Record number of students enrolled at North Georgia

DAHLONEGA – With 4,765 students now attending North Georgia College & State University, the institution has the largest enrollment in its history.

The fall 2005 enrollment of North Georgia has increased by 4.7 percent over fall semester last year, the second highest growth rate of the 13 state universities plus the four research universities and two regional universities in the University System of Georgia.

“We are pleased to be able to serve the increasing educational needs of our region and our state,” said NGCSU President David Potter. “And we are grateful that students turn to North Georgia for their education.

Only Savannah State University increased by a larger percentage than NGCSU, 10.4 percent for a total of 3,091 students.          

The 3,488 students enrolled full-time at North Georgia make up 73.2 percent of the total “head count” enrollment.

“We appreciate the support our state legislature has provided to meet these enrollment increases through its funding for higher education,” Potter said. “The state's recognition of the importance of higher education for Georgia's future is most heartening.”

The University System of Georgia fall enrollment report shows a seventh consecutive year of growth in attendance at the state’s public colleges and universities.

'Echoes of Appalachia,' tapestry and fabric art exhibit, at NGCSU, Nov. 10-Jan. 20
 

Tapestry by Tommye Scanlin
Tapestry by Pat Williams
Fabric collage by Diane Getty

DAHLONEGA – "Echoes of Appalachia," an art exhibition featuring tapestries and fabric collages centering on motifs and themes from Appalachia, is on display Nov. 10 through Jan. 20 at North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega.

Artists Tommye Scanlin, Pat Williams and Diane Getty will be at an opening reception on Nov. 10, 5-7 p.m., in the Hoag Student Center fine arts gallery. The exhibition is free and open to the public. Contact Pamela Sachant, NGCSU Department of Fine Arts, at psachant@ngcsu.edu or 706-864-1512 for more information.

Artists:

Tommye Scanlin is professor emerita and part-time instructor of weaving at NGCSU. She says of her work, which has been exhibited nationally and internationally and featured in numerous publications, “[It] is mainly pictorial. I weave images based upon ideas, images and events relevant to my life.”

Pat Williams, who lives and teaches in Habersham County, is inspired in her tapestries by scenery and people she encounters in her daily life. “For a number of years, it has been my practice to arise early to meditate, journal and then weave. Perhaps as a result of this routine my work often has an autobiographical quality.”

Diane Getty began her artistic career as a metalworker and jeweler; she now creates hand-painted and stitched-fabric collages and teaches workshops in fabric and fiber arts, collage, and other media. “I work with both natural images and abstract symbols,” Getty says, “to explore themes ranging from games, politics, and humorous aspects of life [to] my fondness for coffee.”

Senior vice chancellor addresses North Georgia Military Review

	Daniel S. Papp

DAHLONEGA – Daniel S. Papp, the senior vice chancellor for Academics and Fiscal Affairs of the University System of Georgia, spoke at the Oct. 24 Military Review on the Drill Field of North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega.

North Georgia’s employees, Papp said, are part of an elite few.

“You are the faculty and staff of one of only six Senior Military Colleges in the country.  This is an immense responsibility, and it is a responsibility that you handle superbly.”

Papp said that the number of times the Corps of Cadets has won top honors in national competitions, the quality of the officers who graduate, as well as the success of the alumni are evidence of the quality of the university employees.

The ceremony included performances by the Golden Eagle Band, the Blue Ridge Rifles precision drill team and the Patriot Choir. Eight cadets who earned top 4.0 grades in the spring semester were honored.

'Picasso at the Lapine Agile' stage play at NGCSU, Nov. 2-6

DAHLONEGA – Steve Martin’s 1995 comedy hit “Picasso at the Lapine Agile” will be staged at North Georgia College & State University Nov. 2-5 at 7:30 pm and Nov. 6 at 2:30 pm. in the Hoag Student Center Auditorium. Presented by the NGCSU Student Theatre Guild, and directed by Kevin M. Mace, Martin’s play provides humor and insight into art, science, and life as a whole.

