Updates & Reports

UNG wins NSA Codebreaker Challenge for second year in a row! NSA Codebreaker Challenge 2020 - Ended at noon on January 31, 2021. Top five scores:

1. University of North Georgia - 323,150.00
2. Georgia Institute of Technology - 74,010.00
3. Oregon State University - 44,380.00
4. University of Cincinnati - 35,840.00
5. University of California, Santa Cruz - 26,990.00

531 universities and colleges competed.

Awesome video of the Professor of Military Science administering the oath of office to commissioning cadets during graduation.

March 2021

Distinguished Military Graduates announced. Nine cadets from the list of 24 Distinguished Military Students were selected as Distinguished Military Graduates, two of whom were in the top 10% of all cadets nationwide. Congratulations to our DMGs! ALSO: congratulations to senior Cadets Alison Gaynor and Eva Sikes for being selected by the Women of UNG for the Female Student Leadership Award in March 2021!

Since 2017, the Olmsted Foundation has generously granted UNG a total of $114,500 to be used by our cadets for short-duration overseas travel and cultural immersion in non-English speaking countries. Twenty-nine cadets travelled to nine different countries using Olmsted Grant funds.

Cadet-related Alumni Weekend Activities, 16-18 April:

16 April, 1800 EST: Cadet alumni will be recognized during the annual Alumni Association awards banquet streaming live on Facebook. William “Bill” Pallozzi, ’88 was selected for the UNG Alumni Hall of Fame; and Major General Joseph “Joe” Jarrard, ’88 was selected as a Distinguished Alumnus.

17 April, 0645: Fun Run with the Corps of Cadets starting from the General William “Lipp” Livsey drill field. 17 April, 1600 EST: Cadet alumnus Lieutenant Colonel Allen Kehoe, ’00 will speak at the Memorial Retreat ceremony. 18 April, 1100 EST: Cadet alumnus, Lieutenant General Stephen Fogarty will speak at the military awards review. Both the memorial retreat and the awards review will be streamed live on the North Georgia Corps of Cadets Association Facebook page.

Help us recruit! If you know any high school sophomore, junior, or senior (or the parent of) who is considering a military program in college, please tell them to contact Cadet Admissions to learn about the Corps of Cadets at UNG! Also, consider join the alumni recruiting network! 

Distinguished alumni and key influencers, you are cordially invited to a special Georgia Gold, American Treasure Virtual Celebration on April 14, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. eastern time. In this live video presentation, we bring together some amazing leaders, alumni, and cadets to tell you about the lasting impact of this program that directly and substantially supports the Boar’s Head Brigade. RSVP now!

 Join us - it's free - virtual or in person! Learn more about the 2021 Symposium.

Congratulations to Charles “Rob” Parker, UNG ’93, for promotion to brigadier general in July 2020! BG Parker is Deputy Director for Command, Control, Communications, and Computers/Cyber Systems on the Joint Staff in the Pentagon.

General Courtney Hodges (2d row, far left). Attended North Georgia Agricultural College in 1903 before transferring to West Point. Hodges was only the second Soldier in the history of the U.S. Army to make his way from private to 4-star general. Served as a battalion commander in WWI earning the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism leading an attack across the Marne River. In WWII, commanded 1st Army, then 12th Army Group.

Boar’s Head Brigade Statistics - Fall 2020 Semester:

29 graduated and 27 commissioned from the Corps/UNG in December 2020 (500+ commissions in the past five years)

Spring 2021 Semester: 49 new U.S. cadets reported to FROG week. Two spring semester exchange cadets from the Korean Military Academy and two from the Romanian Land Forces Academy are in the Corps this semester; two cadets from the Republic of China Military Academy (Taiwan) are enrolled for all four years - will return to Taiwan to commission; 681 cadets were enrolled at beginning of spring semester; four UNG cadets are in semester cadet exchange programs in Taiwan.

Outlook: 98-105 commissions projected in academic year 2020-2021 (Army mission = 100); 160 projected to attend advanced camp in summer 2021.

New spring semester cadets negotiated the recently-completed UNG-built confidence course near Cane Creek for Ranger Challenge Team practice.

Help us recruit! If you know any high school sophomore, junior, or senior (or the parent of) who is considering a military program in college, please tell them to contact Cadet Admissions to learn about the Corps of Cadets at UNG! Also, consider joining the alumni recruiting network! 

At some point in our paths, we benefitted from the vision and generosity of others, and now it is our turn to invest in the next generation of Leaders. Please consider making support to the Corps one of your philanthropic priorities. Contact James Corbin '02 at james.corbin@ung.edu or visit Corps of Cadets Give site to learn how you can make a difference!

Colonel (Ret) Wayne Dill and Georgia State Defense Force Chief of Staff, Colonel Hightower, were inducted into 2020 Georgia Military Veteran’s Hall of Fame for valor. Both are ardent supporters of the Corps of Cadets. Dill is a UNG Trustee, Distinguished Alumnus, and recipient of the Golden Steeple Award. Hightower serves on the Corps Advisory Council.  

Lieutenant Albert Thomas Harris, USN, attended NGC in 1932 and was a posthumous recipient of the Navy Cross for heroism aboard the heavy cruiser U.S.S. San Francisco against a Japanese air attack in the Solomon Islands in 1942.

Former 1SG and recently-commissioned Eric Carbone attended UNG on an active duty Green-to-Gold scholarship. Carbone was his infantry basic officer leader’s course honor graduate and was subsequently assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Vilseck, Germany.

Brigadier General Dwayne Wilson, UNG ‘93 took command of the Georgia Army National Guard on 9 October 2020. Wilson most recently served as the Director of The Joint Staff, Georgia national Guard. He’s commanded at the company, battalion, and brigade-level and has deployed to Iraq, Albania, and Kosovo.

Placing a commemorative paver at the Colonel Ben Purcell Formation Plaza is a unique and lasting way to honor your special UNG alumnus’ life and achievements and to continue the heritage and traditions of the Corps of Cadets.

The Army ROTC scholarship and Georgia Military Scholarship applications are still open for high school seniors enrolling as cadets in fall 2021!

Help us recruit! If you know any high school sophomore, junior, or senior (or the parent of) who is considering a military program in college, please tell them to contact Cadet Admissions to learn about the Corps of Cadets at UNG! Also, consider joining the alumni recruiting network! 

The Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is a multi-mission fundraising campaign designed to secure much needed support to the Corps of Cadets in perpetuity. All contributions benefitting cadets can be directed towards Scholarships, Operations, or Facilities and will count toward our long-term goal of over $93 million. At some point in our paths, we benefitted from the vision and generosity of others and now it is our turn to invest in the next generation of leaders. Please consider participating in this vital fundraising effort. 

