University of North Georgia

Even with changes to the National Security Agency (NSA) Codebreaker Challenge in 2020, including a vastly expanded scope of tasks from previous years, the University of North Georgia (UNG) emerged victorious for the second year in a row. UNG students, faculty and staff tallied 323,150 points, while second-place Georgia Tech finished with 74,010. Oregon State University, University of Cincinnati, and University of California, Santa Cruz rounded out the top five of the event that wrapped up Jan. 31. Eighty-nine UNG participants completed the first six tasks of the challenge, with no other school having more than seven players complete that many tasks. UNG also had 27 participants complete the seventh task, with the next-closest school having four competitors reach that point. UNG's team had 168 participants complete at least one task.

Hannah McSwain could have settled for a strong capstone project with Dr. Ahmad Ghafarian in fall 2020. That simply is not how she works. The senior from Ellijay, Georgia, pursuing a degree in computer science wanted to get more ideas to further her research on cloud-level network security. McSwain applied and was accepted to present her research at the Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges' Southeastern Conference in January.

University of North Georgia (UNG) cadets have earned honors for their academic and military training accomplishments, some as Distinguished Military Graduates and some as Distinguished Military Students.

UNG students MacKensey Clark and Julia Raybon received scholarships from the Lois and Lucy Lampkin Foundation.

Record-setting is one word to describe the University of North Georgia's (UNG) efforts to secure students and alumni placement in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. This spring, UNG has 18 semifinalists for the prestigious, highly competitive fellowship program. It bests the previous high mark of 13 semifinalists from 2019.

Six UNG students were selected as Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) semifinalists with two being first-time applicants and the other four repeat applicants. The CLS program funds American undergraduate and graduate students to complete intensive language study abroad in the summer.

More than two years ago, Dr. Tom Diggs dreamed of creating a small-scale herbarium on the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Gainesville Campus. Now, the plan has reached the halfway point thanks to the hard work of UNG students.

Two UNG students were selected for the highly competitive Georgia Legislative Internship Program (GLIP). The program is only open to juniors and seniors, who are selected from schools throughout the University System of Georgia.

UNG student Catlin "Cat" Corrales' internal knowledge of Chattahoochee Riverkeeper led her to turn a class project into a real-world application for the nonprofit. During the fall 2020 semester, Corrales developed and designed a GIS app for CRK's Neighborhood Water Watch program.

Forty-eight cadets began their time as University of North Georgia (UNG) cadets with Freshman Recruit Orientation Group (FROG) Week during Jan. 5-10. Among that group were 35 National Guard soldiers who completed basic training in the fall before starting at UNG.

Emily French, a second-year University of North Georgia (UNG) Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) student, has been selected as an American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Centennial Scholar. She is one of two scholars from the APTA's research section and one of 100 total APTA Centennial Scholars. Coinciding with APTA's 100th anniversary in 2021, the APTA Centennial Scholars are part of one-time, yearlong program to help build a cadre of future APTA leaders at the component and national levels to support the organization's collective quest for a diverse and prepared leadership pool.

Eight UNG students were awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. The program enables students who are eligible for the Pell grant to study or intern abroad for at least three weeks and gain skills critical to national security and economic competitiveness.

For the fall 2020 semester, the University of North Georgia awarded more than 1,000 degrees and certificates to graduates. Nearly 600 of those graduates walked across the stage of the Convocation Center Dec. 5-6 in 52 mini-ceremonies created to follow social distancing guidelines and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

University of North Georgia (UNG) President Bonita C. Jacobs recognized students who achieved a 4.0 GPA during the fall 2020 semester. Students enrolled in 12 or more credit hours in bachelor's degree programs who achieved a 4.0 grade point average were named to the President's Honor Roll. Students enrolled in associate degree or dual enrollment programs who met the same level of achievement were named to the President's List.

