Gerald Wayne Clough (born September 24, 1941) is

President Emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

of the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part ...

(Georgia Tech) and former Secretary of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Found ...

. A graduate of Georgia Tech in civil engineering, he was the first

alumnus Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

to serve as President of the Institute. The

Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons The G. Wayne Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons (Clough Commons), commonly referred to by its acronym CULC, is an academic building on the main campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology. The five-story, building houses classrooms, scienc ...

, which officially opened its doors in August 2011, is named in his honor. Clough has garnered many other awards and honors, including the title of President Emeritus, two Norman Medals, eight

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad h ...

s, and membership in the

National Science Board The National Science Board (NSB) of the United States establishes the policies of the National Science Foundation (NSF) within the framework of applicable national policies set forth by the President and the Congress. The NSB also serves as an ind ...

Personal life and education

Clough was born on September 24, 1941 in

Douglas, Georgia Douglas is a city in Coffee County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 11,722. Douglas is the county seat of Coffee County and the core city of the Douglas, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which ...

, the youngest of three children born to Daniel and Bessie (née Johnson) Clough. Clough's parents ran the local ice and coal plant. After electricity spread to south Georgia, the family moved to

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...

, where Clough attended

City High School City Charter Schools is a charter school operator in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. it operates two schools: City Language Immersion Charter (early childhood to grade 5) and The City School (grades 6–8). They have two children, Eliza and Matthew. Clough entered Georgia Tech in 1959 and earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...

in 1964. While an undergraduate at Georgia Tech, Clough participated in the

cooperative education Cooperative education (or co-operative education) is a structured method of combining classroom-based education with practical work experience. A cooperative education experience, commonly known as a "co-op", provides academic credit for struct ...

program, and was, against his wishes, a surveyor for a railroad company. Clough was a member of Georgia Tech's chapter of the

Phi Gamma Delta Phi Gamma Delta (), commonly known as Fiji, is a social Fraternities and sororities, fraternity with more than 144 active chapters and 10 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Washington & Jefferson College, Jefferson C ...

fraternity, and lived in their fraternity house on North Avenue for half a year. Clough originally planned to receive only a bachelor's degree; however, the faculty encouraged him to pursue a graduate degree, so he continued his education and received his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in civil engineering in 1965. In 1969, Clough received a Ph.D. in civil engineering from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...

with the thesis " Finite element analyses of soil-structures interaction in U-frame locks".

Research

After earning his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...

, Clough began his academic career as an

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at Duke University in 1969. He joined the faculty at Stanford University in 1974 first as an associate professor and then later as full

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

. In 1982, he joined the faculty of

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...

as a professor of civil engineering and served as head of their Department of Civil Engineering for seven years. In 1990, Clough became

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of the

Virginia Tech College of Engineering The Virginia Tech College of Engineering is the academic unit that manages engineering research and education at Virginia Tech. The College can trace its origins to 1872, and was formally established in 1903. Today, The College of Engineering i ...

. Clough continued his research and instruction of graduate students at Virginia Tech in addition to his administrative responsibilities. Clough's research focused on geotechnical engineering, including earthquake studies, numerical analysis, soil structure interaction, in-situ testing, and underground openings. In 1993, he became provost and vice president for academic affairs at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

. Clough cofounded the United States Universities Council of Geotechnical Engineering Research (USUCGER), and served as the organization's first president during 1993.

President of Georgia Tech

Clough and Peterson at CULC Groundbreaking

On September 1, 1994, Clough became the first Georgia Tech alumnus to serve as the President of the Institute, succeeding John Patrick Crecine, and was in office during the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

. In 1998, he separated the Ivan Allen College of Management, Policy, and International Affairs into the

Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts The Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts is a college of the Georgia Institute of Technology, a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. It is one of the six academic units at the university and named for former two-term Atlanta mayor Ivan ...

and the College of Management, which he returned to independent status. This separation was a major organizational change that built upon the large (and controversial) reorganization of the institute by Clough's predecessor. During his tenure, research expenditures increased from $212 million to $425 million, computers became required for all students, and enrollment increased from 13,000 to 18,000 students. Tech also received the

Hesburgh Award The Hesburgh Award is an award, established in 1993, given by TIAA-CREF to a university that has exceptional faculty development programs. It is named for Theodore M. Hesburgh, former president of the University of Notre Dame and former member of t ...

for support of undergraduate teaching and learning, and the Institute's '' U.S. News & World Report'' rankings steadily improved.