“Audiences will have a great deal to laugh at and think about as they watch the production,” said Mace, who directed last spring’s “Wit” by Margaret Edson.

In the play, two passionate geniuses in the verge of fame, Pablo Picasso, played by NGCSU Cadet Cam Farris, and Albert Einstein, played by alumnus Michael Lane, have a fantasy meeting in a Paris bistro, the Lapine Agile (which means Nimble Rabbit), in 1904 and end up in a humorous battle of ideas about art, science, and life. Both were young and foolish and on the verge of their century-altering creations:  Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and Picasso’s Cubist Les Demoiselle d'Avignon.

Putting both budding geniuses in their places, however, is a visitor from the future, a young man from Memphis, Tenn., who gets a little shook up anytime someone steps on his blue suede shoes. Time and space become relative as the plot develops in the Lapine Agile.

The ensemble cast includes Tracey Hall as the bistro’s wise and all-knowing waitress Germaine, Melissa Johnson as the streetwise Suzanne, Andrew Eade as bartender Freddy, and Corey Doerr as grumpy old Gaston. Blaise Woods is “the Visitor,” Jennifer Kim is Sagot, Liberty Nelligan plays the Countess, and Timothy Lawson is Schmendiman. All of the cast members are from the north Georgia community, have attended, or are attending NGCSU.

Admission is free and the play is open to the public. However, because of mature language and situations, adults should accompany children under 13.

For more information, contact Kevin Mace at 706-867-2760.

Military parade with Board of Regents guest speaker, Oct. 24

DAHLONEGA – Dr. Daniel S. Papp, the senior vice chancellor for Academics and Fiscal Affairs of the University System of Georgia, will be the guest speaker at a Military Review to take place on Monday, Oct. 24, on the Drill Field of North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega.

The Golden Eagle Band will perform, beginning at 3:50 p.m., with the full review beginning at 4 p.m., featuring a performance by the precision drill team, the Blue Ridge Rifles.

Nine cadets who earned 4.0 grades during the spring semester will be recognized, and the NGCSU faculty and staff will be honored during the ceremony.

In case of rain, the review will take place in the Memorial Hall Gymnasium. The event is free and open to the public.

Halloween events at North Georgia

DAHLONEGA – Dahlonega community members and their children, ages 2-11, are invited to celebrate Halloween on the North Georgia College & State University campus. University residence life staff members and Gamma Sigma Sigma service sorority members are sponsoring trick-or-treating in Donovan Hall, as well as carnival events on the Lewis Annex Hall patio from 6-8 p.m. on Oct. 31. For more information on this community event, with lots of fun for both children and area residents, call 706-864-1902.

Georgia's Appalachian Studies Center seeking project proposals

DAHLONEGA – The Advisory Board for the North Georgia College & State University Appalachian Studies Center invites proposals for projects and activities for the upcoming year.

Proposals should focus on the needs of the community or region within the fields of culture, economics, education, environment, and/or health. Projects will be evaluated based on required skills and resources, time commitment, and level of citizen involvement.

Please send a one-page, single-spaced proposal with complete contact information and an outline of the project or activity to asc@ngcsu.edu or fax proposals to 706-867-2880. The deadline for submissions is Oct. 28, 2005.

Those submitting proposals also are invited to address the Advisory Board on the proposed project at the board's Oct. 29 retreat, speaking for 3 to 5 minutes between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The retreat will be at the Dining Hall on the campus of North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega.  Please indicate on your proposal if you would like time to speak. Time will be allotted according to the order of requests received.

For more information about the NGCSU Appalachian Studies Center, visit www.ngcsu.edu/resource/asc. 

NGCSU cadets earn good conduct ribbons

DAHLONEGA – Members of North Georgia College & State University’s Corps of Cadets were awarded Good Conduct Ribbons this semester. These cadets completed their first year in the corps, achieving at least a 2.0 grade point average, or a grade of a “C,” for each semester, and maintained good standing within the military program.

