Georgia Tech is attempting to make some very big changes on campus. The Atlanta Journal-Constitutionhas reported that the university’s administration has submitted a proposal to rename the university after civil rights icon John Lewis.
“John Robert Lewis was a frequent guest of GIT (Georgia Institute of Technology) during his decades of public service representing Georgia’s 5th congressional district,” a statement from the university reads, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Lewis did not attend the university, but he did represent the greater Atlanta area in Congress for several decades. He also worked alongside Atlanta native Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Morehouse College graduate Julian Bond during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Not to mention, he received an honorary degree from nearby Emory University.
“He was always willing to impart leadership wisdom to students, faculty, and staff, provide many student internship opportunities, and serve as a strong advocate for federal programs of importance to students, including the Pell Grant and Federal Work-Study programs,” Georgia Tech’s statement adds, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Opening its doors in 1970, Georgia Tech’s student center is currently named after Fred B. Wenn. Not only did Wenn work at the school for more than two decades, but the Atlanta-Journal Constitution alsoreports thathe helped build the Yellow Jacket Club and the Ramblin’ Wreck Parade. While the school is looking to name the student center after Lewis, the school plans to put a plaque honoring Wenn inside the building.
The Georgia Board of Regents plans to review Georgia Tech’s proposal on Tuesday.
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