The Georgia Institute of Technology is
creating an executive education center where professionals can take technology
and engineering courses from any of 20 partner universities worldwide.

          Called the Global
Learning Center, the center will be housed in the new Technology Square
facilities, a high-tech business center scheduled to open in June that will
link Georgia Tech and its partner research organizations to the Midtown
business district.

          “To have a
comprehensive distance learning program for professionals, we decided we needed
partner universities that are similar to Tech in other countries,” said Joseph
DiGregorio, director of professional education and international
partnerships at the center.

“This
center will not only have classes that Georgia Tech produces, but what the
leading technology universities in the world are doing. Executives can reach
out to the world, and the world can reach out to them,” he told GlobalFax
in an interview.

Dr.
DiGregorio said that Monterrey Tech in Mexico has already signed
a memorandum of intent to participate in the program, adding that he aims to
have at least six schools participating in the distance learning program by
spring and 12 schools by the end of the year.

To
date, 20 universities have been identified to participate, including research
universities in Australia, China, France, Germany, Great
Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway,
Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland and Taiwan.

Dr.
DiGregorio plans to visit a British university, three French universities, two
Australian universities and Stanford University in California in January
and February to solidify their participation.

Students of the center,
including Tech alumni and employees in Atlanta and worldwide, will be
able to take courses in the center’s high-tech facilities or will be able to
access the courses from remote locations via Internet and video conferencing.
They will also have access to various research and development centers and
public-private partnerships affiliated with Georgia Tech.

Technology
Square will house the DuPree College of Management’s Executive Education
Center, a hotel and conference center, an economic development institute, a
campus bookstore, and interdisciplinary institute, a center for regional
development and retail stores. It is being built adjacent to Tech’s campus near
Fifth Street and Interstate 75/85 in Midtown.

Contact
Dr. DiGregorio at (404) 385-4350 or visit www.conted.gatech.edu
for more information.