Students and the cadet units to which they are assigned:

Massenkoff Russian Folk Festival on Oct. 17

DAHLONEGA – North Georgia College & State University will present a performance of the Massenkoff Russian Folk Festival at 7 p.m. on Oct. 17 in the Hoag Student Center Auditorium on the Dahlonega campus. The performance is free and open to the public with limited seating available. Nikolai Massenkoff, international acclaimed star of The Massenkoff Russian Folk Festival, founded the Massenkoff Russian Folk Festival because of love for his Russian heritage. He has performed more than two decades both nationally and internationally to great acclaim. These performances included: Carnegie Hall; Olympic Stadium in Seoul, Korea before a live audience of 90,000 people; over 100 performances at the International Division of Epcot Center's World Stage in Florida; with major symphony orchestras – San Francisco, Baltimore, Edmonton, Honolulu, Palm Beach, Flagstaff, London, Edmonton and in 2005 will appear with the Cincinnati Symphony; major performing arts centers; national and international television, including Sudwestfunk (Baden, Baden, Germany) and the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. For more information, call 706-864-1643.

Brookwood graduate starts college with a challenge

DAHLONEGA – James Hawkins, a 2005 Brookwood School graduate, is now a military student at North Georgia College & State University.
 

	James Hawkins

One of more than 200 new cadet recruits, Hawkins, the son of Rusty and Robin Hawkins of Thomasville, Ga., endured six days of grueling physical training and military instruction to become a member of the award-winning NGCSU Corps of Cadets. The recipient of the Brookwood School Stone Memorial Award for outstanding character is now living at the university in Dahlonega, assigned to Alpha Company, and also is a member of the NGCSU intercollegiate Shotgun Team. 
 
Freshmen cadets had to complete FROG (Freshmen Recruit Orientation Group) Week before classes began for the fall semester. FROG Week activities included a grenade assault course, low and high ropes obstacles, a leadership reaction course and rappelling off cliffs. The week ended with a graduation run up Dahlonega's Crown Mountain, followed by a ceremony attended by parents and friends on the drill field in the heart of campus.
 
North Georgia's FROG Week is a long established initiation into the cadet corps and continues to thrive as an intense physical and mental leadership-training event, providing a unique introduction to college life.
 
NGCSU is a public, co-educational, liberal arts university. It is the Military College of Georgia, one of only six Senior Military Colleges in the nation, and the second oldest public university in Georgia. North Georgia offers the only minor in leadership among universities in the state. Founded in 1873, NGCSU currently enrolls more than 4,500 students, 600 of whom are members of the Corps of Cadets.   

NGCSU rifle team places at top of category

DAHLONEGA – North Georgia College & State University rifle team members competed in the River Bend Gun Club 100-yard and 600-yard shooting qualifications on Sept. 24-25. The Dawsonville, Ga., event drew 47 shooters. Team members placed in the top four slots in the junior category. NGCSU’s high-powered rifle team competes in the National Rifle Association college club category and the River Bend competition helps the team in its accreditation standing with the NRA. Placing first in the junior’s category was Daniel Johnson followed by Farrish Sulivan, Jordan Crawford, and Dianne Carter in second, third, and fourth. The team competes with Rock River AR-15 rifles and has 10 members this year, with members being a mix of military students and traditional students at NGCSU. The team captain, Matt Fitzmayer, is the team’s top shooter and took third place in the state of Utah this past summer. For more information on North Georgia’s high powered rifle and shotgun competitions, call 706-864-1781.

Parade honors top military students

DAHLONEGA – North Georgia College & State University honored its top military students on Sept. 25 during the Distinguished Military Student Review on the campus drill field. The weekend, designated Parents Weekend, consisted of an inspection of the dorms by cadet leaders followed by a Saturday of competitive activities among the military units. The Sunday parade included the 560-member Corps of Cadets and guest speaker Brig. Gen. Walt Davis, who flew onto the drill field in a helicopter. Parents of students attended the events and had a chance to see what student life is like for cadets. The five distinguished military students at NGCSU were selected for their top academic and military performances. They include (l to r) John Ubriaco, Michael Adams, Jacob Black, Sean Allred and brigade commander Jordan Hembree (pictured separately) leading the corps.