AUSA Most Active “Company” award for 2019-2020. The Association of the U.S. Army will present the award to Dr. Jacobs, president of UNG; COL (Ret) Matthews, Commandant; and c/COL Danko, the Boar’s Head Brigade Commander. The award is given to the most active Army ROTC unit from among the 274 in the nation. Thanks to Lockheed Martin Corporation for donating the $3,000 that accompanies the award. The award will be presented on 15 Oct at 1345-1430 during the Chief of National Guard Bureau Presentation.

LTC Mathis WWII fighter pilot and Ace, UNG ’41. Now deceased, Mathis shot down five enemy aircraft in the Pacific theater. He participated in the invasions of Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa flying P-38s and P-47s. He earned three Distinguished Flying Crosses and four air medals.

Let high school seniors and college freshmen know they can apply for an Army ROTC scholarship for academic year 2021-2022 now! 65 were awarded to new UNG cadets last year.

Give to a Give to a cadet scholarship fund before 30 October! Participate in the RISE campaign and donate to one of five cadet scholarship funds: Eagle Fund, Class of ’75, Kevin Jenrette, Class of 1959, 1LT Weston Lee.

UNG now offers several on-line graduate degeree programs including Doctor of Education, Masters in International Affairs, Criminal Justice, Masters of Public Administration, and more. Visit Graduate Admissions.

Buy a brick paver for yourself or for a cadet or cadet alumni for Christmas! Help support the Boar’s Head Brigade.

Oldest cadet alumni? Major General George Johnson, USAF (ret), UNG ’38. General Johnson (102) lives in Sarasota, FL. Born in Ft. Valley, GA, and grew up in Macon. During World War II, Served in the European Theater of Operations as a C47 pilot, operations officer, and troop carrier squadron commander while participating in seven major campaigns. As a major during the U.S. Army’s crossing of the Rhine River during Operation Varsity in 1945, MG Johnson was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire after releasing the airborne gliders he was towing.

Help us recruit! If you know any high school sophomore, junior, or senior (or the parent of) who is considering a military program in college, please tell them to contact Cadet Admissions to learn about the Corps of Cadets at UNG!

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is a fundraiser for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. Contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu.

We encourage alumni, friends and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort. 

In June, during a trip to Poland, Major General Joe Jarrard spoke with UNG graduate Lieutenant Curry who was aide de camp for BG Brett Sylvia, the 1st Cav Division (Forward) commander. MG Jarrard commented that Curry is representing UNG well!

The UNG Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies will host its 5th annual symposium in April 2021. There are opportunities for presenting as panelists. For more information, visit the UNG Symposium website. 

Lieutenant Colonel Chris Steele, UNG ’98, was selected to command the storied 5th Marine Regiment – “5th Marines.” Among many other assignments and deployments, he formerly commanded the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines.

Congratulations to Major General Paul Calvert, UNG ’88, who was confirmed for promotion to lieutenant general and assignment as Commander, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), Iraq – the 3d UNG graduate to command OIR. He most recently served as Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7, United States Army, Washington, DC.

Six UNG cadet alumni graduated from the Army War College, and one from the Air War College: COLs Kurtzman & Zopfi, ’96; LTCs Childers, D'Angelo & Johnson, '99; and LTC Saxon, '00; and COL Maher, '97, graduated from the Air War College. Six more cadet alumni began the Army War College and one began the Air War College this summer. The combined numbers are most likely a record.

New cadet reviewing stand replaced the old one this summer!

New cadets reported to FROG week in August, and 730 cadets started the fall semester. The Professor of Military Science anticipates commissioning over 100 cadets as Army second lieutenants from acaemic year 2019-2020 by the end of August. This will be the fourth year in a row that UNG produced over 100 commissions. 68 continuing cadets graduated from the NCO Academy in August—a requirement for promotion to cadet sergeant.

Help us recruit! If you know any high school sophomore, junior, or senior (or the parent of) who is considering a military program in college, please tell them to contact Cadet Admissions to learn about the Corps of Cadets at UNG!

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is a multi-mission fundraising campaign (scholarships, operations and facilities) for the benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. We encourage alumni, friends and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort. 

Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Robert (Bob) Suchke, UNG ’69, was selected for induction into the Ranger Hall of Fame, class of 2020. He is the father of 1LT Suchke, UNG ’14. Photo taken on a Ranger Operation in the Ashau Valley in April 1971 to blow an NVA bridge. L Co Rangers 75th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile). Colonel Suchke joins four other UNG grads in the RHOF: MG (Ret)  Scholes, ’61; COL (Ret) Powell, ’65; LTC (Ret) Rollison, ’66; BG (Ret) Grange, ’70.

Amidst the pandemic, Colonel Wright, UNG Professor of Military Science, commissioned 72 cadets on 7 & 8 May. With 19 commissioned in December 2019 and an expected 16 more in August, the total for the year should be between 107 and 109. Our mission of 100 was exceeded again. We will have produced over 420 second lieutenants by the end of the summer for the Total Army in four years. This record-breaking for UNG.

UNG cadet alumni continue to excel. LT Eldred, UNG ’19, was the distinguished honor grad of the combined Ordinance, Quartermaster, and Transportation course. He is now with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). He is pictured being sworn into the Army by his father, COL Eldred.

The  #ONEUNG crowdfunding effort to benefit students and Cadets negatively impacted by COVID-19, launched in early May. The Commandant received help for Cadets over and above expectations thanks to the generous assistance provided by the UNG Foundation. Within hours of launch, the Eagle Fund donated $27,500 while loyal Corps alumni and friends continued to contribute. A giant Hooah goes to the Eagle Fund! The Eagle Scholarship was founded in 2011 by Cadet Alumni from 1965-68 and to date has raised almost $1Mil for Cadets who intend to commission. The total raised for this worthy purpose to date has been $42,900. You can still contribute as the economic effect of COVID-19 on Cadets continues.

Cadet alumnus Ben Miller Jr., '92, has been appointed to serve as a Superior Court judge on the Griffin Judicial Circuit in Georgia. Gov. Brian Kemp selected Miller for his new role.

Cadets and cadet alumni serving during the pandemic in the Georgia National Guard, Georgia State Defense Force, and in other capacities and entities around the U.S. The Corps of Cadets contributes to America’s public good. Cadet Waples, also a Guard soldier, and LT Adeyemi, a cadet alumna are pictured.

Help us recruit! If you know any high school sophomore, junior, or senior (or the parent of) who is considering a military program in college, please tell them to contact Cadet Admissions to learn about the Corps of Cadets at UNG!

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is a fundraiser for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. Contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu.

