University of North Georgia

Dustin Ward, a St. Louis, Missouri, native and University of North Georgia (UNG) senior, will be heading to London next spring for an internship with Deloitte accounting firm. Ward, who is pursuing a degree in accounting, also earned a scholarship from the Georgia Society of CPAs Educational Foundation.

University of North Georgia (UNG) student Marshall VandenOever capped off his time as the 2023-24 UNG Presidential Fellow for the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress (CSPC) by winning a writing award. He earned the Donald B. Marron Award for Best Historical Analysis for his paper entitled "The Presidency and Labor: A Policy of Pragmatism."

A partnership between a student in the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Department of Visual Arts and the Historic Vickery House provided a learning experience and functional art. Jennie Bosman, a senior in associate professor Alex Kraft's ceramics systems and surfaces class, designed, created and ultimately presented a set of four pavers to the Vickery House on March 28.

Fifteen UNG students earned scholarships for SANS Institute cybersecurity training through their strong finishes in the Cyber FastTrack competition.

Students in a pair of visual arts courses this spring gained valuable experience painting murals in the communities near the University of North Georgia (UNG). Stephanie Leyva, Alexis Phillips, Grace Witkowski, and Joanna Zwemke painted a "Discover Dahlonega" mural on panels that will be displayed in downtown Dahlonega, Georgia. They completed the project as part of a class with Vivian Liddell, assistant professor of visual arts, in partnership with Dahlonega's Downtown Development Authority and Main Street Program.

Recent University of North Georgia graduate Lauren Payne was the first recipient of the Dr. Sidney Benton Endowed Mathematics Educator Scholarship.

Cooper Warrington, a May graduate with a degree in cybersecurity, won the Best Application of Theory Award at the Northeast Decision Sciences Institute, held in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Tamirat Abegaz, associate professor of computer science, presented Warrington's paper, "A Comparative Analysis of ChatGPT, Bard, Snapchat, Hugging, and Perplexity on Unintentional Biases," on his behalf.

Fifteen University of North Georgia (UNG) students in UNG's Corps of Cadets participated in study abroad excursions this spring. For the first time, two cadets studied at the Hellenic Army Academy in Athens, Greece. Two cadets from Greece came to Dahlonega, as well.

University of North Georgia students took third place overall at the National Cyber Exercise (NCX) hosted by the National Security Agency (NSA) at the Maritime Conference Center near Baltimore, Maryland. UNG was the top in-person team at the event with the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Air Force Academy, the highest finishers, participating remotely.

Recent University of North Georgia (UNG) graduate Alyssa Mulcahy will spend the 2024-25 academic year in Japan through the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program.

University of North Georgia (UNG) senior Daniela Zavaleta won the prestigious 2024 Undergraduate Scholarship Award from the Association for Supply Chain Management's (ACSM) Atlanta chapter.

Just days away from graduating from the University of North Georgia (UNG), Katelynn Fry learned her design had been selected for a challenge coin.

For the spring 2024 semester, the University of North Georgia (UNG) awarded about 1,700 degrees and certificates to graduates. Many of the graduates participated in the spring 2024 commencement ceremonies held May 2-3 at the Convocation Center at UNG's Dahlonega Campus.

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

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

In a ceremony held May 2 by the University of North Georgia, 52 graduating cadets were awarded commissions as second lieutenants.

UNG students who showed promise, demonstrated creativity, displayed excellence, served others and exceeded all expectations had their moment in the spotlight during the annual Student Honors and Awards Day events held April 9-11.

More than 100 military awards and scholarships were presented to University of North Georgia cadets at the March Military Awards Ceremony and a pair of April events during Alumni Weekend.

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.

Sophomore Emilyn Slemons, who is pursuing a degree in history and is in the Honors Program at the University of North Georgia (UNG), has been named a 2024 Fulbright UK Summer Institute (UKSI) scholar.

University of North Georgia (UNG) students, faculty and alumni had a valuable opportunity to provide feedback to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger at investor roundtables held March 27 at UNG's Dahlonega Campus.

University of North Georgia (UNG) student Itzel Moreno presented at an international conference in Oaxaca, Mexico, during spring break.

March 29 marked the return of the University of North Georgia's (UNG) 29th Annual Research Conference (ARC) featuring 100 projects in various areas of study. The event designed for students from all disciplines and campuses to present their findings is presented each year by the Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (CURCA).

Nine University of North Georgia (UNG) students took part in the annual Japanese Speech Contest at Georgia State University in Atlanta in March, with five of them earning awards.

Three University of North Georgia (UNG) seniors who have studied art and art history extensively have already been accepted to graduate school at prestigious research universities.

Forty University of North Georgia (UNG) students in STEM degree programs are now receiving up to $10,000 per academic year in scholarships thanks to a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation. Students can be in the program for up to eight semesters, with the possibility of a total of $40,000 in scholarship money by graduation.

Thirteen University of North Georgia (UNG) students attended the Southeast American College of Sports Medicine (SEACSM) Annual Meeting held in Greenville, South Carolina, from Feb. 22-24. While there, some students participated in the Quiz Bowl competition and others shared poster presentations.

Three University of North Georgia (UNG) students and Dr. Andrew Johnson, director of Multicultural Student Affairs, attended the African American Collegiate Male Summit from Feb. 22-23 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Five University of North Georgia (UNG) students are teaming up on a business model that aims to deliver healthy snacks at an affordable price for college students. On the strength of this idea, the group won the innovateUNG Pitch Challenge held Feb. 28 in the Cottrell Center for Business, Technology & Innovation. Their victory earned them a $2,000 cash prize to go toward their innovation.

The University of North Georgia (UNG) men's basketball team is taking its pursuit of a national title to another level. Thanks to a 70-67 victory against Lander University in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional championship game March 19, the Nighthawks are headed to the eight-team NCAA championship, which starts March 26 in Evansville, Indiana.