NGCSU new Southeastern site for certifying death investigators
 

DAHLONEGA – North Georgia College & State University has become the new Southeast region’s site for the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators national testing certification. Joseph Morgan, a new NGCSU assistant professor of criminal justice, is the proctor and coordinator of the program, which he brought with him from Atlanta to his faculty position at North Georgia.

“Medicolegal death investigators are involved in cases ranging from homicides to accidental industrial deaths,” said Morgan. “They work with law enforcement and other agencies in processing death scenes, post-mortem examinations and very broad range of other related issues.”

Joseph Morgan

In cooperation with ABMDI and the St. Louis University School of Medicine, the MDI certification testing will now be provided at NGCSU, one of only two higher education institutions nationwide to administer the specialized certification, Morgan said. Medical examiners’ offices and Texas Tech University also provide the testing.

Police officers, medical examiners, coroners and professionals from other fields take the certification test. Military personnel seeking certification include officers from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division and U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

“About 100 people nationwide have obtained the highest board certification,” said Morgan.

Morgan himself is ABMDI certified and holds a master of forensic sciences degree from National University in LaJolla, Calif. Morgan was the senior investigator for the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office for 13 years, where he administered the test. Previously, he was a forensics investigator in New Orleans.

He plans to administer the first ABMDI certification test at North Georgia this year. Morgan said MDIs who have ABMDI certification are becoming increasingly important for testifying in court cases and also for having the best-qualified professionals in the field.

North Georgia eases transition for students affected by Hurricane Katrina

DAHLONEGA – Eight students whose educations were interrupted by Hurricane Katrina are now enrolled at North Georgia College & State University. For almost a month, university administrators have worked to admit those students and help them settle in their new university and community.

Fall semester classes started Aug. 16, and North Georgia accepted admission applications up to Sept. 23 from Gulf Coast-area students who were attending accredited institutions in the areas affected by the hurricane.

Five of the students were admitted to the associate’s program in nursing. They had been attending the Charity School of Nursing at Delgado Community College in New Orleans.

Toni Barnett, the NGCSU nursing department head, said those students, having missed two to three weeks of classes and clinical work in the program, have faired very well.

“The faculty have done a lot of work to get them up to speed, meeting with the students outside of class, going over the clinical requirements and helping them stay on track with the courses,” said Barnett.

Among those nursing students is a married couple from Louisiana who lost everything. Admissions officers at the university have provided them and other students with transportation to and from the university.

Donations for the new students – ranging from furniture and household items to clothes – have been plentiful from university faculty, staff and students. A faculty member in nursing even provided two of the latest arrivals housing in her home. Student organizations at NGCSU have “adopted” their less fortunate peers and are getting them integrated into campus life. Students are also raising money for relief efforts.

“What we have at NGCSU are faculty members and students who are committed to meeting the needs of people in distress and worrying about where the resources might come from later,” said NGCSU School of Education Dean Bob Michael. “I think that’s critical in a time of crisis.”

Pat Sandhagen, education coordinator for field placements, helped one student from Louisiana – who has a daughter enrolled at NGCSU – find a school where she could fulfill student teaching requirements. Sandhagen coordinated with the student’s college advisor on the Gulf Coast and is making sure the academic credits for the work will be transferable.

North Georgia also has several students, who are part of the Georgia Army and Air National Guard, serving on active duty along the Gulf Coast to help rebuilding efforts in the affected region.

DAHLONEGA – North Georgia College & State University faculty, staff and students gathered on Sept. 16 to play and listen to traditional "Roots" music found in the Southern Appalachians. The outdoor concert, in the gazebo at the front of campus, also drew Dahlonega residents.

The university is considering forming a campus "Roots" music band and interested community members may help in the formation of such a group as well as participate.

The project is coordinated through the Appalachian Studies Center, a new center for Georgia housed at NGCSU. For more information on ASC activities please e-mail asc@ngcsu.edu or call 706-864-1540.

This page last modified on: Monday, 21 November 2005 16:43:08 -0500 by University Relations    

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