University of North Georgia

A pair of recent University of North Georgia (UNG) graduates presented their innovative work with the UNG Press at the Open Education Conference held Oct. 28-30 in Denver, Colorado. Nicole Clifton, a spring 2025 graduate, and Joshua Lann, a fall 2025 graduate, shared about their experience converting UNG Press's open textbooks into accessible audiobooks. Both earned a degree in English with a writing and publication concentration.

In recognition of International Women's Day, which was March 8, the University of North Georgia (UNG) Department of Music held a concert showcasing award-winning female students and faculty members March 2 at UNG's Gainesville Campus in the lobby of the Performing Arts building. Dr. Joanna Kim, associate department head and professor of music, planned the event.

Eight University of North Georgia (UNG) students and alumni have been named Fulbright semifinalists for the 2026-27 academic year. All eight are pursuing the opportunity to be English teaching assistants (ETAs).

The University of North Georgia (UNG) Blue Ridge Rifles earned a fifth-place overall finish out of 31 teams in the 52nd annual Mardi Gras Invitational Drill Meet earlier this month at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Childhood experiences can play an important role in a person's dream of what to become as an adult, and Mauricio Gonzalez of Gainesville, Georgia, was no different. The First-Generation college junior at the University of North Georgia (UNG) is pursuing a degree in political science. He recently became the second student from UNG to be awarded a spot in the Public Policy International Affairs Junior Fellowship Program. The fully-funded, seven-week program is hosted by one of three universities (Harvard, Princeton and the University of Michigan, the host institution for Gonzalez). Gonzalez will take part in the program this summer. The experience is designed to propel students to graduate school.

The University of North Georgia (UNG), designated as a state leadership institution, honored 10 student leaders and inducted four alumnae into the Lewis Society at UNG's 10th annual Women's Leadership luncheon March 1. Dawn Hughes Simonton '88 shared her thoughts as event speaker on "The Power of connection."

The Department of Visual Arts at the University of North Georgia (UNG) began, like most pieces of art, with an idea and was conceptualized over a period of time, thanks to three individuals whose passion for art continues through today's students. These visionaries will be recognized through "The Founders," a three-year exhibition series in the Library Technology Center art galleries at UNG's Dahlonega Campus.

Dr. Brooklyn Herrera, a 2024 graduate of the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Doctor of Education program, has been named the recipient of the 2025 Dissertation of the Year award by the Southern Association for College Student Affairs (SACSA). Herrera presented her research at the SACSA annual conference, held Nov. 1-4 in Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Michael Lanford, associate professor in UNG's Ed.D. in higher education leadership and practice program, served as Herrera's dissertation mentor.

Visual arts students at the University of North Georgia (UNG) had the opportunity to help create a new logo for the Beyond Dementia Coalition, a nonprofit organization that is based in Gainesville, Georgia. Tiffany Prater, associate professor of visual arts, divided her class into three groups, led by her student interns: Sofia Cancel, Nathalie Garrido and Rosa Ramos. They helped their fellow students collaborate on ideas.

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:

Fifty students had an opportunity to present their psychology research in an event at the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Gainesville Campus on Nov. 21. UNG's chapter of Psi Chi, an international psychology honor society, hosted the poster session that showcased work from students in the research methods courses.

Four University of North Georgia (UNG) students earned the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship for study abroad in late fall 2025 and will use the funding in spring 2026. Three of the four are students in UNG's College of Education.

Student-faculty collaborative research mini-grants were awarded through the University of North Georgia (UNG) Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (CURCA) for the 2025-26 academic year. Ten students with seven faculty mentors represented three UNG colleges and the Lewis F. Rogers Institute for Environmental and Spatial Analysis (IESA). "We are once again thankful to Provost Chaudron Gille for supporting our programs with additional funding. It was a tough process to select the winners, but I think it speaks highly to the dedication of our students and faculty that the seven awarded projects come from five different departments," Dr. Diogo Pinheiro, CURCA assistant director and associate professor of sociology, said.

