Author: sawadalla6

We’re pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Josh McConnell Parsons as the Interim Director of Undergraduate Analytics and Planning. In his capacity as Interim Director, Dr. Parsons will join the OUESS Leadership Team, where he will support the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Success (VPUESS) in advancing the mission of the Office of Undergraduate Education and Student Success (OUESS) and the Institute Strategic Plan (ISP).

Furthermore, he will undertake additional strategic responsibilities within the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Success (OVPUESS). These responsibilities may include contributing to the development and monitoring of strategic alignment work plans and addressing the analytics and assessment needs of the division. 

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Parsons on his interim appointment. He has demonstrated exceptional performance as Assistant Director of Assessment, and we look forward to his continued leadership and contributions in his expanded role as Interim Director of Undergraduate Analytics and Planning. 

The 2025 Academic Advising Network Best Practices Conference was a vibrant gathering of over 200 academic advising professionals from 19 institutions across Georgia. Held at the historic Academy of Medicine on the campus of Georgia Tech, the event provided a dynamic space for collaboration, innovation, and professional development in the field of academic advising.

We are pleased to announce that Chad Slieper will assume the role of Faculty Director of Georgia Tech’s Leaders in Progress and Service Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). 

Chad joined the Office of Undergraduate Education and Student Success (OUESS) in 2024 as Faculty Co-Director of the Leaders in Progress and Service QEP during its development and planning phase.  In this role, he co-led the development efforts for the QEP and the successful presentation of the plan at Georgia Tech’s site visit from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) in April 2024 as part of the Institute’s reaffirmation of accreditation.   

In his new role, Chad will assume lead responsibility for the new Leaders in Progress and Service Program as it is implemented across campus. His role will include managing strategic partnerships for the Program both internally and externally, collaborating with faculty leadership to develop the Program’s curricular efforts, supervising Program faculty and staff, and leading the overall direction of the Program.

Chad holds a Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law and earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy with highest honor from Georgia Tech. He joined the Georgia Tech faculty in 2019 as Director of the Law, Science, and Technology Program in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy. Chad’s experience prior to Georgia Tech has included roles as a tenure-track faculty member at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, where he served as Chief, ad interim, of Clinical Ethics, and as the inaugural director of the Global Health Law and Policy Project at Emory University School of Law.  

Chad is an award-winning teacher in the fields of law, medical ethics, and professional ethics and identity. He received a 2022 CIOS Award, recognizing Georgia Tech’s top fifty instructors as measured by the course instructor opinion survey, and a Distinguished Teaching Award from the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. He also received the 2013 Outstanding Alumni Award of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy. 

Please join us in congratulating Chad on his appointment as Faculty Director of the Leaders in Progress and Service Quality Enhancement Plan.

This spring, Georgia Tech marked an exciting milestone for its global learning initiatives: the graduation of the first cohort of students who began their college journey through the First-Year Semester Abroad (FYSA) program. 

Launched in 2021, FYSA offers incoming first-year students the opportunity to spend their fall semester abroad at the start of their college career. Students begin with a short summer session in Atlanta before heading to one of two destinations: FYSA @ GTE, at Georgia Tech-Europe in Metz, France, or FYSA @ Oxford, based at a college of the University of Oxford in England with additional travel across Europe. They return to the Atlanta campus for spring semester, continuing their studies with a strong foundation in independence and global awareness. 

On June 4, Undergraduate Transition Seminars (UTS) welcomed over 100 GT 1000 and GT 2000 instructors, plus supporting campus partners, to the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center for its annual professional development conference. This full day event focused on community-building, resource awareness, and pedagogical preparation for the upcoming academic year. 

We are pleased to announce that Monique Morris has been promoted to Program and Operations Manager for the Specialized Advising team in Academic Success and Advising. In this role, Monique will support her colleagues in Specialized Advising by coordinating events and liaising with the OUESS administrative team to ensure best practices within OUESS operational systems, and she will take on additional leadership for Georgia Tech’s Letters of Evaluation service. 

Monique has held a variety of roles since her arrival at Georgia Tech as a Tech Temp in 2004. In 2006, she became a permanent staff member as a receptionist in Career Services, where she later became an Employer Relations Coordinator and then an Educational Outreach Coordinator. Among her accomplishments in career services were a proposal that led to the creation of the Hayes Conference Room in the basement of the Bill Moore Student Success Center and the management of a business etiquette dinner that doubled student participation and garnered $2000 in company sponsorships.

Since 2017, Monique has coordinated the activities of the Pre-Graduate, Pre-Health, and Prestigious Fellowships advisors, and, since 2024, she has also supported Exploratory Advising. In addition to providing support for events and financial transactions, Monique oversees the Letter of Evaluation service for students applying to health professional programs. In this capacity, she reviews more than 1000 letters each year for approximately 200 applicants to medical and other health professional schools.

