2011 Initiative 1: Form the Georgia State University Council for the Progress of Cities.

The Council for the Progress of Cities was established in 2011 with representatives from every college and school to coordinate researchers across campus who focus on urban-relevant and focused research, and to identify urban research strengths from among the more than 80 faculty who self-identify as being interested in urban problems and scholarship. The Council has identified three primary areas of urban research strengths: urban well-being and health disparities; poverty and inequality in cities and urban areas; and resilient cities and urban areas. A pilot internal research grant program provided seed funds to advance urban research.

The Council has developed five primary objectives: 1) increase the quantity and quality of academic scholarship based on urban topics within disciplines and through interdisciplinary collaborations, 2) increase links with governmental and community organizations that are addressing issues of urbanization and metropolitan growth, 3) increase the effect Georgia State has on the development, implementation and evaluation of urban and metropolitan policies and programs, 4) develop a consortium with other university-based academic entities in global cities like Atlanta to stimulate a broader intellectual approach to scholarship on issues of urbanization and growth and 5) develop a university-wide Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies curriculum and concentrations or interdisciplinary graduate programs focused on urban and metropolitan issues.

2016 Initiative 1: Establish an institute that will be the nexus for research and degree programs focused on the complex challenges of cities.

Building on the foundation laid by the Council for the Progress of Cities, the institute will provide a research infrastructure for faculty, students and staff to aid research, educational experiences and grant writing. This work will be global in scope, necessarily span numerous disciplines, and add value to the local Atlanta community. The CPC will work in conjunction with the institute and will participate in the International Consortium of City-based Universities identified in Goal 5 to engage in joint comparative research with international partners focused on shared city-based problems.

2011 Initiative 2: Highlight the arts and media.

The Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII) was established in 2014 to expand the quality and quantity of workforce training, expand research capacity, increase entrepreneurship opportunities and develop curriculum in the creative media industries. A Woodruff Foundation grant for $22.8 million supports the Institute’s new facility, which will open in fall 2016. CMII programs focus in the areas of communication/media, entrepreneurship, game and production specializations, interactive media, data visualization, media analytics, arts management and new media studies.

In June 2015, Georgia State entered into a partnership with Georgia Public Television to introduce GSU-TV, a digital sub-channel with student-produced original series and a growing library of repurposed content. GSU-TV offers students the opportunity to participate in a practicum where they are responsible for developing and producing broadcast programming for the channel.

2016 Initiative 2: Highlight the arts and media.

The arts and media are vital to the quality of major cities. To further increase our impact in the city and beyond, Georgia State will form a new college to highlight our considerable strengths. This college will create opportunities for creative excellence and student entrepreneurship, develop a model for 21st century arts and related media education, expand the possibilities for student engagement with the professional arts and media industries, and extend our community partnerships. The college will, in conjunction with other units of the university, educate and train a diverse new generation of artists, scholars, and industrial professionals.

2016 Initiative 3: : Be a nationally recognized model for leadership in inclusion.

Georgia State is one of the most diverse universities in the nation, a community of faculty, staff and students from varied racial, ethnic, socio-economic and lifestyle backgrounds. Its campus is a laboratory that includes everyone in building understanding, tolerance and concern for others, qualities that are central to human progress. In the heart of one of the world’s global centers, the university has an opportunity to demonstrate to the world how diversity can be a catalyst for change and inclusive growth.