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Yves Berthelot, a professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering serving as director of Georgia Tech Lorraine, has assumed additional duties as president at the Metz, France, campus.
Berthelot was asked by the board of directors of Georgia Tech Lorraine to fill the vacancy left when Jean-Lou Chameau resigned as provost to head the California Institute of Technology. Gary May, chair of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was appointed to the board. Board members represent France's local authorities, such as the city of Metz and the region of Lorraine, as well as Georgia Tech.
Berthelot will oversee administrative, operational and financial responsibilities for all research and academic programs at Georgia Tech Lorraine and coordinate operational relations with local and national institutions in France. He also will play a key role in the strategic development of Georgia Tech Lorraine, implementing a vision for its growth in collaboration with administrators and faculty in Atlanta and Europe.
The appointment comes at a time when Georgia Tech Lorraine is taking steps toward implementation of its five-year strategic plan, formulated by several working groups over the past nine months.
"GT Lorraine is poised for substantial growth in the next few years," Berthelot said. "Such growth must be thoughtfully planned."
Established in 1990, Georgia Tech Lorraine offers undergraduate and graduate courses taught in English in electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering and computer science. Georgia Tech Lorraine seeks to double enrollment by 2011.
A growth plan recommends renovating the Georgia Tech Lorraine building infrastructure and acquiring new facilities in advanced materials, secure networks and computer science.
Georgia Tech Lorraine plans to take advantage of its strategic location in northeast France by seeking greater international collaborations. One important partnership was formed in 2006 with France's Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, creating a joint international research unit to focus on telecommunications and innovative materials research.
"We want to be recognized as one of the very best models for an international presence of a United States university in Europe," Berthelot said.
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