We encourage alumni, friends and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort. 

Ft. Bragg alumni gathering at McKellar’s Lodge on 16 Nov 2019. Special thanks to COL (Ret) Chris Bagley for organizing this great event!

Cadets participated in the NSA’s Codebreaker Challenge during the last months of 2019. UNG’s team placed first out of 532 colleges and universities, including Georgia Tech, Oregon State, etc. Our cyber program is exploding!

53 new U.S. cadets plus 4 international cadets from the Romanian Land Forces Academy and the General Taduesz Kosciuszko Military University of Land Forces in Poland began classes this semester. The strength of the Corps after the first week of classes was 721. Of the U.S. cadets enrolled after the first week of classes, about 45% were minorities and 23% were women. 

COL Wright anticipates commissioning over 100 cadets into the Total Army again this year (2019-2020) - the fourth year in a row that UNG has produced over 100 officers.

Alumni weekend is 17-19 April 2020. LTC Alen Kehoe, UNG ’01, Commander of 1st Battalion, 3d Infantry Regiment (Old Guard) will speak at the Memorial Retreat ceremony at 1600 on Saturday at the Memorial Wall, and MG Jamie Jarrard, UNG ’88, Commanding General, 25th Infantry Division will speak at the Corps of Cadets Military Awards Review on Sunday at 1400 on the Drill Field.

Again? Our Ranger Challenge team continues to clobber all other senior military college teams at the Spartan Ranger Challenge competition at Ft. Knox. Our teams finished 1st and 2d out of 19 teams on 24-26 Oct. Next is Sandhurst Competition at West Point in spring 2020. A new obstacle course is under construction at UNG to support the Corps and the team.

Help us recruit! If you know any high school sophomore, junior, or senior (or the parent of) who is considering a military program in college, please tell them to come to National leadership Challenge Weekend on 3-5 April 2020 to learn about the Corps of Cadets at UNG! 

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is a fundraiser for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. Contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu.

We encourage alumni, friends and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort. 

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu

MG Paul Calvert, UNG ’88, finished commanding the 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood on 3 Oct and assumed duties as the Assistant Army G3/5/7 in Washington, DC.

 MG James Jarrard, UNG ’88, assumed command of the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii on 5 November—The Tropic Lightning division.

For the 2nd time in 3 years, UNG received the MacArthur Award as the top Army ROTC program among the 6 senior military college programs. The award is based on the % of commissions against Army-assigned mission, average order of merit score, % of cadets in the top 10 percent of their cohort, % selected Distinguished Military Graduate, retention rate for 2019, and results of the Ranger Challenge competition.

Joshua Teteak, UNG ’94, Former Cadet Brigade Commander and Army Medical Service Corps officer became a member of the UNG Board of Trustees.

Two former cadets were inducted into the Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame on 2 November 2019: MG (Ret) Jack Wheeler, UNG ‘61 (service) and MG James Guest, UNG ’60 (valor).

Again? Our Ranger Challenge team continues to clobber all other senior military college teams at the Spartan Ranger Challenge competition at Ft. Knox. Our teams finished 1st and 2d out of 19 teams on 24-26 Oct. Next is Sandhurst Competition at West Point in spring 2020. A new obstacle course is under construction at UNG to support the Corps and the team.

Help us recruit! If you know any high school sophomore, junior, or senior (or the parent of) who is considering a military program in college, please tell them to come to National leadership Challenge Weekend on 1-3 November 2019 to learn about the Corps of Cadets at UNG! 

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is a fundraiser for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. Contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu.

We encourage alumni, friends and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort. 

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu

Fall FROG week occurred 11-17 August. 25% women, 25% racial or ethnic minorities, 23% out-of-state. 193 new cadets started. 18 additional international cadets, and U.S. cadets who were in Army basic training, arrived after FROG week.

Did you know? UNG has fully on-line graduate programs: Doctor of Education in Higher Ed Leadership & Practice; Master’s Degrees in Criminal Justice and Public Administration, and a Diversity Certificate. Many other graduate programs are offered as well. Visit UNG Graduate Admissions. 

31 cadets, a record, were recognized as Distinguished Military Students (DMS) during Boar’s Head Weekend on 27 and 29 September.

The Army is transitioning to the new Army Combat Fitness Test, which involves a lot of equipment at the testing site. UNG brought two trailers to store and haul the equipment (pictured). The ACFT is explained on YouTube.

Corps of Cadets demographics. Corps size at beginning of fall semester was 757 comprised of 20% women; 27% minorities; 18% out-of-state; top 5 majors (1) Criminal Justice, (2) Business, (3) Strategic & Security Studies, (4) Computer Science/Cyber Security, (5) Nursing.

We have partnered with the Army War College Strategic Studies Institute. Registration is open for our 4th Annual Symposium. Great speakers, including MG (Ret) Bob Scales.

A UNG record 122 cadets attended summer advanced camp at Ft. Knox, 21% of whom were rated as “outstanding”. Cadets also went to airborne school (8); air assault school (9); Cadet Troop Leader Training (22); Basic Mountaineering Course (1); Nurse Summer Training Program (2); the National Training Center (2); The Joint Readiness Training Center in Ft. Polk, LA (1); Jungle Operations Training (1); Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (1); and to Estonia, Peru, and Senegal under the CULP program.

Help us recruit! If you know any high school sophomore, junior, or senior (or the parent of) who is considering a military program in college, please tell them to come to National leadership Challenge Weekend on 1-3 November 2019 to learn about the Corps of Cadets at UNG! 

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is a fundraiser for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. Contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu.

We encourage alumni, friends and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort. 

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu

General Townsend, UNG ’82, relinquished command of the Army Training and Doctrine Command on 21 June 2019 at Ft. Eustis, VA, and assumed command of U.S. Africa Command on 26 July 2019 in Stuttgart, Germany

One hundred twenty-two cadets attended the Army ROTC Advanced Camp at Ft. Knox, KY, a 31-day training event designed to assess a cadet’s leadership ability and potential to serve as a commissioned officer. In addition, cadets participated in military training: 9 air assault school, 8 airborne school, 1 mountain warfare, 1 jungle operations, 22 Cadet Troop Leader Training in various Army units, and 2 Nurse Summer Training Program (interning in Army hospitals).

In June and July, cadets travelled abroad for an exchange with the National University of Public Service in Hungary; for internships in Germany, Japan, Estonia, and Latvia; and for Army ROTC service learning programs in Estonia, Peru, and Senegal.

 Twenty-one cadets are expected to commission on 2 August, including 9 regular Army, 5 Army National Guard, 1 Army Reserve, and 6 not yet determined. With 26 commissioned in December, 58 commissioned in May, and 21 in Aug, the total for the year is 105. UNG has commissioned over 320 cadets in the past 3 years.

