Thursday brought a genuinely big day on the Flats: one of Georgia Tech’s most accomplished alumni was named to lead the entire University System of Georgia, an ATDC portfolio company took its clean-energy technology to the streets of Los Angeles, and the Institute laid out the full slate of Fall 2026 Commencement ceremonies. Here’s what you need to know from October 1, 2026.
Triple Jacket Tom Fanning Named USG Chancellor
The University System of Georgia Board of Regents voted to approve Thomas A. Fanning as the next chancellor of the University System of Georgia. Fanning is a Triple Jacket – he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial management from Georgia Tech and received an honorary doctorate in 2013 – and spent 13 years as president, chairman, and CEO of Southern Company before retiring in 2023. He has served on the Georgia Tech Foundation Board of Trustees, the Georgia Tech Advisory Board, and the Scheller College of Business Advisory Board. He succeeds Chancellor Sonny Perdue, who announced his retirement in April, and will lead a system of 25 public colleges and universities with more than 50,000 faculty and staff and more than 382,000 students. President Angel Cabrera called Fanning “an exemplary Georgia Tech alumnus and accomplished business leader.” Tech fans may also recognize the name from the Student-Athlete Performance Center, named in Fanning’s honor by the Regents in 2023 and opened earlier this year. Read the full announcement.
ATDC Startup Brings Community-Centered Energy Infrastructure to Downtown LA
Gaia Agricultural Technology, a clean technology company in the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) portfolio at Georgia Tech, has deployed its first public installation of Gaia Box in Downtown Los Angeles. The patented system uses a closed-loop water design to generate and store energy while supporting plant growth, and it can work alongside solar, utility power, or battery storage. The first unit is operating near the LA Department of Transportation’s Pico Station, close to Crypto.com Arena, powering decorative lighting along Flower Street through a year-long pilot with the Los Angeles South Park Business Improvement District that could grow to 10 units. Founder and CEO James Highsmith credits ATDC coaching – particularly Sustainability Catalyst Jennifer Singh – with teaching the team to explain the company from a systems perspective: “ATDC taught us the importance of communicating with story and not losing the plot.” The company is now exploring opportunities in Georgia, Maryland, and other markets, with plans to fold workforce development into future rollouts. Read more about Gaia Box.
Fall Break Is Here – Free and Fun Things to Do in Atlanta
Classes will not meet October 5-6, and Institute Communications has rounded up a slate of mostly free options for students sticking around town. The list includes Georgia Tech volleyball at O’Keefe Gymnasium (Friday, Oct. 2 at 6:30 p.m. vs. Duke and Sunday, Oct. 4 at 1:30 p.m. vs. UNC), the Decatur Book Festival on Oct. 2-3 – including a session with former Georgia Tech president G. Wayne Clough on Oct. 3 at 11 a.m. – the Buckhead Village European Market, Candler Park Fall Fest, a Retro Video Game Expo, the Oakland Cemetery Pumpkin Patch Festival, and a long list of pumpkin patches and corn mazes around metro Atlanta. See the full fall break guide.
Fall 2026 Commencement Schedule Announced
The Commencement Office published the full Fall 2026 ceremony lineup, all at McCamish Pavilion and all live streamed (and available for viewing afterward). Students must RSVP to participate, and tickets are required for every ceremony except the Ph.D. one. Each ceremony features a specific set of degree programs, so graduating Jackets and their families should check the details for their college:
- Ph.D. Commencement – Thursday, Dec. 17 at 10 a.m., doors at 8:30 a.m., no tickets required.
- Thursday Afternoon Commencement – Dec. 17 at 6 p.m., featuring the College of Computing’s MSCS-O students.
- Friday Morning Commencement – Dec. 18 at 9 a.m., featuring Computing, Engineering (MSE and NRE), and Ivan Allen College bachelor’s and master’s candidates.
- Friday Afternoon Commencement – Dec. 18 at 4 p.m., featuring the College of Design and much of the College of Engineering.
- Saturday Morning Commencement – Dec. 19 at 10 a.m., featuring Engineering, the College of Sciences, and Scheller College of Business.
Professional Development and Global Opportunities
Students with an international internship offer in hand should put Global Research & Internship Program 101 on the calendar for Thursday, Oct. 22 from 1 to 2 p.m. in the John Lewis Student Center’s Piedmont Room. The session walks through registering an internship offer with GRIP, which supports full-time undergraduate and graduate students interning or co-oping abroad in fall, spring, or summer semesters.
On the professional side, the Supply Chain and Logistics Institute and the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering opened registration for three virtual, instructor-led courses in spring 2027. Category Management and Sourcing Leadership (March 1-2) digs into the sourcing process, bid package development, and supplier selection scorecards. Contracting and Legal Oversight (March 8-9) covers contract law, contract types, industry-standard terms, and risk mitigation. And Essentials of Negotiations and Stakeholder Influence (March 15-18) builds out preparation tools like SWOT and BATNA, includes live mock negotiations, and sends participants home with a personal Negotiation Style profile.
Go Jackets
From a Triple Jacket taking the helm of Georgia’s public university system to an ATDC startup rethinking what a streetlight can do, it was a day that showed off the reach of this place. Which story stood out to you? Drop a comment below, and check back tomorrow for the next Georgia Tech academics and research digest.
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