Despite a respectable 33 percent alumni participation in the annual Roll Call, Tech ranked only 13th among public universities. It was a statistic that grabbed the attention of Jim Shea, director of Annual Giving for the Georgia Tech Alumni Association. Universities that excel in alumni participation include Lehigh, which is private and has 54 percent alumni participation, MIT with 43 percent and Wake Forest with 39 percent. He hopes alumni will rally to catapult Tech into the top strata of universities in terms of alumni participation.
Participation is the real focus.
But, he said, every Roll Call donation is important to support Tech's academic program and expand its base of financial support. The Roll Call is Georgia Tech's largest source of unrestricted gifts, Shea said. We're better than 13. We want to be in the top 10. Since the ranking measures alumni participation, it is one area where alumni directly influence the results, he said.