University of North Georgia

University of North Georgia (UNG) student Haley Shea Barfield has won the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, which recognizes the United States' most promising young scientists and future researchers. With this victory, she became UNG's first Barry Goldwater Scholar.

Alexander Ross, a senior cadet at UNG, wants to serve his country as an interpreter. UNG junior Laine Hunt dreams of being a foreign service officer with the U.S. State Department. Both will have an opportunity to pursue these goals after they spend months overseas learning Arabic and Russian thanks to David L. Boren Scholarships, which they both won in April 2019.

The University of North Georgia (UNG) Alumni Association Awards Luncheon was the one of the main events Saturday, April 27 during Alumni Weekend 2019. The following were recognized for outstanding leadership, service and excellence in their roles serving or attending the university: Dot Strother Alumni Scholarship: Kiersten Wilson. A junior pursuing a marketing degree, Wilson has studied abroad in Rome. She is in Phi Mu Fraternity, Order of Omega and the Mike Cottrell College of Business Dean's Student Advisory Board. She is president of UNG's American Marketing Association and serves as a Student Ambassador. Paul M. Hutcherson Outstanding Students: Cadet Col. Tyler Farney and Jasmine Bouges. Farney is a Distinguished Military Graduate who commissioned into the Army Aviation Branch on May 3. Farney has also been involved with Student Government Association and Nighthawks Entertainment. Bouges is president of Women in STEM, secretary of Mike Cottrell Scholars and is a member of the Honors Program. A computer science major, Bouges is set for a software development internship at Country Financial this summer.

Macey Jarrard and Tony Sacchitello, recent graduates who earned bachelor's degrees in middle grades education at the University of North Georgia (UNG), have gained a wide audience for their research about the Dahlonega Science Festival. They were able to share their research at multiple conferences.

The University of North Georgia's (UNG) poultry judging team took fourth place in production hens at the 72nd annual National Collegiate Poultry judging competition at Louisiana State University in early April.

More than 75 military awards and scholarships were presented to members of the University of North Georgia's Corps of Cadets at the annual Boar's Head Brigade Military Awards Review, held on March 26 at the convocation center on the UNG Dahlonega campus.

Four University of North Georgia students: Daniel Shearer, Josh Shepherd, Donnie "Jamar" Shumaker, and Rachel Wilson, were glad to learn March 1 that they were selected as Critical Language Scholarship finalists. The scholarship program is a fully-funded overseas language and cultural immersion program for American undergraduate and graduate students. Its goal is to broaden the base of Americans studying and mastering critical languages and building relationships between the people of the United States and other countries. Four other semifinalists, Daniel Barker, Hannah Chisholm, Leah James, and Julia "Rhiannon" Smith, were named alternates. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, CLS is highly competitive, with acceptance rates of 10 percent, said Dr. Victoria Hightower, UNG's assistant director of Nationally Competitive Scholarships. This makes UNG's accomplishment of four finalists and four alternates significant.

University of North Georgia junior Adriana Zarate has been named a Newman Civic Fellow. She is one of 262 students named to the 2019-2020 cohort. The one-year experience emphasizes personal, professional and civic growth for students who have demonstrated a capacity for leadership and an investment in solving public problems.

Nearly 130 University of North Georgia (UNG) students performed research-based projects and presented their results during the poster sessions March 22 at the 24th Annual Research Conference (ARC) in the Convocation Center on UNG's Dahlonega Campus. Other students participated in panel discussions on topics such as educational experiences and musical research.

Five University of North Georgia students pursuing degrees in the College of Science and Mathematics won highly competitive research internships to work at renowned programs and facilities for the upcoming summer. The students included three physics majors, one biology major, and one chemistry major.

Ten female University of North Georgia (UNG) students who demonstrate outstanding leadership skills were honored March 3 during the annual Women of UNG Leadership Luncheon.

Brendyn Melugin was named the national American Council on Education Student of the Year, which is presented annually to an adult learner who has benefited from the use of ACE credit recommendations to earn a college degree or advance a career. The 26-year-old University of North Georgia student from Norcross, Georgia, is pursuing a degree in psychology.

