The Institute for Leadership and Social Impact (ILSI) is an interdisciplinary initiative that promotes servant leadership and organizational practices that contribute to a more just, caring, and equitable world.
Through workshops, coursework, grants, and a major lecture series, ILSI empowers our community to account for the economic, social, and environmental impacts of businesses. We bring together students, researchers, business leaders, and social entrepreneurs in ways that stimulate core-level change. We also foster leadership development and collaboration between academia, for-profits, and non-profits, promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship and a broad sensitivity to human-centered values.
Our ultimate goal is to enhance the capacity of Georgia Tech to produce graduates who are motivated and prepared to contribute to just,
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History
Former Scheller College of Business Dean Terry C. Blum has the unique position of looking at the College within the larger context of Georgia Tech. In 2006, she set out to fill in some of the gaps she realized existed. Dr. Blum wanted to focus on the ecosystem of societal value creation and servant leadership while encouraging collaborative pedagogy.
In 2014, Terry Blum, in collaboration with Cyrus Aiden (Professor, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering), co-founded the Excel Program, which is an inclusive post-secondary program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. With the creation of Excel, Georgia Tech became a pioneer of inclusive education as one of the first large public universities to offer a four-year program for this population of students. After championing Excel’s full institutionalization at Georgia Tech and their physical move to CEISMC, ILSI continues to advocate for greater inclusion at Georgia Tech.
In 2019, the Institute for Leadership and Entrepreneurship was renamed to the Institute for Leadership and Social Impact, to align our mission with our name. We also added new programs like Social Impact Fellows, the Excel Alumni Program, and faculty research grants. Our programs and activities make a positive contribution to creating a culture that reflects the principles of servant leadership.
Our Mission
We are an interdisciplinary institute that promotes servant leadership and organizational practices that contribute to a more just, caring, and equitable world.
Programs
To carry out our mission, we offer a wide range of programs.
Inclusive Excellence
In alignment with and in support of Georgia Tech and Scheller’s strategic plans, ILSI is providing leadership by engaging in actions that mobilize inclusive excellence strategies and promote the culture change required for moving forward a blueprint at Tech. We believe that we cannot create meaningful and sustainable social impact without having inclusivity at the core of our practices and programming.
Partnerships
We thrive on collaboration and believe that many other groups at Georgia Tech and organizations in the community have been advancing the principles we subscribe to. Collaborating with these partners increases our impact, and we hope to strengthen the outcome of their work.
Visit Us
ILSI is on the fourth floor of the Scheller College of Business building in Technology Square.