University of North Georgia (UNG) President Bonita Jacobs highlighted UNG's 150-year legacy, rising prominence and bright future in her annual State of the University address Aug. 12.

The faculty-staff convocation at the Convocation Center on UNG's Dahlonega Campus also served as the kickoff for the university's yearlong Sesquicentennial Celebration. Jacobs pointed out that UNG started in 1873 as North Georgia Agricultural College and that its students included 98 men and 79 women that first year. It was the first public college in Georgia to grant a bachelor's degree to a woman.

UNG's history also includes the former Gainesville State College, which opened in 1964 as Gainesville Junior College, to fill a need for accessible, quality higher education. UNG was created through the consolidation of Gainesville State College and North Georgia College & State University in 2013.

"In the 150 years since our founding, we have changed names and consolidated institutions, but our commitments to quality, affordable education and leadership development opportunities remain unchanged. In fact, that thread ties us all together — regardless of our decade, legacy institution or home campus," she said.

Jacobs highlighted UNG's expanding footprint, which includes five campuses, as well. UNG's enrollment has increased 23%, to about 19,000 students, since 2013. Now one of Georgia's largest universities, it enrolls students from nearly every U.S. state and territory and 85 countries. This fall, UNG will open the Cottrell Center for Business, Technology & Innovation on the Dahlonega Campus to prepare the next generation of business leaders. Later this fall, UNG will break ground for new buildings at its Blue Ridge and Cumming campuses.

Our history is a rich and colorful tapestry woven by talented and creative scholars, teachers and mentors; bright and successful students; and graduates who have distinguished themselves personally and professionally as leaders with character. That is the UNG way.
DR. BONITA JACOBS

UNG president

She expressed gratitude to the governor, the General Assembly, and the University System of Georgia Board of Regents for their support of these projects and noted that UNG continues to generate a significant return on public investment. UNG's annual economic impact on the region climbed to a record $755 million in 2021. In addition, research expenditures, the national standard for measuring research activity, will likely surpass $2.23 million this year — a 36% increase over 2016. This growth in research activity and the expanded scope of graduate degree programs have placed UNG on a trajectory to be classified as a Doctoral/Professional University by the Carnegie Commission in 2024.

"Regional universities like UNG play a significant and valuable role in society. We know that higher levels of educational attainment lead to higher lifetime earnings potential and healthier communities," Jacobs said. "In fact, a recent report showed that UNG is among the top 20% of universities in the nation for economic mobility, an indicator of how well we serve low- and moderate-income students. Key elements of this success are our affordability, the low amount of student borrowing to pay for college, and getting students to graduation on target and on time."

Even as higher education faces challenges, Jacobs said UNG is well-positioned for the future.

With one of her top presidential priorities being increasing scholarship support for students, she also noted the growing financial backing donors are providing UNG. At a time when many colleges and universities are losing donors at dramatic levels, the number of donors to UNG grew more than 15% last year, and new gifts and commitments to the UNG Foundation this year will be more than $23 million.

"I am so grateful to our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends who have created remarkable momentum for UNG," Jacobs said. "Our history is a rich and colorful tapestry woven by talented and creative scholars, teachers and mentors; bright and successful students; and graduates who have distinguished themselves personally and professionally as leaders with character. That is the UNG way."

Jacobs also noted some of UNG's recent accomplishments:

UNG has partnered with Northeast Georgia Health System on an accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program that will increase the number of nurses in the region by 280 over the next five years.
This year, U.S. News & World Report ranked UNG as the No. 1 "Best Value School" and as the No. 1 “Best Colleges for Veterans” among public regional universities in Georgia.
UNG was named as a national top-producer of Fulbright Students for the fifth consecutive year.
A record 34 UNG cadets were named Distinguished Military Graduates last year, with nine ranked in the top 10% of the national Army ROTC class of nearly 7,000 cadets.
UNG commissioned 123 cadets as second lieutenants into the regular Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve in 2021-22, exceeding any other year in university history.
UNG's Sesquicentennial serves as an opportunity to honor the university's heritage, celebrate its present achievements, and focus on where it will lead next. The university will celebrate the 150th anniversary through numerous annual events such as Starlight at the Gainesville Campus, Gold Rush Days alumni gatherings, Parent-Alumni Weekend, the Scholarship Gala, Oconeefest, and the Blue Ridge Tomato Sandwich Supper.