University of North Georgia

Students from the University of North Georgia (UNG) turned in a litany of strong performances at the National Professional Agriculture Student (PAS) Organization Conference in Branson, Missouri, this spring.

Three teams from the University of North Georgia (UNG) practiced their leadership skills and placed in the top six of the Collegiate Leadership Competition (CLC) Southeast Regional held March 28 at Berry College in Rome, Georgia.

Eight University of North Georgia (UNG) students and three alumni attended the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society Convention in New Orleans in late March. They are part of the Alpha Upsilon Phi chapter of Sigma Tau Delta at UNG's Gainesville Campus. This year's convention theme was "Second Lines and New Beginnings," picked for the resilience and inclusivity embodied in the area's Second Line funeral parades.

University of North Georgia (UNG) student Alexandra Soto finished in second place in the virtual Georgia Interstate Oratorical Association (IOA) competition before taking part in the 152nd annual IOA competition hosted by the University of Florida. IOA is the oldest national speech and debate tournament in the U.S. The only other time UNG had a student compete in the national IOA event was virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic, so Soto became the first UNG student to ever take part in the event in person.

Anna Shelley's win in the Southeastern U.S. Korean Speech Contest earned her a full-tuition scholarship and dormitory support to attend the Dankook University International Summer School.

The University of North Georgia (UNG) Model United Nations (MUN) Conference was held in March this year. It was the ninth conference, and 67 students, pursuing 15 different degrees, represented 21 countries. MUN, a two-campus club advised by Chand on the Gainesville Campus and Dr. Jonathan Miner on the Dahlonega Campus, welcomes new members. "The MUN Conference is a great platform for UNG students to hone their public speaking and research skills. It encourages students to be comfortable being in someone else's shoes and be effective at communicating with a wide range of people," Dr. Bibek Chand, associate professor of Political Science & International Affairs, said.

A four-student team from the University of North Georgia (UNG) secured first place at the Senior Military College (SMC) Cyber Fusion competition held Feb. 26-27 at Virginia Military Institute. James Goble joined cadets Danica Heeter, Charis Rueggeberg and Wesley Stoudenmier on the team that excelled in the four-hour capture the flag (CTF) event. Stoudenmier is UNG's Cyber Unit commander in the Corps of Cadets, and Goble is the Blue Team Element lead for the CyberHawks student club.

Cadets from the University of North Georgia (UNG) battled for first place in the Senior Military College Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl and ultimately fell short by one point in the online event, bringing home a second-place finish. The nailbiter ended with UNG and Norwich University tied with 129 points each, and the final decision was left to the judges. Two voted for Norwich - with one giving the lead to Norwich by one point - and the third judge voted for UNG. Norwich took home $5,000 prize through UNG's TRUIST Center for Ethical Leadership.

Cyber students at the University of North Georgia (UNG) have the skills and mindset it takes to excel in the cyber workforce. Their national championship in the Department of War Chief Information Officers (DOW CIO) Cyber Workforce Competition at the National Defense University in late March was simply the latest proof point that UNG students don't just study cybersecurity. They practice it. "This is exactly what we mean when we say UNG prepares students for what comes next," UNG President Michael Shannon said. "Our students are not waiting to serve. They are already operating at the level our nation and our allies demand."

Four student groups earned prizes in the University of North Georgia's innovateUNG Pitch Challenge held March 2 in the Cottrell Center for Business, Technology & Innovation at UNG's Dahlonega Campus.

Students from the University of North Georgia (UNG) won five awards at the Southern Regional Model United Nations (SRMUN) Conference at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia, in November. A total of 36 UNG students participated in the event, which drew about 500 students from multiple states. UNG's awards included:

The University of North Georgia (UNG) Esports team finished second nationally and won the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) championship for the Marvel Rivals game in the fall. UNG's performance on the national stage came in the virtual National Esports Collegiate Conference, and the PBC event was held in Florence, South Carolina.

University of North Georgia (UNG) student Billy Brown placed in the top 20 out of 360 competitors in the Speed Selling Finals at the Northeast Intercollegiate Sales Competition held Nov. 14-15 at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island. About 30 schools sent students to the competition. Five other UNG students also competed.