A woman of many skills, Monique has worked in the past as a master cosmetologist. She earned her B.S. of Psychology at Georgia State University and has participated in Georgia Tech’s Emerging Leaders and ASPIRE Leadership programs.

Please join us in congratulating Monique!

We are pleased to announced that Dr. Christopher Dobbs is the new Director of Learning and Academic Success Initiatives. In this role, he will develop and manage academic support programs housed in Academic Success and Advising. Chris joins us from the University of Missouri, where he served as Director of the Learning Center and, prior to that, managed the institution’s early alert program.

His educational background is a blend of qualitative and quantitative fields, as he began his education in classical studies (BA, Miami University; MA, Columbia University; PhD, University of Missouri) and later developed a passion for data analytics (Certificate, Cornell University; MBA and Graduate Certificate, University of Missouri). In his teaching, he enjoys helping students consider familiar concepts in new ways, such as his University of Missouri course “Roman Love Poetry and Modern Pop Music.”

Chris wishes he could share what he does in his free time, but with two daughters under the age of three, free time mostly stays in the rear-view mirror—and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Please join us in welcoming Chris to ASA and OUESS!

We are pleased to share that Dr. Sybrina Atwaters has been appointed as Executive Director of the Office of Student Achievement.

Sybrina is a three-time graduate from Georgia Tech, receiving her B.S. in electrical engineering and master’s and Ph.D. in sociology of technology and science. She also earned master’s degrees from Emory University in Theological Studies and Georgia State University in instructional technology. She has over nine years of experience in industry and over 15 years of experience in higher education. Her industry experience includes serving on the RF wireless design team for AT&T wireless (formerly Bellsouth Mobility) during the 1996 Olympic games and was responsible for much of the cellular design infrastructure along the Georgia Tech 75/85 corridor and east Atlanta. Her academic research interests combine sociology and engineering, and she has collaborated with the National Academies, Iowa State University, the Fund for Theological Education, and the Association of Theological Schools. She has presented her work at both national and international conferences and has been published by Spring International and John Hopkins University Press. She has taught courses at Emory University, Morehouse, and Georgia Tech.

As Executive Director of OSA, Sybrina will serve as a member of the OUESS senior leadership team. She will lead the OSA team in alignment with its core mission to provide student success programs to increase the retention and graduation rates and post-baccalaureate success of students and to enhance student achievement across the matriculation cycle. She will develop strong collaborative partnerships with fellow OUESS units as well as our colleges and other administrative units (such as Enrollment Management, Student Engagement and Well-Being, and International Initiatives). Finally, she will continue to hold a courtesy faculty appointment in Georgia Tech’s School of History and Sociology (HSOC).

Please join us in congratulating Sybrina on this new appointment!

The 2025 Co-op and Internship Honors Luncheon, held on April 15, highlighted the outstanding experiential learning achievements of Georgia Tech students, as well as companies that have provided exceptional internship and co-op programs.

Thank you to our co-op and internship employers, campus partners, faculty, staff, and administrators for supporting Georgia Tech students.

2025 Award and Scholarship Recipients

2025 Co-op Employer of the Year: Johnson & Johnson MedTech

As a leader in medical technology, Johnson & Johnson MedTech is dedicated to developing smarter, less invasive, and more personalized healthcare solutions—impacting patients worldwide. But beyond their groundbreaking work, what truly sets them apart is their commitment to their co-op students.

Joe T. LaBoon Award (Outstanding Co-op Student): Luke Rendel, Mechanical Engineering

During his three semesters at Chick-fil-A, Luke embraced every challenge with curiosity, adaptability, and a hands-on mindset. Whether tackling open-ended design problems, presenting to executives, or stepping in to support his team, Luke combined technical excellence with professionalism and storytelling.

J.E. McDaniel Award (Highest GPA, Co-op Student): Matthew Joseph Ellis, Computer Science

With a 4.0 in computer science and four co-op terms at Itential, Matt’s work is already shaping the future of automated 5G networks. Matt was praised for his ability to learn complex systems under tight deadlines, improving existing code with precision, and delivering projects that align with company strategy.

2025 Internship Program Employer of the Year: Amazon Web Services

AWS is a global leader in cloud computing, empowering businesses to innovate and scale—and their internship program reflects that same commitment to growth. AWS provides interns with real ownership, cutting-edge projects, and an incredibly supportive network—from mentors to managers. Interns aren’t just observers; they’re valued team members, given the tools and trust to make an impact.

Student Intern of the Year: Ekta Mistry, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Ekta Mistry’s internship at United Airlines was impactful and transformative for her team. From building a Statistical Analysis Tool that saves hours of manual work to creating a Resource Center that streamlines operations, Ekta’s work directly elevated her team’s efficiency and standardization. But beyond her deliverables, it was her professionalism, agility, and confidence that left a lasting impression.