Registration is open for our 4th Annual Symposium. Great speakers, including MG (Ret) Bob Scales

The Institute for Leadership & Strategic Studies continues to expand global learning experiences for our cadets. We now have exchange agreements with 11 foreign military academies. This fall, we will have 5 cadets from the Republic of China (Taiwan) Military Academy, two from the Argentine Military Academy, and 2 from the Hungarian National University of Public Service in the Corps of Cadets. One cadet from ROCMA will spend all four years in the Corps and commission into the Taiwanese Army.

Help us recruit! If you know any high school sophomore, junior, or senior (or the parent of) who is considering a military program in college, please tell them to come to National leadership Challenge Weekend on 1-3 November 2019 to learn about the Corps of Cadets at UNG! 

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is a fundraiser for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. Contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu.

We encourage alumni, friends and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort. 

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu

58 cadets were commissioned as second lieutenants on 3 May 2019: 19 commissioned into the Georgia Army National Guard; 39 Commissioned regular Army; 50 were men, and 8 were women.

Please help make the Corps of Cadets greater than it already is! Put this new video on your social media channels and share with all people you know who might be interested in enrolling in the Corps of Cadets, or who know someone who might be interested: other parents, friends at work, high school professional counselors, JROTC instructors, and anybody else who may want to know about the Boar’s Head Brigade.

Congratulations to our Ranger Challenge Team at the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at West Point! They bested last year’s 4th place performance with a 3d place standing behind two West Point teams out of a field of 49 teams on 14-17 April. They won the ROTC Cup for a second year in a row beating all ROTC teams.  

COL Matthews, UNG ’94, will replace COL (Ret) Palmer as Commandant of Cadets. Palmer’s last day is 30 June. Matthews reports later this summer. He is completing 26 years of service in Air Defense and Intelligence. His wife, Sarah is a UNG alumna, and their daughter is enrolled at UNG. They have two other younger children. We are very proud that COL (Ret) Palmer has been inducted into the ROTC Hall of Fame for his steadfast and long-standing devotion to the Corps of Cadets and the Army’s commissioning mission.

Save the Date for our next symposium.

CPT Mike Rose, UNG ’12, won the 2019 Best Ranger Competition at Ft. Benning on 14 Apr out of a field of 54 teams. He is the only Ranger to win three time. GEN  Townsend, UNG ’82, spoke at the awards ceremony. Rose’s little brother was competing at Sandhurst at the same time.

Help us recruit! If you know any high school sophomore, junior, or senior (or the parent of) who is considering a military program in college, please tell them to come to National leadership Challenge Weekend on 3-5 November 2019 to learn about the Corps of Cadets at UNG! 

 Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is a fundraiser for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. Contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu.

We encourage alumni, friends and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort. If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu

Alumni Weekend will be held on the Dahlonega Campus and surrounding area on 26-28 April. There will be many events throughout the weekend, but the highlights will be the Memorial Retreat ceremony with BG (Ret) Mike Scholes, UNG ‘88 as keynote speaker, and the Corps of Cadets Military Awards Review parade on Sunday afternoon at 1400 with Major General (Ret) Ed Scholes, UNG ’61 as keynote speaker. This is the same weekend as Dahlonega’s Bear on the Square Festival. This will be COL (Ret) Palmer’s final parade before retiring after 20 years of service as Commandant of Cadets.

We wish our Ranger Challenge Team the best as they gear up for the Sandhurst competition at West Point, 7-14 April.

See the video and other info about the Sandhurst competition.

Follow Ranger Challenge on Facebook.

Save the Date for our next symposium.

 In the past two months, cadets participated in trips to international cadet conferences in national defense academies in Japan, Latvia (pictured), Romania, and the Republic of Georgia; took courses at the School of Applied Military Sciences in Italy; and left to participate in Model UN in France. We have two cadets enrolled for the semester at the Republic of China Military Academy (ROCMA); one at the Tadeusz Kościuszko Land Forces Military Academy in Poland; and one at the Nicolae Balcescu Land Forces Academy in Romania. We’re hosting cadets from the South African, Polish, and Romanian military academies

MG Allan Elliott, UNG ’84, retired on 28 March 2019 after serving in positions of great responsibility in the U.S. Army Material Command, on the Army staff, and as Deputy Commanding General of the 108th Training Command. His earlier assignments were as an infantry officer 29th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, and in Army Forces Command. He has been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Do you know a current freshman, sophomore, or junior high school student who is thrilled by computer science and the prospect of operating in cyberspace for a career? Tell them about UNG’s GenCyber Warrior Academy--an intense and exciting nine days of learning from highly qualified Master’s and Ph.D. UNG instructors. June 20-29, 2019; free residential program on the Dahlonega campus.

Help us recruit! If you know any high school sophomore, junior, or senior (or the parent of) who is considering a military program in college, please tell them to come to National leadership Challenge Weekend on 5-7 April 2019 to learn about the Corps of Cadets at UNG!

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is a fundraiser for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. Contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu.

We encourage alumni, friends and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort. If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu

Sophomore Cadet Setter was a White House Intern this past fall. He is pictured with Colonel Pat Duggan, Corps of Cadets alumnus, Director for Cybersecurity, National Security Council, White House (center), and Mitchell Fariss, a 2016 UNG alumnus who also interned.

Commandant of Cadets, COL (Ret) Palmer, center, and wife Judy receive a commendation from Governor Nathan Deal on 7 Jan at the capitol in recognition of their service to the Corps of Cadets, UNG, and the State of Georgia. COL (Ret) Palmer will retire from UNG at the end of this semester after 20 years as Commandant of Cadets.

68 new cadets reported to FROG week (cadet basic training) on 3 January, plus 5 international cadets from South Africa (2), Poland (2), and Romania.

Numbers. The size of the corps of cadets at the start of this (spring) semester was 741—compared to 724 in spring 2018. 325 cadets are contracted to commission. For the third year in a row, we anticipate more than 100 cadets to commission into the Total Army in 2018-2019. 128 cadets are currently on track to attend advanced camp at Ft. Knox this summer. 76 cadets graduated from the cadet NCO Academy on 6 Jan.

Save the date! Our next symposium will be held on 13-14 November 2019 in the convocation center on the Dahlonega campus. Topic is “Creating Super Soldier-Leaders”.

The Army has approved a new physical fitness test–the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT)--to better connect fitness with combat readiness for all Soldiers. The test will improve Soldier and unit readiness, transform the Army’s fitness culture, reduce preventable injuries and attrition, and enhance Soldier mental toughness and stamina. The test is designed as a gender- and age neutral assessment. Full implementation will occur Oct 2020.

