University of North Georgia

Twenty-four cadets have been named Distinguished Military Graduates for the 2024-25 academic year, including five who are in the top 70 out of more than 5,000 in the national ROTC class.

The University of North Georgia (UNG) honored 28 of its Blue Ridge Campus students with almost $15,000 of scholarships and celebrated the philanthropy that made those scholarships possible at the seventh annual Tomato Sandwich Supper held Nov. 7.

Three students are working with Dr. Andrew Taylor, a professor of biology, on research helping restore habitat connectivity for a federally-threatened fish species.

A student and a faculty member in the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Department of Visual Arts have partnered with the City of Dahlonega to create a rendering of a pedestrian bridge that will be built soon. The pedestrian bridge will be over Yahoola Creek at the Reservoir.

University of North Georgia (UNG) cadet Vincent Furtado was awarded the 2024 National Military Intelligence Foundation (NMIF) Fecteau Scholarship and received $4,000 on Sept. 8. Furtado, who is pursuing a degree in modern languages with a concentration in Chinese for global professionals, is expected to graduate in spring 2026.

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.

Maya Adok and Alexandra Soto were among the five University of North Georgia (UNG) Debate Team members who competed in the Soda City Debate in Columbia, South Carolina, on Sept. 14. The duo placed first, and UNG students also garnered second and third place at the event, hosted by the University of South Carolina (USC),

University of North Georgia (UNG) junior William Edwards is the school's presidential fellow to the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress (CSPC) for 2024-25. Monthly online seminars will allow Edwards, a cadet who is pursuing a degree in history, to study the public policymaking process and the president's relationship with Congress, allies, the media, and the public. A multiday leadership conference in Washington, D.C., will wrap up the program.

A total of 18 University of North Georgia (UNG) cadets earned Distinguished Military Student (DMS) status for the 2024-25 academic year. The cadets were formally recognized at the DMS dinner and review the weekend of Sept. 20-22.

University of North Georgia (UNG) senior Jack Curry earned a President's Volunteer Service Award at the bronze level for his 180 hours of community service in 2024. Curry, a cadet pursuing a degree in cybersecurity, has offered community service in a variety of ways. The effort where he has dedicated the most time is through "The Ability Experience" with his fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi. "The Ability Experience" is the fraternity's philanthropic initiative that aims "to instill a passion for lifelong service in our fraternity members while helping to empower people living with disabilities."

Ryan Coyle, a spring University of North Georgia graduate with a degree in chemistry with a biochemistry concentration, received the Outstanding Undergraduate Student of the Year Award from the Northeast Georgia Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS). In April, he accepted the award at the combined ACS/University of Georgia chemistry awards banquet in Athens, Georgia.

The University of North Georgia's Dahlonega Campus American Chemical Society student chapter took first place in the third annual Trivia Night event hosted by Georgia Gwinnett College and Augusta University. They outperformed teams from Georgia, North Carolina and Florida. The group's faculty advisers are Dr. Greta Giles and Dr. Ryan Meier.

University of North Georgia senior Alexander Smiarowski earned the 2024 Undergraduate Student Award from the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) for his work with Dr. Isaac Agyekum, associate professor of chemistry. Smiarowski presented their research, which is a novel, faster and more streamlined analytical method of fatty acid analysis, and received his award at the ASMS Annual Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics in June in Anaheim, California.

The University of North Georgia's (UNG) Dr. Esther Morgan-Ellis, Abigail Cannon '24 and Lily Hammond '24 had an article published in "Choral Journal," the international journal of the American Choral Directors Association. Morgan-Ellis combined the research papers of Cannon and Hammond, added her thoughts and submitted the new journal article.

University of North Georgia (UNG) senior Casey Helton took part in the prestigious Harvard Forest Summer Research Program in Ecology from May 20-Aug. 2.

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.

University of North Georgia (UNG) junior Katie Galbreath and several of her theater peers at UNG and Brenau University came together to produce Kevin D. Ferguson's "Child's Play" Aug. 3 at UNG's Gainesville Campus.

Fourteen University of North Georgia (UNG) students of Mexican or Latinx descent will receive scholarships provided by the UNG Foundation and the Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta. Recipients are primarily in the College of Education.

Four University of North Georgia (UNG) students are participating in the first East Asian studies internship program at two metro Atlanta schools this fall. The students are serving as interns in the schools as teaching assistants, applying their knowledge of Japanese or Korean language and culture, said Dr. Sung Shin Kim, director of East Asian studies and professor of history.

The University of North Georgia's (UNG) 220 newest cadets began their time in the Corps of Cadets with Freshman Recruit Orientation Group (FROG) Week from Aug. 4-10. The week mixed physical challenges with an array of workshops about available services and how to succeed as a cadet and a student.

University of North Georgia (UNG) graduate students Kimberly Nelms, '13, and Heidi Carr presented at the inaugural Education Technology Summit at UNG this summer.

University of North Georgia (UNG) senior Ana Flores has been named the school's Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Scholar for the 2024-25 academic year.

University of North Georgia (UNG) film students Andrew Byrd, Mark Harris and Jacob Monahan all participated in a study abroad in summer 2023 in Italy where they created a short film together as they all pursue degrees in film with a production concentration. When they returned stateside, they were offered an internship with Syfan Logistics in Gainesville, Georgia.

University of North Georgia (UNG) senior Autumn Sniffen was awarded the Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Grant to study at the National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan. Originally from Catonsville, Maryland, Sniffen is pursuing a degree in modern languages with a concentration in Chinese for global professionals.

More than 80 elementary and middle school students participated in the University of North Georgia's 2024 Summer Scholars STEM Institute. The program designed for students in fourth to eighth grade occurred during June and is supported by the Tommy and Chantal Bagwell Foundation, Jackson EMC Foundation, Habersham EMC Foundation and the United Way of Hall County.

Two University of North Georgia (UNG) students participated in the four-week Pathway to Med School program through the Foothills Area Health Education Center (AHEC) this summer. The program looks to help students get into medical school and get them interested in primary care so that they will consider returning and serving the north Georgia community. This summer, eight students from the region participated.

University of North Georgia (UNG) senior Tracy Amaya took part in the competitive Meridian-Cox Service Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Washington, D.C., from June 23-29.

University of North Georgia (UNG) President Michael P. Shannon recognized students who achieved a 4.0 GPA during the summer 2024 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.

For the summer 2024 semester, the University of North Georgia (UNG) awarded about 500 degrees and certificates to graduates. About 260 of the graduates participated in the summer 2024 commencement ceremony held July 26 at the Convocation Center at UNG's Dahlonega Campus.

The deans of each of UNG's colleges announced the names of those students who made their respective lists for summer 2024. 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.