The Stewart School is preparing to move across campus and into a new tower in the heart of Tech Square.
(text and background only visible when logged in)
The 18-story George Tower will be the new home of ISyE. (Photo: Candler Hobbs)
The H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) is about to make a major transition. After 75 years on the west side of campus — the last 36 as the No. 1 ranked graduate program in the nation — the Stewart School is headed east across the Downtown Connector.
The School will move into a new home at the center of Georgia Tech’s innovation ecosystem later this summer. The 18-story George Tower marks phase three of Tech Square and a new era for ISyE’s students, faculty, and staff. After continually innovating itself and the field of industrial engineering for the past eight decades, the School’s leader said the move is the latest example of the forward-looking mindset that has defined ISyE’s history.
“Moving from a four‑story building to a tower feels both exciting and a bit surreal,” said Pinar Keskinocak, the H. Milton and Carolyn J. Stewart School Chair. “It is a visible signal of confidence in the Stewart School’s future as we carry forward the collaborative culture we cherish and foster.”
That culture and a commitment to designing spaces that support it have guided the planning of George Tower from the start. Stewart School Facilities Manager Jonathan Etress is in charge of the move. He’s coordinating with Georgia Tech Move Management and a contracted vendor that’s providing all packing materials, labor, and resources to complete the transition. Etress expects the trucks to take only a few days to move an entire complex’s contents out of the Groseclose Building and ISyE Main and into George Tower.
Etress said the tower’s flexibility and function were central considerations in the School’s move and needs.
“From the beginning, the goal was to create spaces that support how ISyE actually works,” he said. “That meant designing environments that balance focused work with collaboration and can adapt as needs change over time.”
Keskinocak pointed to a collaborative ethos deeply woven into how the Stewart School advances education, research, and engagement that will be supported by the building’s design, which includes a range of common areas and collaboration spaces. And George Tower’s location in Tech Square supports the School’s strategic priorities around innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship, she said.
“Proximity to industry partners, startups, policy conversations, and interdisciplinary initiatives is increasingly important,” Keskinocak said. “George Tower places ISyE closer to that ecosystem and creates more natural opportunities for engagement beyond our traditional academic boundaries.”
Tech Square is home to 35 corporate innovation centers from the likes of Accenture, AT&T, Chick-fil-A, Home Depot, and Siemens. Georgia Tech’s startup community — CREATE-X, ATDC, VentureLab, and other commercialization units — are in George Tower’s shadow.
“Being embedded in Tech Square and an innovation‑district environment opens new possibilities. George Tower makes it easier for our faculty, students, and collaborators to connect both intentionally and informally,” said Alan Erera, the Manhattan Associates/Dabbiere Chair and Professor and the School’s senior associate chair. “Those interactions often spark the most meaningful ideas.”
Senior Facilities Manager Jonathan Etress is coordinating the move. (Photo: Candler Hobbs)
The building is named in honor of Penny and William “Bill” George, IE 1964, Hon. Ph.D. 2008, whose philanthropic support alongside many other donors made the building possible. Its floors will feature new classrooms, offices, lab spaces, meeting rooms, dining, and retail.
“George Tower reflects extraordinary generosity and vision from the Georges, the Stewarts, and many others who invested in the building and the people and ideas it will support,” said Nancy Sandlin, ISyE senior director of development. “The Tower and its named spaces reflect not only amazing philanthropy, but confidence in ISyE’s mission and belief in its future.”
George Tower is seamlessly connected with the adjacent 14-floor Scheller Tower, which will house the MBA and executive education programs for the Scheller College of Business.
That makes the move to Tech Square a full-circle moment. The Stewart School and the College of Business were in neighboring buildings on the west side of campus until 2002, when Scheller moved to Tech Square. They’ll reunite next semester with the George and Scheller towers adding 416,500 square feet of space for Tech students.
“Calling George Tower home is both a privilege and a responsibility,” Keskinocak said. “It challenges us to be thoughtful about how we use the space to advance our education and research missions, support our students, engage meaningfully with partners and society, and grow our leadership and impact. The legacy of George Tower and the Stewart School will be defined by the people who made it possible and the community that brings it to life.”
The multi-story lobby connecting the George and Scheller Towers opened in January. (Photo: Candler Hobbs)
Bill and Penny George visited Tech Square during construction of the tower. (Photo: Nancy Sandlin)
A rooftop courtyard overlooking nearby Tech Square buildings. (Photo: Candler Hobbs)
(text and background only visible when logged in)
Related Stories
Behind the Lab Doors
Take a look inside ISyE’s Symbiotic and Augmented Intelligence Lab and other unique spaces in the College.
Tech Square 3 Reaches Major Milestone
Officially named George Tower | Scheller Tower, the first three floors of the new facility are now open.
Building the Future of Aerospace Engineering
Campus continues to expand, with the state of Georgia investing $88.2 million for the design and construction of a new aerospace engineering building.
Helluva Engineer
This story originally appeared in the Spring 2026 issue of Helluva Engineer magazine.
We’re taking you behind the scenes to some of the hidden (and not-so-hidden) labs across the College where Georgia Tech engineers are shaping the future. In these places, robots swim in a mini ocean or crawl across the moon’s surface, huge concrete beams loom, and invisible gas or high-frequency radio waves fly across the room. We’re also unwrapping how researchers help industry partners solve tough problems and improve their processes. Plus, a few students talk to their younger selves and look back at four years of growth on North Avenue.