The University of North Georgia's (UNG) Ranger Challenge team is returning to the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition for the first time in four years. This milestone comes after UNG's "Black" team took second place out of 43 groups at the 6th Brigade Titan Ranger Challenge event held Jan. 23-24 at Fort Benning, Georgia. Titan Ranger Challenge included Army ROTC programs from universities and colleges in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Puerto Rico. Ranger Challenge is the varsity sport of Army ROTC and a Corps of Cadets specialty unit at UNG, and in addition to the second-place group advancing to the May 1-2 Sandhurst competition at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, UNG's "Gold" team placed 13th.

Six nontraditional female students at the University of North Georgia (UNG) each earned a $2,000 scholarship from the Women of UNG and other supporters, including alumni and supportive women from the community. UNG honored the recipients Dec. 4 at the Women's Holiday Scholarship Luncheon. The Women of UNG is a shared interest group of the UNG Alumni Association. "Never Forget the Impact You Make" was the theme for the event, and while this was the 16th year scholarships were provided, the luncheon celebrated 22 years of its existence. It initially started to show appreciation to the women of the Gainesville community who had donated or been strong advocates for female students at what was then Gainesville State College.

Dykejiah "Keke" Jones was awarded a Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) scholarship and shared that the chance to study in Taiwan is "a dream becoming reality." Jones is pursuing a degree in East Asian studies with a Chinese focus at the University of North Georgia (UNG). She leaves in February to study Chinese at National Taiwan Normal University until May. She hopes to one day teach in Taiwan or China.

Students in a digital marketing class in the fall at the University of North Georgia (UNG) created social media plans for a small business and a nonprofit organization. One group assisted Farmhouse Coffee in Gainesville, Georgia, and the other helped the Junior League of Gainesville-Hall County. Dr. Caroline Munoz, professor of digital marketing, has regularly used this project in classes at both the Dahlonega and Gainesville campuses, boosting the social media efforts of more than 50 small businesses and nonprofits over the past decade.

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.

The University of North Georgia (UNG) welcomed more than 40 new cadets during Freshman Recruit Orientation Group (FROG) Week, held Jan. 6-10 at UNG's Dahlonega Campus. FROG Week introduces freshmen to the Corps through physical challenges, as well as information sessions about the academic and military aspects they will experience in the next four years. Cadet leaders planned and executed FROG Week, as they do with all cadet events, under the supervision of the commandant staff.

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.

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.

Forty University of North Georgia (UNG) students took part in the Nov. 7-15 Gainesville Theatre Alliance (GTA) production of 'Sister Act' at Hosch Theatre on Brenau University's campus in Gainesville, Georgia. GTA is an inter-collegiate theatre collaboration between UNG and Brenau. Formed in 1979, GTA focuses on producing high-quality, university theatrical productions and provides students access to learning opportunities between both universities.

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.

Two UNG students have intertwining internships creating a catalog of information of each piece within the UNG art collection. Students Sara Courtney and Ruth Phillips are researching the University of North Georgia (UNG) art collection as part of individual internships. The pair didn't know one another prior to the research and, ironically, have only once been in the presence of the other while working. Phillips is the photographer, capturing images of each piece for cataloging purposes. Meanwhile, Courtney is researching the pieces.

For the fall 2025 semester, the University of North Georgia (UNG) awarded more than 1,000 degrees and certificates to graduates. Many of the graduates participated in the fall commencement ceremonies held Dec. 9-10 at the Convocation Center at UNG's Dahlonega Campus.

The University of North Georgia (UNG) hosted an undergraduate research conference for its Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Scholars (STEMS) Program students and some of their collaborators Nov. 14 at UNG's Gainesville Campus. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the STEMS Program provides each scholar up to $10,000 in scholarship funds per academic year and mentoring through a $1.5 million grant.

Dr. Evan Lampert, a University of North Georgia (UNG) professor of biology, and four of his students recently published an article on the different responses of two caterpillar species to plant compounds in their diets. Their publication was in the Environmental Entomology journal.

In a ceremony held Dec. 9 by the University of North Georgia, 36 graduating cadets were awarded commissions as second lieutenants.

University of North Georgia (UNG) President Michael P. Shannon recognized students who achieved a 4.0 GPA during the fall 2025 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 colleges announced the names of those students who made their respective lists for fall 2025. 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.