The University of North Georgia - Dahlonega campus - is a fully diversified university with a student body of more than 6,000 students. A unit of the University System of Georgia, North Georgia was founded in 1873 and holds distinction as a state leadership institution. The historic town of Dahlonega has expanded dramatically in recent years to support the growth of the student body and faculty.
In January 2013, North Georgia College & State University merged with Gainesville State College to form the University of North Georgia. The result of this consolidation created a student population of 15,000 plus students across four campuses. These campuses are located in Dahlonega, Cumming, Gainesville and Watkinsville. The role that the athletics program will play in unifying these four campuses will be pivotal to the success of the new institution, the University of North Georgia.
“Athletics is essential to help the university build community to support all of our endeavors,” said Lindsay Reeves, Director of Athletics. “We have excellent student-athletes who compete at the highest levels and need facilities to match this.”
To enable our student-athletes and coaches to continue their ascent in both the classroom and as true challengers in the Peach Belt Conference, the University of North Georgia, in conjunction with the Athletic Department has launched the A Vision For Excellence strategic plan. A Vision For Excellence is the largest plan ever at North Georgia to focus on athletic facility renovations and program endowments, providing our student-athletes and coaches with the resources necessary to be successful both academically and athletically on the field of competition.
The A Vision For Excellence plan focuses on three strategic areas:
Continue to Improve Our Facilities – In the next five years we want to enhance our existing sports venues so that our student-athletes will be competing in among the most contemporary facilities in the PBC.
Attract the Finest Coaches & Student-Athletes – We must continue to raise the scholarship and other funds necessary to recruit both the best coaches as well as the most athletically and academically qualified students available.
Operations - Additional funding will provide the security of access to the equipment, training and travel monies needed for our coaches and athletes to perform at the highest level.
Each of the facilities projects listed below will not only take North Georgia athletics to another level of training and competition, but will also make available to the community athletic venues capable of attracting conference, regional and national events. A driving force for local and regional economic development, state-of-the-art athletic facilities will bring about an improved quality of life, a strong sense of community pride and an enhanced image of North Georgia as an institution.
UNG Athletic Complex
The A Vision For Excellence plan includes $10 million in new construction and renovations at the University of North Georgia Athletic Complex which is located off Morrison Moore Parkway (currently home of the men’s and women’s soccer, baseball and softball teams). It is important to note that this $10 million is NOT part of the funding projections needed for renovations and other work done to Memorial Hall.
Since its inception in 1998, North Georgia has worked hard to make the Athletic Complex one of the most beautifully located and designed athletic facilities in the country. However, there remains work to be done as we endeavor to have a first class facility.
Baseball/Softball Field House (Coleman Field House) - COMPLETED JANUARY 2014
Kicking off the A Vision for Excellence plan is construction of the Coleman Fieldhouse for baseball/softball. Coleman Fieldhouse, which will support the baseball and softball programs at North Georgia, would not be possible without the generous support of the University of North Georgia, brothers George, Richard and Larry Coleman, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Stringer, Mr. Scott Head, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Hardman and Dr. John and Mrs. Mary Helen McGruder.
A 5,000 square ft. facility, the Baseball/Softball Field House will be at the North Georgia Athletic Complex features public restrooms, concessions, baseball and softball locker rooms/team meeting rooms, offices, athletic training facility and an umpire locker room.
Soccer Field House
Renovations to the soccer portion of the UNG Athletic Complex will be the next phase of the project and will include a similiar field house featuring:
- Public restrooms
- Men’s and women’s locker rooms with team lounges
- Coaches and assistant coaches offices
- Athletic Training facility
- Meeting Room / Hospitality Suite
- Referee locker room
Shared Indoor Hitting Facility - COMPLETED OCTOBER 2016
- Multi-sport use including baseball, golf, soccer, softball and tennis
- Climate controlled indoor facility
Future Projects
- Synthetic field turf on baseball, softball and soccer fields - COMPLETED JANUARY 2015
- Hospitality suite at Bob Stein Stadium
- Hospitality suite at Haines and Carolyn Hill Stadium
- Lighting set to NCAA standards on baseball, softball and soccer fields
- Tennis Complex featuring 10 Courts and field house with hospitality suite
- Additional Parking - COMPLETED MAY 2015
Convocation Center - SCHEDULED FOR COMPLETION IN EARLY 2018
The University of North Georgia (UNG) held a ceremonial groundbreaking celebration on June 3 on the site located just off Morrison Moore Parkway in Dahlonega, Georgia, where the 3,600-seat, multifunction convocation center is expected to open in 2018. The convocation center will replace the smaller, outdated Memorial Hall as the university's primary event center. UNG's Memorial Hall was constructed in 1960 with a fixed-seating capacity of 1,049. Enrollment at the Dahlonega Campus was only 794 students. Today, UNG serves a growing enrollment of more than 17,000 students across five campuses and is one of the state's largest public universities. Enrollment on UNG's Dahlonega Campus alone has increased to more than 7,000 students.
Memorial Hall
Memorial Hall, completed in 1960 as a multipurpose facility designed to house both North Georgia’s athletics and military programs, currently houses classroom space, the men’s and women’s basketball programs, as well as a variety of coaches, athletic administration and faculty offices. Initially built for a student population of approximately 1,000, today Memorial Hall serves approximately 6,000 students.
The renovations needed at Memorial Hall are not part of the improvements planned for the North Georgia Athletic Complex. We are making minor improvements in Memorial Hall in anticipation of major renovation work to the building in the future. Because the building houses classroom space, the use of state funds for renovations is feasible. Short of a major overhaul of the space, which may take several years to fund, certain specific projects have been identified to make the building more conducive to recruiting student-athletes and hosting guests at athletic and other events.
- Men’s and women’s locker rooms renovations/relocated
- Training Facilities (Weight Room) - equipment purchase and replacement
- Main entrance/lobby renovations - SCHEDULED FOR SUMMER OF 2017
- Gym floor refinished - COMPLETED IN SUMMER OF 2013
- Chair back seating installed - COMPLETED PRIOR TO 2012-2013 SEASON
Scholarship Endowment
Each of North Georgia’s 12 athletic teams is allotted a maximum number of scholarships by the NCAA. Last season, North Georgia provided approximately 60% of that maximum number, which was the fifth lowest number of scholarships awarded in the Peach Belt Conference. Further, not only has the competition for the most talented student-athletes continued to rise, but North Georgia’s academic standards are among the highest in the Peach Belt Conference.
Currently, a full scholarship at North Georgia is valued at approximately $25,000 annually. This figure includes tuition, books, room and board. At current market returns, it takes approximately $500,000 to fully fund an annual scholarship. In comparison, $25,000 will endow a scholarship of approximately $1,000 annually.
Our hope is to give our student-athletes the opportunity to succeed in and out of the classroom while enjoying college life here at North Georgia. Your donation to scholarships is greatly appreciated and is one of the most important ways to show your pride and support for North Georgia Athletics.