Help us recruit! If you know any high school sophomore, junior, or senior (or the parent of) who is considering a military program in college, please tell them to come to National leadership Challenge Weekend on 5-7 April 2019 to learn about the Corps of Cadets at UNG!

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is a fundraiser for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. Contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu. We encourage alumni, friends and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu

The North Georgia Corps of Cadets Association invited Major (Ret) Jeff Struecker to speak with the Corps of Cadets about courage and leadership on 28 September 2018 during Boar’s Head Weekend.  

Major General Jarrard, UNG ’88, The Adjutant General of the State of Georgia addressed the Corps of Cadets during the Distinguished Military Student review on 30 Sept.

Our 2018-2019 Ranger Challenge Team Won Spartan Challenge - Again

The 1st Brigade Army ROTC - Spartan Ranger Challenge winner was the Boar’s Head Brigade Alpha team! They took first place in four of the nine events over the course of three wet, grueling days, including day and night land navigation, tactical combat casualty care, and the 8-mile foot march carrying 45-50 pounds. Our team will represent the brigade at the Sandhurst competition at West Point again this year.

2018 Distinguished Military Students

This year's honorees were: Connor Bane, Lauren Bell, Christopher Bissett, Hunter Blocher, Jasper Bridgeman Jr., Henry Crawford, Terry Ellis, Tyler Farney, Matthew Ilao, Evan Myers, Nolan Olson, Dylan Richards, Robert Rogers, Jacob Starrett, Charlotte Walton, Yusemi Wheeler, and Matthew Williams. Selection criteria: upper half of the academic class, the upper third of the ROTC class, and the upper third of UNG's Order of Merit List, established by the professor of military science. Additionally, cadets are chosen on the basis of interest and aptitude for military service and outstanding qualities of leadership and high moral character as demonstrated by participation and achievement in campus, civic and military activities.

Help us recruit! If you know any high school sophomore, junior, or senior (or the parent of) who is considering a military program in college, please tell them to come to National Leadership Challenge Weekend on 5-7 April 2019 to learn about the Corps of Cadets at UNG!

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. For more information, contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu. We encourage alumni, friends and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu.

General Mark Milley, Army Chief of Staff, visited UNG and spoke to the Corps of Cadets on 28 August in the new convocation center, and afterwards lunched with 12 cadets. LTC Kitefre Oboho, UNG ‘2002 is one of Milley’s aides de camp and accompanied the general on his visit. Several years ago, LTC Oboho and his wife, generously established a scholarship program for cadets.

Corps of Cadets demographics. 764 cadets began the fall 2018 semester in August. 18.3% of the Corps were women and 23.7% were minorities. 19.8% of cadets are from out of state. 24.5% are majoring in STEM. 28.7% of cadets are also Soldiers in the Army National Guard, of which 148 are recipients of the North Georgia Military Scholarship (GMS). 269 cadets have been awarded or are recipients of the Army ROTC scholarship. Scholarship info: ung.edu/cadet/scholarships. 2 cadets are Hungarian National University of Public Service exchange cadets and 2 are Republic of China Military Academy exchange cadets (from Taiwan). Top majors, criminal justice (140), business  (103), computer science/information systems/cyber (70), strategic and security studies (57), international affairs (48).

Cadet alumnus Lieutenant General (Ret) Randy Mixon was selected for induction into the Georgia Military Veteran’s Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be on 3 November in Columbus, Georgia.

232 new cadets began cadet basic training (FROG Week) in August. We predict 65 new cadets to begin spring 2019 FROG Week for a total of about 297 new cadets starting cadet basic training in 2018-2019.

Cadets Gossett  and George  attended the CyCon X: Maximizing Effects at a cybersecurity conference at the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence in Tallin, Estonia in May. Here, they participated in an exercise that involved website exploitation during an ethical hacking seminar at CyCon X. Full story in The Daily Tribune News, Cartersville, Georgia.

UNG cadets continued their tradition of outstanding performance at summer advanced camp at Ft. Knox. 103 of 105 cadets graduated, 26% of whom earned the highest rating which compares to last year’s 27% who earned the highest rating.

Help us recruit! If you know any high school sophomore, junior, or senior (or the parent of) who is considering a military program in college, please tell them to come to National Leadership Challenge Weekend on 26-28 October 2018 to learn about the Corps of Cadets at UNG!

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. For more information, contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu. We encourage alumni, friends and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu.

Colonel Josh Wright is replacing Colonel Cummings as the Professor of Military Science. COL Wright is a native of Girard, Illinois and a graduate of Eastern Illinois University. Commissioned as an Infantry Officer, he served in air assault, airborne, infantry, mechanized and cavalry units and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Freedom Sentinel in Afghanistan, Operation Spartan Shield in Kuwait, Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia, Operation New Horizons, and the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai, Egypt. He is a graduate of the Air War College, and holds Masters of Science degrees in Management and Leadership, and Strategic Studies. His highest award is the Silver Star, the third highest decoration for valor in combat.

The ILSS created an opportunity and funding for Cadets Rose and Franklin to train at the Swiss Mountaineering Course in July. They trained on top rope and lead climbing, snow and glacier travel, and multi-pitch climbs. They look forward to teaching their new-found skills to other members of the UNG Mountain Order of Colombo. Of course, they took a weekend break in Luzern, Switzerland.

Between this summer and the fall semester, about 75 cadets have traveled or are expected to travel out of country for study abroad, internships, cadet exchanges, Cultural Understanding and Language Program, and the Cadet Troop Leader Training. In addition, this summer there were 108 UNG cadets sent to train at the Army ROTC advanced camp at Ft. Knox Advanced camp.

Thirty-nine new freshman cadets opted to enroll in the Summer Language Institute (SLI) this summer prior to FROG Week (cadet basic training). The SLI consists of the 1001 and 1002-level courses for eight academic credits in Arabic (13 cadets), Chinese (6 cadets), Japanese (5 cadets), Korean (2 cadets), and Russian (13 cadets). Another 10 returning cadets enrolled in SLI as well. Also note that cadets who are contracted to commission can get paid $100-$250 per credit hour – amount depends on language – if they earn a B or above in Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Japanese or Russian under the Critical Language Incentive Program (CLIP).

UNG will host a symposium on 14-15 November entitled Leadership in a Complex World: Private Military Security Companies’ Influence on International Security and Foreign Policy. The event is free and open to the public – register on the website now. We will have several well-known speakers including Erik Prince, Molly Dunigan, Eeben Barlow and others.