The deans of each of UNG's five colleges - the College of Arts & Letters, the College of Education, the College of Health Sciences & Professions, the Mike Cottrell College of Business, and the College of Science & Mathematics - announced the names of those students who made their respective lists for fall 2020. Dean's List recognition is achieved by having at least a 3.5 grade point average, carrying 12 or more credit hours in one semester and having no grade lower than B.

In ceremonies held Dec. 3-4 by the University of North Georgia, 26 graduating cadets were awarded commissions as second lieutenants. These in-person ceremonies were spaced out and the number of visitors was limited to adhere to social distancing practices due to COVID-19.

More than a dozen students were awarded grants from the Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (CURCA) at UNG. The annual mini-grants will fund 10 different research projects in the areas of psychological science, chemistry, biology, anthropology, physics, and English.

University of North Georgia students have elected officers to serve in a newly unified Student Government Association. Jelma Flores-Mota will serve as the university's first unified SGA president, and UNG's Blue Ridge Campus is launching SGA for the first time this fall.

University of North Georgia (UNG) student Brianna Welch had a chance to tie together her Korean language skills with her family history to earn an award at a national event. Welch, a junior from Cumming, Georgia, pursuing a degree in East Asian studies with a Korean concentration, won a Korea Culture Award at the annual Korean Speech Contest hosted virtually by the South Korean Cultural Ministry in October.

A new scholarship supported in part by the Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta will relieve some of the financial burden for seven University of North Georgia (UNG) students. The $8,000 grant is funded through the Institute of Mexicans Abroad (IME) via the IME-BECAS Program; becas is the Spanish word for scholarships. UNG added another $8,000 in matching funds. Recipients, who must be of Mexican descent, will participate in a leadership program during the spring 2021 semester.

The 2020 Mid-Atlantic Regional Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Competition was conducted virtually from Nov. 6-7 via Zoom with the University of North Georgia (UNG) acting as the host school.

A handful of University of North Georgia (UNG) students presented their research during the part-virtual and part-traditional Research on Contemporary Composition (ROCC) conference on Oct. 24-25.

Two UNG students explored the option of being a Foreign Service officer during the highly competitive Cox-State Department Diplomacy Seminar. They won entrance into the professional exploration program held virtually in October. Their selections mark the second consecutive time UNG students have participated in the Cox-State Seminar.

University of North Georgia (UNG) cadet Devin Krass has received a $2,000 scholarship from the Coast Guard Foundation. Krass was eligible for the nationwide scholarship because both of his parents have served in the Coast Guard. His four years of training guide dogs through The Seeing Eye nonprofit organization was part of what made Krass stand out when he applied for the scholarship. Krass was part of a Delaware chapter of New Jersey-based The Seeing Eye.

Eight UNG female students were awarded the Women's Educational Scholarship from the Women of UNG. Designated as a shared interest group of alumni, faculty, and staff, the Women of UNG gives scholarships of $1,000 each to eight women older than 25 pursuing undergraduate degrees.

Eight University of North Georgia (UNG) transfer coaches serve as students who can help their fellow students who have transferred into UNG adjust to a new university.

University of North Georgia (UNG) student John "Johnny" Phillips' film "The King" was deemed a short film to watch in a review in the Newnan Times-Herald.

University of North Georgia (UNG) students Emily Pridgen and Samantha Velasquez and faculty member Dr. J. Michael Rifenburg's research assessment of the redesign of an English composition class recently gained recognition from the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U).

University of North Georgia students Ashley Allred, Joseph S. Holland and Avery G. Shupert collaborated with faculty members Dr. Eric Huddleston and Dr. Jim Konzelman to pen a paper about the lab experiment, which published in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Chemical Education in July 2020.

Flowery Branch resident Magan Free was one of three UNG students to present at the seventh North American Ornithological Conference, which was held virtually in August. Free, along with fellow students Sawda Islam and Vivica Pressley and faculty members Dawn Drumtra and Dr. Linda Purvis, is studying an avian infectious disease, which is caused by Mycoplasma gallisepticum. Free focused on using a disease detection technique that is more cost-efficient and convenient than traditional methods.