Students from UNG excelled in a pair of competitions in the fall: Cyber Siege and the National Cyber League. They dominated Cyber Siege, a competition for senior military colleges hosted Oct. 13 at The Citadel, where they doubled the score of the second-place team from The Citadel.

Four University of North Georgia (UNG) students teamed up to earn first place in the Portfolio Building Competition at the Student Managed Investment Fund Consortium (SMIFC) Conference in the fall. Indiana State University's Scott College of Business hosted the event. The team included Gustav Dickerhofe, chief financial officer of UNG's Student Investment Club; Lucas McDonald, CEO; Campbell Richey, chief operating officer; and Georgia Tucker, chief marketing officer. Dr. Young Ha Ki, an assistant professor in the Mike Cottrell College of Business, serves as the club's faculty adviser.

The University of North Georgia finished third in the Cyber Combat Exercise portion of the National Cyber Exercise (NCX) in Baltimore, Maryland, which features teams from some of the service academies and senior military colleges. That made UNG the top senior military college in the Cyber Combat Exercise. UNG finished seventh overall at NCX.

Teams of University of North Georgia students took first and second place in the 60-team SummitCTF, the annual Capture the Flag event hosted by the Cybersecurity Club at Virginia Tech.

Seven University of North Georgia students and five alumni presented at the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society's convention this spring in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and two of them won awards. UNG's presenters are part of the Alpha Upsilon Phi chapter of Sigma Tau Delta at UNG's Gainesville Campus.

Three University of North Georgia (UNG) students teamed up to place second out of nine schools in the portfolio-building competition at the Student Management Investment Fund Consortium-South held recently in Orlando, Florida. Casey Ammon, Raul Bolanos and Davis Zeigler are members of UNG's Student-Managed Investment Fund club. They earned a $500 check for their efforts in UNG's first appearance in the competition.

The Nighthawk Innovators Challenge winners received over $4,500 in prize money, with $1,000 going to the Ruben Boling Community Innovation Award winner. Four University of North Georgia students received over $4,500 in prize money during the Nighthawk Innovators Challenge, held April 21. First place was awarded to William "Billy" Brown, a junior pursuing a degree in marketing with a concentration in digital marketing. Brown's concept was TapX, a digital matchmaker between employers and students, with instant feedback provided to students. He received $2,000 for his idea.

Six of the 10 University North Georgia (UNG) students who competed won awards in the Georgia Japanese Speech Contest at Alpharetta City Library during the spring semester.

Members of the University of North Georgia (UNG) chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA) participated in the Kennesaw Marketing Association (KMA) Invitational at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, in March. UNG students Preston Reid and Abbie Tanner placed third in the marketing case and pitch competition. They received $500 for their presentation.

Roughly 30 members of the University of North Georgia (UNG) Honors Program presented at the 2025 Georgia Collegiate Honors Conference (GCHC) at Georgia Tech in February, the largest delegation in the school's history.

UNG established the first chapter of the Professional Agricultural Student (PAS) Organization in the South, and its team finished first in the nation in the Poultry Specialist career area the National PAS conference.

The University of North Georgia (UNG) poultry team placed sixth in the 58th National Collegiate Poultry Judging contest at the University of Arkansas in November. Team members included Alyssa Foster, Grant Justus, Devin Self, and Conner Watson.

The University of North Georgia (UNG) earned gold in the collegiate division of the 200-meter race in the Atlanta Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, Georgia, on Sept. 9.

Torrie Reed, a junior at the University of North Georgia (UNG), has won the Georgia Young Farmer and Rancher Collegiate Discussion Meet Award. She will represent Georgia at the American Farm Bureau Foundation FUSION conference in Denver, Colorado, in March.

Three University of North Georgia (UNG) students pursuing degrees in biology won poster presentation awards at the Georgia Academy of Science conference hosted by Kennesaw State University this spring.

Six University of North Georgia (UNG) cadets placed in the top 10 among their fellow ROTC cadets at the Army Small Arms Championship, a weeklong competition at Fort Moore in Colombus, Georgia, in March.

University of North Georgia (UNG) students Eric Brockman, Ashley Davis, Alyssa Foster, and Amy Arellano participated in the 75th Ted Cameron National Poultry judging contest sponsored by US Poultry and Egg Association. Coached by biology associate professor Dr. Linda Purvis and UNG junior Jacque Conner, the team brought home five trophies.