Please help us recruit future cadets! Tell anyone who might have a high school student who is interested in becoming an Army officer or in developing their leadership skills for public service or the corporate world to come visit! See the different opportunities to visit UNG. Encourage high school sophomores, juniors or seniors to register now for National Leadership Challenge Weekend on 26-28 October to experience the Corps first-hand and participate in adventure training.

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. For more information, contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu. We encourage alumni, friends and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu.

Major General James (Jamie) Jarrard (UNG ’88) will move from Commanding General Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, to Director of Operations, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB.

LTC Alan Kehoe (UNG ‘00) assumed command of 1st Battalion, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment in the “Old Guard” in Washington DC.

Cadet LTC Bryton Wenzell earned the Paul Hutcherson Outstanding Student Award from the Alumni Association for a male and female student who demonstrates the highest ideals of citizenship through their accomplishments on campus or in home or community life.

Congratulations to our Ranger Challenge Team! On 14 April, our team won the Sandhurst ROTC Cup beating all other ROTC teams in the nation placing 4th overall. Winners: U.S. Air Force Academy (1st place), Canadian Royal Military Academy (2nd place), UK, Sandhurst Red Team (3rd place), UNG (4th place) followed by West Point Gold Team (5th place). Lieutenant General Caslen, West Point Superintendent, personally congratulated us as being the 1st ROTC team to ever lead the competition which we did earlier in the day before being over taken by the Air Force and international teams. These teams won, but they come from much larger Corps of Cadets.

On 4-5 May, 75 cadets graduated of whom 58 commissioned as second lieutenants. 42 commissioned active duty and 16 commissioned into the Georgia Army National Guard. 30 cadets were Distinguished Military Graduates. Top three branches: infantry (10), armor (6), quartermaster (6). 34 cadets commissioned in December 2017, and we anticipate a total of 110 commissions for the year by the end of this summer. Also, General Townsend, UNG ’82 and Commanding General of TRADOC spoke at the commencement for the College of Arts and Letters on 4 May.

Major General Stephen Fogarty (UNG ’83), chief of staff, U.S. Cyber Command, will receive his third star and take command of Army Cyber Command. Read the story.

This summer, 75 cadets will travel to 24 countries for study abroad experiences, internships, cadet exchanges with foreign military academies, professional development and conferences, Cadet Troop Leader Training

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. For more information, contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu. We encourage alumni, friends and> family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu.

In the past two months, cadets participated in short-duration trips to international cadet conferences in Japan, Latvia, Canada, and the Republic of Georgia; take courses at the School of Applied Sciences in Italy; participate in Model UN in France; and even compete in an international ski patrol competition in Poland. Learn more about the ski patrol competition from UNG News.

Cadets Gomez and Wenzel were honored by Governor Nathan Deal and the General Assembly at the Georgia state capitol on 21 March for being ranked in the top 5 of all 5,500+ commissioning cadets this academic year.

Alumni Weekend will be held on the Dahlonega Campus and surrounding area on 20-22 April. There will be many events throughout the weekend, but the highlights will be the Memorial Retreat ceremony with Colonel Jason Williams as keynote speaker, and the Corps of Cadets Military Awards Review parade on Sunday afternoon at 1400 with Brigadier General Ron Stephens UNG ’88 as keynote speaker.  

This will be the Cummings’ last parade before departing for his next assignment. It is impossible to overstate the achievements of the Department of Military Science under the leadership of Colonel Cummings. He led his team to elevate the performance of our Corps of Cadets to the best Army ROTC program of all military colleges, and arguably the best of all 274 programs in the nation. His team of consummate professionals has been recognized by their individual accomplishments highlighted by a member being selected as the Army Cadet Command Instructor of the Year and another earning the first Army instructor badge in Cadet Command. The Corps of Cadets was nationally recognized by the Association of the U.S. Army as the most active ROTC unit, was selected by Cadet Command for the MacArthur award as the top Army ROTC program among the nation’s elite military colleges, had two cadets in the top five of more than 5,300 on the national order of merit list, consistently achieved the best performance from our cadets at advance camp out of all senior military colleges, and had the third highest average order of merit score of all 274 Army ROTC programs in the nation. The Department will have commissioned more than 300 cadets as second lieutenants in the Total Army.

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. For more information, contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu. We encourage alumni, friends and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu.

The UNG Corps of Cadets won the MacArthur Award! U.S. Army Cadet Command 1st Brigade (the military college brigade) recently announced that UNG won the MacArthur award this year. The award is based on the achievement of the school's commissioning mission, cadets' performance, standing on the command's National Order of Merit List, and its cadet retention rate. Other senior military college Army ROTC programs in contention were The Citadel, VMI, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, and Norwich. Congratulations to our cadets and cadre are in order!

Our “average” contracted senior is above the average contracted senior in 271 of the 274 Army ROTC programs in the nation. The “national order of merit list” contains over 5,300 seniors who will commission as lieutenants this year. All cadets are ranked by a score that measures scholar/athlete/leader criteria. Ranking third, UNG is significantly ahead of the other senior military colleges, the next closest of which was 26th.

Lieutenant General Townsend, UNG ’82, relinquished command of the XVIII Airborne Corps on 19 January 2018. He will pin on his fourth star and take command of the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command at Ft.
Eustis. 

The UNG Corps of Cadets appeared on the front cover of Real Hero Report, a publication targeted to Metro Atlanta’s active and reservist military, veterans and first responders.

FROG Week was conducted the 1st week in January. Sixty-five new cadets showed up and four additional new cadets showed up after FROG week. Demographics: 23% ethnic or racial minorities/77% white; 19% women/81% men; cadets came from Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and exchange cadets from Poland and South Africa; 42 are in the National Guard/3 are in the Army Reserve. The cadet NCO Academy was also conducted the 1st week in January. Eighty-nine cadets were trained. Among the graduates were two international cadets from our partners in Poland, Tadeusz Kościuszko Military University of Land Forces.

Size of the Corps of Cadets this spring: 724

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. For more information, contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu. We encourage alumni, friends and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu.

Top news is two of our cadets are ranked #2 and #5 out of 5,535 on the U.S. Army national order of merit list. The #2 Cadet is Andrew Gomez (left) from Gainesville, Georgia who will commission cyber on active duty, and #5 Cadet Bryton Wenzel (right) from Albany Georgia who will commission in the Corps of Engineers in the Army National Guard. No other ROTC program placed 2 in the top 5 this year.

LTC Rembert Rollison, UNG ’66, was inducted into the Georgia Military Veteran’s Hall of Fame in November for valor.

Our Ranger Challenge Team beat all five other senior military colleges at Ft. Knox at the end of October to claim the SMC Ranger Challenge trophy. Next is West Point’s Sandhurst international competition in April.