Clough's tenure was especially focused on a dramatic expansion of the Institute; more than $1 billion was spent on projects to expand or improve the campus. These projects included the completion of several west campus dorms, the manufacturing complex, 10th and Home, Technology Square, The Biomedical Complex, the Student Center renovation, the expanded 5th Street Bridge, the Aquatic Center's renovation into the

Georgia Tech Campus Recreation Center The Georgia Tech Campus Recreation Center (abbreviated CRC, formerly known as the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center and the Georgia Tech Student Athletic Center) is part of the Georgia Tech campus. History Georgia Tech's athletic center began at its ...

, a new Health Center, the Klaus Advanced Computing Building, and the Nanotechnology Research Center. Clough also spearheaded research opportunities for undergraduate students, later known as the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), the creation of an International Plan, and the creation of a fund to make Georgia Tech more affordable for low-income students (the G. Wayne Clough Georgia Tech Promise Program). The students of Georgia Tech affectionately dubbed him "Funk Masta G. Wayne" during his presidency due to the expansion and growth he encouraged in urban Atlanta, and he was generally known to have a warm and friendly disposition and a distinctive beard. In 2006, members of Georgia Tech's college Republican club sued Georgia Tech, aided by the

Alliance Defense Fund Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF, formerly Alliance Defense Fund) is an American conservative Christian legal advocacy group that works to curtail rights for LGBTQ people; expand Christian practices within public schools and in government; and ...

, in a case known as Sklar v. Clough that lasted until April 2008. The students won this case and Georgia Tech was forced to drop their speech code which was deemed unconstitutional and pay the defendants court costs. Clough stepped down after almost fourteen years as President on July 1, 2008, which he previously announced in an email to students and staff on March 15, 2008.

Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution

G W Clough at July 19, 2013 Luce Lunder Edit-o-thon 05

On January 1, 2008, the Smithsonian named a search committee for the position of Secretary. Clough's primary competition for the position was Acting Secretary

Cristián Samper Cristián Samper (born September 25, 1965) is a Colombian-American tropical biologist specializing in conservation biology and environmental policy. He is the Managing Director and Leader of Nature Solutions at the Bezos Earth Fund. He served as ...

, who had replaced Secretary Lawrence M. Small after Small's resignation in 2007. The Smithsonian's board of regents, whose duties include electing the Smithsonian's secretary, took at least two votes in the Lawyers' Lounge at the U.S. Supreme Court to arrive at their decision. Clough was elected the 12th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution; he was notified via a phone call with regents chairman Roger W. Sant on the afternoon of March 14, 2008. This decision was announced publicly at a press conference held at the

Smithsonian Castle The Smithsonian Institution Building, located near the National Mall in Washington, D.C. behind the National Museum of African Art and the Sackler Gallery, houses the Smithsonian Institution's administrative offices and information center. The ...

on March 15, 2008. Clough assumed office on July 1, 2008 and was officially installed in an academic ceremony on January 26, 2009. His starting salary as Secretary was $490,000, a pay cut from his final compensation package at Georgia Tech ($551,186) and significantly lower than his predecessor, Lawrence Small's annual salary of $900,000. Upon assumption of his office, Clough made plans to digitize the Museum's collections, and offer more intensive K-12 educational programming. In November 2008, for the first time, the Smithsonian opened a board meeting to the public. He also made efforts to improve the Smithsonian's facilities and long-term planning, as well as plans to reorganize and cut back on staff and budget. In February 2012, Clough's travel expenses were probed by senator Charles E. Grassley, despite increased controls; Clough's travel had to been approved by the Smithsonian's chief financial officer as part of the reforms enacted in the wake of alleged abuses by Secretary Small. On November 30, 2010, Secretary Clough made the decision to remove the

David Wojnarowicz David Michael Wojnarowicz ( (September 14, 1954 – July 22, 1992) was an American painter, photographer, writer, filmmaker, performance artist, songwriter/recording artist, and AIDS activist prominent in the East Village art scene. He incorp ...

video ''A Fire in My Belly'' from the National Portrait Gallery's "Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture" exhibition. The video artwork was perceived by some to be anti-Christian and Clough believed it detracted from the entirety of the exhibition, which he said was "to be a powerful exhibit about the contributions of gay and lesbian artists" and not about "religious iconography" and "desecration". This decision was widely criticized, but Clough responded that he was protecting the Smithsonian's larger educational mission. After the controversy, the Smithsonian's board of regents appointed an outside panel to examine the decision to remove the work from the exhibition; the panel recommended that art not be removed from shows that have already opened. On September 18, 2013, after six years as Secretary, Clough announced his retirement, which would be effective October 2014. In announcing his retirement, he said, "When I became Secretary in 2008, I believed strongly that the Smithsonian had enormous untapped potential, especially in digital technology, to reach millions of people and serve as a resource for those who cannot visit Washington. I am confident that with our initiatives underway in bioconservation, education, digitization and fundraising, this is the right time to announce my plans for next fall so that an orderly transition can begin."

