over the next five years, with the support of alumni, parents, friends, corporations, and foundations, Georgia Tech can secure the resources that will help us achieve the most ambitious goals in our history. This campaign will build a foundation for advancing the Institute and its impact — on people’s lives, on the way we work together to create innovative solutions, and on our world — for decades to come.
From the Special Purpose Giving Form, indicate that you’d like your gift to go to the GTDC: Pathways to Policy Program.