There will be 68 teams from West Point, other service academies, 8 Army ROTC, and 15 international teams in the competition. Congratulations to the Ranger Challenge Team, and good luck at Sandhurst!

An alumni gathering was held at McKellar’s Lodge on Ft. Bragg on 28 October. LTG and Mrs. Townsend were in attendance. Thanks COL (Ret.) Chris & Renee Bagley for hosting!

Boar's Head Weekend returned to Dahlonega Campus on Oct. 6-7 with a goal of connecting current and former cadets during a weekend of mentoring and networking. GreyStone Power Corporation sponsored COL (Ret) Jimmy Blackmon, UNG ’91, spoke to the Corps on leadership (author of Pale Horse: Hunting Terrorists and Commanding Heroes with the 101st Airborne Division) Thanks NGCCA!

LTC (Ret) Sandra Owens, UNG ’85, was named Teacher of the Year in Richmond County, GA – a school system with nearly 2,300 teachers.

Cadets beat cadre 41-35 in the Turkey Bowl touch football game on 13 Nov. The NGCCA sponsored Ft. Benning’s Silver Wings parachute demonstration team’s jump onto the drill field to open the game. Join the NGCCA today - “Fraternity of the Corps”.

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. For more information, contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu. We encourage alumni, friends and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu.

Please help us recruit high school students for the Corps of Cadets! Spread the word about National Leadership Challenge Weekend, 3-5 November 2017. High school students will rappel down a sheer rock cliff, rope bridge across a rushing mountain stream, negotiate leadership reaction and obstacle courses, all while learning about the Corps. Learn more about the National Leadership Challenge.

The Corps of Cadets numbered 777 this fall. An increase of 2 over last year. Our goal is to reach 850 in the next couple years, and sustain that number indefinitely. Doing so will allow us to achieve the Army’s commissioning mission.

The 2016-2017 ILSS Annual Report is available is the right-hand column of this page.

The Corps of Cadets broke all previous records and commissioned 111 Cadets into the Total Army this past year. Of the 111, 36 were Distinguished Military Graduates (DMG). DMGs have a 3.0 cumulative GPA and rank among the top 20% of all Cadets on the National Order of Merit List.

77 of our 110 Cadets who completed ROTC advanced camp were rated outstanding or excellent. Thirty Cadets were outstanding meaning they were in the top 5 or 6 of their 3-40-Cadet platoons. Cadet Albershardt was recognized as the female Cadet with the highest PT test score.

The ILSS, the College of Arts and letters and the Center for Cyber Operations Education will host a symposium on 8-9 November: “Civil-Military Cooperation and International Collaboration in Cyber Operations”. Details at go.ung.edu/symposium. If you’re interested in the subject and would like to participate, please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu.

Prior to the beginning of this fall semester, 235 new Cadets went through FROG Week; 120 Cadets went through the NCOAcademy; and 80 Cadets participated in the pre-command course. All three numbers were higher than last year.

This fall, we have 23 Distinguished Military Students (DMS), another record-breaking number. Last fall, we had 25.

We’re looking forward to Boar’s Head Brigade Weekend activities this weekend, 6-7 October. The North Georgia Corps of Cadets Association provides networking, mentoring, and career advice to our Cadets. Colonel (Ret) Jimmy Blackmon (UNG alumnus) will speak to the Corps on Friday night at 1900, and the DMS review parade will occur Saturday morning at 1000.

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. For more information, contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu. We encourage alumni, friends, and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu. 

The large UNG sign near the main entrance to UNG is in the final stages of completion. Thanks to an involved Cadet alumnus, among others, the old sign that was missing “The Military College of Georgia” tag line was replaced by the new sign pictured here!

1988 graduates Paul Calvert and James (Jamie) Jarrard have been selected for promotion to major general and will serve as Commanding General of the 1st Cavalry Division, and Commanding General of the Special Operations Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, respectively.

Stellenbosch University (South Africa) Rector with representatives from the South African Military Academy (SAMA) signed a Cadet exchange agreement with UNG on 14 Jun. Cadet Herbert is now at SAMA and SAMA will send a Cadet to UNG in the spring.

The Department of Military Science sent 111 Cadets to the Cadet Leader Course (Summer Camp) at Ft. Knox this summer. The last training regiment graduates on 16 August. We sent the UNG Counsel, Jenna Colvin, a big Corps of Cadets supporter, to visit CLC to observe the leadership development training Cadets receive. While there, she did a tandem HALO parachute jump with the Golden Knights.

In addition to CLC, we have lots of Cadets in training this summer all over the world. One Cadet is with the National Security Agencies Cyber 2017 Summer program internship at Ft Meade. Also, 8 to airborne school; 10 to air assault school; 1 to master fitness trainer; 17 to Cadet Troop Leader Training at 8 Army installations including in Korea and Germany; 4 to the Nurse Summer Training program; 2 to the International Military Academic Forum in the Czech Republic; 1 to an intel/cyber conference in New Zealand; and 13 to 8 countries under the Cultural Understanding and Language Program.

LTC (ret) Tony Fritchle, our military representative in the UNG Center for Global Engagement, along with SGM (ret) Terry Baumann visited the Brazilian Military Academy in June to study and coordinate a possible Cadet exchange program.

The ILSS, the College of Arts and letters and the Center for Cyber Operations Education will host a symposium on 8-9 November: “Civil-Military Cooperation and International Collaboration in Cyber Operations”. Details at go.ung.edu/symposium. If you’re interested in the subject and would like to participate, please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu. 

New Cadet basic training, or Freshman Recruit Orientation Group (FROG) week begins on 13 August and ends with graduation on 19 August. We anticipate approximately 245 new Cadets to show.

Note that the construction activity on the drill field is replacing the old dilapidated culvert.

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. For more information, contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu. We encourage alumni, friends and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu. 

This year will be the largest commissioning class in the history of the Corps of Cadets. Quality is excellent with a 3.31 average cumulative GPA and 291 average Army Physical Fitness Test score.
Twenty-five commissioned in the fall semester, and 66 commissioned in the spring. We anticipate commissioning another 20 this summer. Total will be over 110. As far as we’ve been able to determine, the most commissions occurred one year in the 1950s with 96.

Captain Rose, UNG ’12, assigned to 2d Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, and his partner MSG Horsager, won the 2017 Best Ranger competition at Ft. Benning. CPT Rose also won it in 2014. He is one of only four to ever win the competition twice.

On 24 April, Major General Saeed Abdulrhman Abu Assaf, the commandant of the Royal Saudi Forces Land Academy visited to better his understanding of what his Cadets will experience while at UNG in the Corps of Cadets.

