Georgia Tech continues to heavily invest in its athletics program, the latest venture being what’s called the Full Steam Ahead campaign by the Alexander-Tharpe Fund, the school’s fundraising arm.
Word of the campaign began to leak on social media Thursday and was confirmed Friday morning in an official announcement by Tech. The Full Steam Ahead Campaign is, “a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Tech’s goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics – to all members of the Georgia Tech athletics community.”
Tech athletic director J Batt said donations toward the campaign have certainly come from corporate entities, but mostly donors have been individuals and families.
“We have had a really great blend of families that have been involved for a long time that have stepped up before, and they’re stepping up again as we lean back into the future of Georgia Tech athletics,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday. “There’s also been some new folks that have come to the table with significant support so far and those that are considering significant gifts going forward – alums, non-alums – but we’re really excited about the breadth of donors that have already jumped in and that we think will jump in as we continue to roll on.”
Tech reports nearly $300 million already has been raised toward the $500 million goal. The campaign’s aim is to, “enhance infrastructure across multiple athletics facilities, deliver a best-in-class game-day experience for fans and provide the resources needed to navigate the ever-changing landscape of top-level college sports.”
Projects of the campaign include: a renovation of Bobby Dodd Stadium, including chairback seats throughout the stadium (replacing current bleacher seating), elevated premium spaces and videoboard and sound system upgrades to provide an enhanced game-day experience; a revamp of the Zelnak Basketball Center, including a new men’s basketball locker room, upgraded strength-and-conditioning and athletic-training areas, new office and meeting space and new technology throughout; a modernization of O’Keefe Gym to include a widened concourse and upgrades to fan amenities; additional projects and initiatives to further advance Tech athletics.
Renovations to Bobby Dodd Stadium are expected to be completed between the end of the 2026 season and start of the 2027 season. The basketball practice facility at the Zelnak Center is scheduled to completed before the 2026-27 season. All facilities projects must be approved by the Georgia Board of Regents.
“Truly, truly excited to continue the work we’ve been doing quietly for some time. This is a really important step for Georgia Tech athletics as we kind of seek to get back to our standard of winning championships,” Batt said. “There’s specifics in the campaign, but really the idea that it is broad enough that supports the entire enterprise.
“Credit to (Tech president) Dr. (Angel) Cabrera for his support, but really his alignment to help athletics be positioned to take on a campaign of this nature. It’s really another, I think, commitment level that we’re gonna notch up as we are seeking that in the midst of all this change, in the midst of all the uncertainty that’s swirling around college athletics, our donors keep stepping up and stepping in and leaning toward that reestablishing our standard of championship-winning athletics.”
Full Steam Ahead is part of Transforming Tomorrow, the institute’s $2 billion campaign to build a foundation with the goal of advancing the institute and its impact.
The Full Steam Ahead campaign’s logo already is painted at midfield inside Bobby Dodd Stadium ahead of the Jackets’ showdown with undefeated Duke at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Tech football coach Brent Key was asked Thursday about the growth of his program in the short time since he took over, first on an interim basis in September 2022 before being promoted to the full-time job months later.
“That’s a credit to Dr. (Angel) Cabrera and J Batt for the job that they’ve done in putting people in line, aligning people and having a singular vision of success in the classroom and success on the field for all our athletic teams,” Key said. “So thankful for those two and president Cabrera for being so supportive of us and allowing us to be able to do those things. The vision of (Batt) as well, it’s been a tremendous amount of growth.”
Said Tech men’s basketball coach Damon Stoudamire on Friday: “The fact that we’re in the process of all these renovations is just big for Georgia Tech itself. Those facilities look amazing. I’m excited. It’s really exciting times for us here in athletics, and we’re appreciative of everything, not only that J Batt has done, but the people that are contributing the dollars. It’s a big commitment, and it’s a big step in where we’re trying to go in our athletic program.”
Said Tech women’s basketball coach Nell Fortner on Friday: “Look man, I’m all about it. We’re gonna benefit from that here in this facility. We have a super nice facility right now for basketball, but this is gonna be even better. It’s gonna look better, it’s gonna feel better, it’s gonna be sharper. It’s just gonna be, all in all, just super nice. It gives you a real basketball feel when we you walk in the door, you’re gonna know you’re at Georgia Tech, basketball is important here, it’s high level here and this facility is gonna show that off.
“This campaign, everybody benefits from it, in the athletic department. And that’s what super exciting about it. I think (Batt’s) done a phenomenal job of setting the tone with Full Steam Ahead. That’s exactly how he operates every day. We’ve seen it from the day he was hired and I think we’re all gonna reap the benefits of that as we move forward with his vision.”
Credit: Photo courtesy of Georgia Tech
Credit: Photo courtesy of Georgia Tech
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