Yves Berthelot, president of Georgia Tech-Lorraine, the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Metz, France, has been appointed vice provost for international initiatives at Georgia Tech. Additionally, he is to hold the Steven A. Denning chair in global engagement.

Dr. Berthelot is to succeed on Aug. 22 Steve McLaughlin, who has been appointed chair of Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

In announcing the appointment Aug. 10, Rafael Bras, Gerogia Tech’s provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, cited Dr. Berthelot’s role in the development of the Georgia Tech-Lorraine campus, which was established as the university’s first international campus in 1990.

Georgia Tech-Lorraine is home to a sponsored research program through the Unite Mixte Internationale (UMI), a joint laboratory between Georgia Tech and the French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). It also is the site of the Lafayette Institute, which facilitates the commercialization of innovations in optoelectronics and other research on the campus.

More than 400 students from the Atlanta campus study on the Georgia Tech-Lorraine campus every year, which offers students from around the world the opportunity to take undergraduate and graduate courses taught in English by Georgia Tech faculty.

Dr. Bras cited the university’s 25-year strategic plan and global positioning strategy, including its goal “to expand Georgia Tech’s global footprint and to ensure that the institute is graduating good global citizens.”

Since the opening of Georgia Tech-Lorraine, Georgia Tech has added international programs in Singapore and Ireland, and dual degree programs in China, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Korea, South Africa and Mexico.

Dr. Berthelot joined the Georgia Tech faculty in 1985, was promoted to associate professor in 1990 and to professor in 1996. A native of France, he has been involved with Georgia Tech-Lorraine since 1997. His main research interests are in the area of acoustic materials and ultrasonic nondestructive testing.