Shawn Mullins in concert at NGCSU Jan. 25

DAHLONEGA – Shawn Mullins, a Georgia native pop vocalist, will perform a solo concert at North Georgia College & State University on Jan. 25 at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Hall Gymnasium during Homecoming Weekend at the university.

Tickets at $10 each are available in advance, telephone 706/864-1643, and at the door before the concert.

The 1991 North Georgia graduate got his big break when his song, “Lullaby,” from his 1998 album “Soul’s Core,” reached #1 on Billboard’s Adult Top 40 chart.

"It took me ten years to hone my craft and find my creative voice before I had the success of a record deal," Mullins said.

Mullins’ record company, SMG Records, which he started with his partner, Kelly Hobbs, who is now his wife, released several CDs independently including the breakthrough “Soul’s Core.” The CD brought him national attention and landed him a deal with Columbia Records.

He received a Grammy Nomination for Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Lullaby” in 1999.

The singer-songwriter came to North Georgia in 1987 as a member of the Corps of Cadets and played percussion in the Golden Eagle Band. Mullins graduated from NGCSU in 1991 with a music degree and was commissioned in the U.S. Army Reserve.

As an infantry lieutenant stationed at Fort Benning, Ga., Mullins continued pursuing his lifetime dream of becoming a professional singer and songwriter by releasing two albums and playing weekend shows around Atlanta and Athens.

After completing his Army Reserve training, he recorded and released two more albums to add to his growing catalog and began touring the country. Mullins was still active in the Army Reserve when he signed with Columbia Records. He was granted an honorable discharge after signing with the record label.

Mullins released his CD, “Beneath the Velvet Sun,” in October 2000 and performed in a Georgia Music Hall of Fame broadcast on GPTV in October 2001.

He and his wife reside in Atlanta.

“I’m in Atlanta because it is a major music mecca. The recording industry looks toward Atlanta for new raw talent,” Mullins said. “I like being around fresh untainted talent.”

National Guard initiates new training at NGCSU

DAHLONEGA – A new National Guard training detachment has been established at North Georgia College & State University.

The adjutant general of Georgia, Maj. Gen. David Poythress, implemented the NGCSU-Georgia Army National Guard Cooperative Cadet Training Program on Jan. 1.

The new program will allow NGCSU cadets who are members of the Georgia Army National Guard to perform their monthly weekend drill duty at North Georgia four times this year.

“This is a first in the nation, the first unit of it’s kind where military training takes place at a public university,” said Lt. Col. Bill Shaw, North Georgia’s Army ROTC executive officer. “This solidifies the u

niversity’s commitment to the Georgia Army National Guard and Georgia Military Scholarship.”

Kitefre Oboho II is one of North Georgia's students participating in the new National Guard detachment

The Georgia Military Scholarship, exclusive to NGCSU, has helped commission cadets as officers in the National Guard since 1980. The scholarship pays all costs for cadets at the university if they commit to serve in the National Guard while enrolled in school and four years after graduation. There are 33 scholarships awarded each year to cadets. About 125 cadets out of 500 total at NGCSU are members of the National Guard.

“Students at North Georgia in the National Guard also receive the G.I. Bill, their pay from National Guard duty weekends and state tuition assistance,” said Maj. Ben Sartain, the National Guard liaison at NGCSU and coordinator of the new training detachment. “Beside the monetary benefits, cadets get exposure to the military one weekend a month, and it shows them a real-world experience.” All cadets that are Georgia residents receive the ROTC grant of $1,500 a year.

“If we really make an impact with this training program, I think it will be of great benefit to the National Guard in producing leaders for the state,” said Sartain. “The primary purpose of this unit is to develop and train future officers for the National Guard.”

The new NGCSU National Guard detachment conducted its first weekend of training Jan. 12-13. Several National Guard cadets at the university went to Pine Valley, a university-owned recreational area, and practiced infantry patrolling operations.

“This is an opportunity for National Guard members to do some good training with the resources and locations the university already has set up for its own military program,” Sartain said.

The NGCSU detachment will be officially activated March 11 at a formal military review on North Georgia’s drill field in Dahlonega.

NGCSU collaborates on environmental research

DAHLONEGA—The Board of Regents has approved the establishment of the “Institute of Environmental and Spatial Analysis,” a collaboration between Gainesville College, the School of Natural and Health Sciences at North Georgia College & State University, and the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Georgia.

“The availability of sustainable water resources is one of the most critical issues facing Georgia today,” said Tom Fox, dean of NGCSU’s School of Natural and Health Sciences.

The institute will be a teaching, research, and public service resource with a focus on environmental and geographic-location analysis issues in northeast Georgia. These include developing programs for maintaining and improving water quality in northeast Georgia river basins, training individuals to assess water quality in a number of environments, developing plans for environmental remediation, and raising public awareness of the importance of water quality issues and the impact of local development on water quality and environmental health.

“Faculty from all three institutions have been doing work in this area for many years, and ongoing projects will now be more coordinated,” Fox said.

Robert Fuller, NGCSU professor of physics, is currently analyzing water quality at several locations in Lake Lanier and its tributaries.  NGCSU students are also involved in this long-term project which was begun by Mac Callaham, a former professor at the university, more than a decade ago.

“We will serve the public by increasing public awareness of water and environmental issues that have an impact on daily living,” said Fox. “We expect to provide accurate, up-to-date data on water quality, watershed integrity and land use as it relates to water quality use by different organizations.”

Chiefs of Police to hold meeting at NGCSU Jan. 15

DAHLONEGA – The Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police Region 9 meeting will take place Jan. 15 at North Georgia College & State University in the President’s dining room 10 a.m. to noon. About 20 chiefs of police in the Northeast Georgia region will attend the monthly meeting.

The region covers most of Northeast Georgia from Gwinnett to Greene County through Elbert to Rabun counties and over to Union County.

The main topic of discussion is underage alcohol and tobacco use. Representatives from the Georgia Department of Revenue’s Alcohol and Tobacco Division will attend the meeting.

“The meetings are very valuable, because as a chief of police you need all the information and help you can get,” said Michael Stapleton, NGCSU’s new director of Public Safety and Chief of Police. “It gives us a chance to find out what is happening with law enforcement in other areas around the state and issues our peers are dealing with.”

This page last modified on: Friday, 05 November 2004 15:42:58 -0500 by University Relations    

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