Two University of North Georgia (UNG) students are one step away from earning highly competitive national scholarships to continue their higher education dreams. Senior John Blessing has been selected as a Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation finalist while sophomore Allison Rogers is a semifinalist for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship.

Two UNG students were off and running with their pitch of the Opus Affinity app at the innovateUNG Pitch Challenge on Feb. 20 in the Dining Hall Banquet Room on UNG's Dahlonega Campus. More than two hours later, Hearn and Herrera were declared winners of the inaugural event, securing a $2,000 prize and a trip to the Georgia InVenture Prize competition, which is sponsored by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the University System of Georgia for top college teams from across the state and will award a $25,000 first prize.

Six University of North Georgia (UNG) students learned in December they were Early Summer awardees of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented by the Institute of International Education, the Gilman program offers scholarships of up to $5,000 to outstanding U.S. undergraduate Pell grant recipients. Students studying a critical need language could be eligible to receive a scholarship of up to $8,000.

Thirteen students from the University of North Georgia (UNG) have been selected as semifinalists for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, a highly competitive fellowship that enables students to pursue academic endeavors overseas. It is a record number of semifinalists who represent multiple departments, demonstrating the depth of UNG academic programs.

A recent University of North Georgia (UNG) alumnus and a cadet spent the fall as interns at the White House. Mitchell Fariss, a 2017 graduate who majored in international affairs, interned in the Office of Public Liaison. Evan Setter, a sophomore from Woodstock, Georgia, majoring in political science, was an intern in Vice President Mike Pence's office.

In January, seven University of North Georgia students were selected as semifinalists for the Critical Language Scholarship Program. CLS is a fully-funded overseas language and cultural immersion program for American undergraduate and graduate students. Becoming immersed in a foreign culture and learning to speak the language fluently through an intensive program is one purpose of the program.

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 2018. 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 December 15 at the University of North Georgia, graduating cadets were awarded commissions as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army or Georgia National Guard.

The University of North Georgia announces degrees and certificates awarded for the fall 2018 semester, including hundreds awarded in commencement exercises held Dec. 15 at the university.

University of North Georgia (UNG) President Bonita C. Jacobs recognized students who achieved a 4.0 GPA during the fall 2018 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 programs who met the same level of achievement were named to the President's List.

Several nontraditional female students received a $1,000 scholarship from the Women of UNG during the Women's Holiday Scholarship Luncheon at the Chattahoochee Country Club in Gainesville.

Vocal and instrumental ensembles and several faculty members from the University of North Georgia (UNG) joined forces to present the university's inaugural holiday concert featuring the sounds of Christmas in Gainesville, Georgia.

Twenty-one cadets from the University of North Georgia (UNG) have been ranked in the top 20 percent of the nation among more than 5,000 Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets assessed by U.S. Army Cadet Command. Ranking in the top 20 percent in the nation earns cadets the designation of Distinguished Military Graduate (DMG). Cadets are ranked on the national Order of Merit List (OML) by achieving superior grade-point averages, strong performance in the Army physical fitness test, and proving their worth as exceptional leaders in their college ROTC training.

Dr. Jo Qian gave about 100 students an opportunity to share what they have learned about human diseases and innovative biotechniques that impact the health field. The inaugural University of North Georgia (UNG) Public Health Awareness Day was held. Nov. 7 on UNG's Gainesville Campus. Topics of poster presentations included a variety of skin, bone, muscle and nervous system disorders.

The Research on Contemporary Composition (ROCC) Conference brought in 16 visiting scholars for the second annual event Nov. 10-11 at the University of North Georgia (UNG). They were from California, Florida, Kentucky, New Mexico, Texas, China, and Sweden.

More than 250 college students, faculty and staff members from across the Southeast participated in the Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference Nov. 3 at the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Gainesville Campus. This was the first time UNG hosted the regional conference.

The following people recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.

University of North Georgia (UNG) senior Kondwani Kapembwa has been named a Bank of New York Mellon Enactus Student Fellow for the 2018-19 school year.