Georgia Tech is celebrating the legacy of former President Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter by renaming the university's School of Public Policy in their honor.

The Georgia Board of Regents approved the naming at a meeting in April at the recommendation of Georgia Tech President Angel Cabrera.

University officials say they partnered with the Carter Center on the two-year naming process and that the Carters were involved and supportive of the name change. 

"I am grateful to the Carter family, the Carter Center, and the Georgia Tech alumni and donors who supported this naming," Cabrera said in a statement. "The Carter School will contribute to preserving the memory of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's extraordinary life of public service and will inspire and develop new generations of public leaders committed to Progress and Service." 

Carter transferred to what was then called the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1942 and spent one year at the college before transferring to the U.S. Naval Academy.

Carter Center CEO Paige Alexander said that Georgia Tech played a "formative role" in both Carters' lives and shaped their perspectives when they entered politics.

"Georgia Tech always held a special place in President and Mrs. Carter's hearts. In fact, Mrs. Carter kept a Georgia Tech blanket draped across a chair in her office at The Carter Center — a sweet reminder of her very favorite Tech student — and it still sits there today," said Carter Center CEO Paige Alexander. 

The university awarded Carter the Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Service and Progress in 2002, and the Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage in 2017.

A celebration of the honorary naming took place on Wednesday at the university and included grandson Jason Carter.