Honors and awards

Clough has earned numerous awards and honors during his career. In his early career, he earned two Norman Medals, the State of the Art Award, and the

Karl von Terzaghi Karl von Terzaghi (October 2, 1883 – October 25, 1963) was an Austrian mechanical engineer, geotechnical engineer, and geologist known as the "father of soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering". Early life In 1883, he was born the first ch ...

Lectureship in 1994. Clough has also earned a George Westinghouse Award from the

American Society for Engineering Education The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) is a non-profit member association, founded in 1893, dedicated to promoting and improving engineering and engineering technology education. The purpose of ASEE is the advancement of education ...

. He was elected a member of the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...

in 1990 for developing and verifying advanced design and analysis procedures for soil-structure interaction problems. At NAE, he served as a chair of one of its summits in 2004, The Engineer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed him to the President's Council of Science and Technology. In 2004, Bush appointed him a member of the

, which oversees the

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...

and provides advice to Congress and the president on issues of science and technology. Also in 2004, the

American Society of Civil Engineers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

presented him with the Outstanding Projects and Leaders award for his contribution to education, and the University of California, Berkeley College of Engineering honored him with one of the four Distinguished Engineering Alumni Awards. In 2008, Clough was made an honorary member of the ANAK Society, Georgia Tech's oldest known secret society and honor society. In October 2008, the

presented Clough with the Arthur M. Bueche Award for leadership in science, technology, and engineering policy. In February 2009, he received the Joseph M. Pettit Alumni Distinguished Service Award that recognizes a lifetime of leadership, achievement and service to Georgia Tech; and in March 2009, he was inducted into the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia. Clough has received eight honorary Doctor of Science degrees. In 2011, he received an honorary degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; in 2010, he received honorary degrees from

Oglethorpe University Oglethorpe University is a private college in Brookhaven, Georgia. It was chartered in 1835 and named in honor of General James Edward Oglethorpe, founder of the Colony of Georgia. History Oglethorpe University was chartered in 1834 in Mid ...

in Atlanta;

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

, Baltimore County; and

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kill ...

in Williamstown. He had previously received honorary doctorates from

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU; ) is a Public university, public research university in Shanghai, Shanghai, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Ministry of Education of China ...

Florida Southern College Florida Southern College (Florida Southern, Southern or FSC) is a private college in Lakeland, Florida. In 2019, the student population at FSC consisted of 3,073 students along with 130 full-time faculty members. The college offers 50 undergradu ...

and the University of South Carolina. In April 2010, he was named a member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

. During the ground breaking ceremony for the G. Wayne Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons building held in 2010, President Bud Peterson and University System of Georgia Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. presented to Clough a proclamation declaring him President Emeritus of the Georgia Institute of Technology. In 2011, Georgia Tech opened the G. Wayne Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons building named in honor of his commitment to undergraduate students; it was dedicated on Clough's birthday, September 24, 2011. In May 2011, he was awarded the 2011

Foreign Policy Association The Foreign Policy Association (formerly known as the League of Free Nations Association) is a non-profit organization founded in 1918 dedicated to inspiring the American public to learn more about the world. The Foreign Policy Association aims to ...

Medal.

References

External links

G. Wayne Clough speeches collection
from Georgia Tech Archives
Biography of G. Wayne Clough
on the Smithsonian website
G. Wayne Clough
from the

Smithsonian Institution Archives Smithsonian Libraries and Archives is an institutional archives and library system comprising 21 branch libraries serving the various Smithsonian Institution museums and research centers. The Libraries and Archives serve Smithsonian Institution ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clough, G. Wayne Living people Presidents of Georgia Tech American civil engineers Geotechnical engineers Duke University faculty Stanford University School of Engineering faculty Virginia Tech faculty Georgia Tech alumni UC Berkeley College of Engineering alumni 1941 births People from Douglas, Georgia Secretaries of the Smithsonian Institution Smithsonian Institution people Smithsonian (magazine) people