Growing up less than 5 miles from Georgia Tech’s campus, Raheem Beyah didn’t know how the Institute would shape his career, nor did he imagine that he would one day — as provost — shape Georgia Tech’s role as a leader in the Atlanta community and around the world.
An Atlanta Public School (APS) system graduate, Beyah credits his teachers and the principals at Frederick Douglass High School for placing him on the path that led him to become Georgia Tech’s new provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs.
Beyah sees this as a transformational moment in time for higher education. He plans to prioritize opportunities to expand access to a Georgia Tech education and believes he has a responsibility to prepare students for a changing job market. He is passionate about leveraging the Institute’s technological expertise and positioning it as a living lab to deliver an unrivaled educational experience.
Coming to Campus
As provost, Beyah wants to ensure the Georgia Tech experience for students doesn’t begin as an undergraduate. The former College of Engineering dean emphasized the importance of bringing K-12 students to campus from across the state for hands-on STEM education.
“With STEM Fest, we had kids cheering like it was a football game or like they were at Six Flags, but it was a genuine excitement about STEM learning. Those are the types of programs we want to double down on, continuing to give students a window into the opportunities that exist on our campus,” he said. “We have a public mission. We are here to be this innovative global institution, but that must start with being a strong community partner.”
STEM Fest 2026 takes place in March, and registration opens Saturday, Feb. 28.
Beyah views these events as a key element of Tech’s outreach efforts, and their success is reflected in the Institute’s growth and reach across the state and around the world.
Among the Institute’s record-breaking 2025 class of first-year enrollees, students represent 115 Georgia counties. Since 2022, applications for APS graduates have increased by 56% and enrollment has increased by increased by 46%. Beyah wants to see all 159 counties represented in the student body in the years to come. Beyond Georgia, members of the most recent class of Yellow Jackets hail from 49 states (plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) and 86 countries.
Supporting Success
As enrollment continues to grow, so does the importance of offering need-based scholarships. The Transforming Tomorrow campaign added to the Institute’s current financial aid options and existing scholarships a $100 million endowment for need-based scholarships. Tech’s APS Scholars Program offers acceptance and cover four-year in-state tuition and mandatory fees for all APS valedictorians and salutatorians. In 2025, 14 APS Scholars enrolled at the Institute.
Beyah went on to add that aid doesn’t stop when students arrive on campus.
“The Institute is continuing to push for innovative ways to help reduce the costs associated with education,” he said. “A partnership between the Georgia Tech Library and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering allows students to check out equipment for specific courses at no cost, saving students over $1 million since the program’s inception.”
Leading the Way
Even as higher education finds itself at a crossroads, Beyah is embracing the challenge of reexamining how Tech can best prepare its students to harness emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), and distinguish themselves as they enter the workforce. Incorporating AI components into courses and examining its role in instruction are priorities for Beyah as he assumes responsibility for setting the Institute’s academic priorities.
“We want to seize this opportunity, and it’s allowing us to ask fundamental questions that empower us to innovate,” he said. “’How are we teaching our students?’ ‘How are we preparing for the future?’ ‘What can we do to set them up with the right skillset for the demands of industry?’”
In 2024, Georgia Tech joined Apple’s New Silicon Initiative program, allowing students to gain real-world experience in microelectronic circuits and hardware design. Beyah described this partnership as one of several ways Tech works with industry leaders to ensure students graduate with the skills and experience employers seek. As Atlanta continues to position itself among the nation’s top tech hubs, Beyah sees the Institute’s faculty and students as resources that attract companies to the region.
Archetype of a Yellow Jacket
After earning his bachelor’s degree from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Beyah earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Georgia Tech in 1999 and 2003. He has been at Tech in various capacities since. Having experienced Tech from various perspectives, he believes the Institute’s continued evolution is reflected in the makeup of the student body and in the creation of new degree programs, as well as the establishment of the College of Lifetime Learning.
“It used to be undergraduates, mostly engineering, who were 17- to 22-year-olds, and then we had graduate students on campus. Now, it’s so much more than that. We have more students from more places than ever before,” he said. “It’s exciting to capture the energy associated with change and lead the way. I think that’s the shift that we’ve made in terms of being accessible. Georgia Tech has become a place where everyone can envision themselves embracing their own college experience.”
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