The National University for Public Service (Hungary) Rector and Commandant of Cadets with other representatives signed a Cadet exchange agreement with UNG on 12 May. We will send Cadets to Hungary and they will send Cadets to UNG.

LTG Garrett, UNG ’81, spoke at the Corps of Cadets military awards review and parade during alumni weekend on 23 April. LTC Gannaway spoke at the annual Memorial Retreat on 22 April, and also received the Ralph Colley Spirit of North Georgia Award which is given to an alumnus who has experienced adverse circumstances in his/her life and has risen above those circumstances to live an exemplary life.

On 6 April, the Corps of Cadets conducted their annual military ball at Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville.

Tragically, Lieutenant Weston C. Lee, UNG ‘14, was killed on 29 April 2017 in Mosul, Iraq. From Bluffton, Georgia, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice and commissioned as an infantry officer. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina and was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. Any contributions benefiting Cadets will count toward our goal. For more information, contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu.

April 1, 2017

AUSA Army Magazine March 2017 edition contains an article on UNG ILSS/Corps of Cadets entitled, “Mining a Different Kind of Gold: University of North Georgia Expanding ROTC Studies”.

Military Science instructor SFC Jason Bent was selected Cadet Command Instructor of The Year and recognized at the Georgia State Capitol on March 17.

In addition, SFC Shannon Clark was the first ROTC instructor in U.S. Army Cadet Command to earn the Army Basic Instructor Badge. We have outstanding cadre teaching and mentoring our Cadets.

The ILSS visited universities in the four other Five Eyes countries (Australia, New Zealand, Canada and England). In addition, the Georgia National Guard is establishing a relationship with Argentina under the DoD State Partnership Program. The ILSS accompanied the guard team on a visit to that country. Partnerships with academic institutions in these nations will produce additional educational opportunities for our Cadets, with particular emphasis on security and strategic studies.

BG Joe Jarrard, UNG ’88, the Adjutant General of the State of Georgia and Commanding General of the Georgia Department of Defense, was promoted to Major General in a ceremony at Dobbins Air Reserve Base on March 13.

The Commandant hosted a ceremony on March 28 in which 62 cadets were awarded for military excellence, academic achievement or leadership. 20+ organizations presented awards, totaling more than $53,000. The final Cadet awards ceremony for the year takes place on Livsey Drill Field at 1400 hours on Sunday, April 23, to which you’re all invited. 20 more cadets will be honored, most of whom will receive prestigious scholarships provided by donor families and organizations.

A portion of the Colonel (Ret) Jack C. Peevy Endowment Fund will be distributed to more than 30 cadets in fall 2017. The amount distributed this academic year is $100,000, with $80,000 to current cadets and $20,000 to incoming freshmen (FROGs). This is the second year the fund provided financial assistance to cadets. All Peevy Scholars will be recognized at the Corps of Cadets Awards Review on Sunday, April 23, 2017. Per Colonel Peevy’s wishes, the Commandant of Cadets provides oversight of the endowment, which should reach full maturity next year.

Blue Ridge Rifles precision drill team competed at the University of Southern California and placed second in 4-man; 1st in platoon exhibition; second in platoon regulation, and third overall. Also, UNG claimed the 2017 Southern Conference Rifle Championship at The Citadel beating VMI, The Citadel, Georgia Southern, Wofford, and UAB.

Georgia Gold, American Treasure initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps. Goal is $93,145,000 to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. Contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu.

If you’re visiting Dahlonega, we invite you to schedule a personal briefing on the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies with Keith Antonia, 706-867-4576 or keith.antonia@ung.edu.

February 1, 2017

Corps strength was at 738 at the beginning of this semester, compared to 709 last spring. The Corps is always smaller in the spring than in the fall.

Colonel Cummings, the Professor of Military Science, anticipates commissioning more than 90 Cadets this year into the Total Army.

Rick Maze, Editor-in-Chief of AUSA Army Magazine, visited UNG on 8 December to learn about the Corps of Cadets and we anticipate an article in the March 2017 issue of the magazine.

Cadet Alexandra Bennett is participating in the capstone year of the Chinese Language Flagship program. She was selected to intern at the U.S. embassy in China in the trade division. She will commission into the Cyber career field (branch).

Military Science instructor Sergeant First Class Jason Bent was selected Cadet Command Instructor of The Year, and will now compete for Training and Doctrine Command Instructor of the Year. We have outstanding cadre teaching and mentoring our Cadets.

The U.S. Army Cadet Command national order of merit list was released in November. Thirty-four Cadets were Distinguished Military Graduates ranking in the top 20 percent in the nation, of whom eight were in the top 10 percent. This compares to four Cadets in the top 10 percent last year, and 22 in the top 20 percent. Placement on the order of merit list is determined by superior grade point average, strong performance on the Army physical fitness test, and demonstrating exceptional leadership skills.

We’re creating a “National Service Leadership Track” for Cadets who will not commission. Cadets will fully participate in the Corps of Cadets, and make a decision to enter the track beginning their junior year. They will take courses that are now being designed in lieu of Military Science III and IV courses that will focus on preparation for leadership in federal agencies or global entities. Implementation is planned for fall 2018. This will be good for recruiting and retaining Cadets.

The Georgia House of Representatives Military Affairs Study Committee visited UNG on 30 Nov – 1 Dec. We briefed them on the ILSS/Corps of Cadets. Jenna Colvin, our UNG Counsel, said this about our Cadets who participated, “My favorite part of the two days was the session with cadet leaders and the representatives after the public portion of the meeting … the cadets were simply extraordinary. One common theme I hear in the media and at the Capitol is that today’s college students are entitled snowflakes. These cadets were the counterpoint to that narrative. They were thoughtful and articulate in their presentation and interactions with the legislators, passionate and dedicated to their calling to serve in the military, and hardworking and focused in their preparation to accomplish their goals. As a mom, I can say they embody what I aspire to develop in my child. I was so proud of them for their parents ... They are also great ambassadors for our program and the training they receive here.”

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. For more information, contact Phil Collins.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia.

Corps strength stood at 775 at the beginning of this semester. This is the third largest in the Corps’ history.

UNG continued its tradition of outstanding performance at the ROTC summer camp (Cadet Leader Course – CLC) at Ft. Knox. We sent 123 Cadets, more than any other year in our history. Of those, 40 (32 percent) received the highest performance rating putting them in the top 15 percent of the entire nation. The closest senior military college had 18% percentin this category. Of our other Cadets, 43 had the second-highest rating of most qualified; 26 were highly qualified; 15 were qualified; and none were not qualified.

The first annual Boar’s Head-Corps Alumni Weekend occurred 9-11 Sep, and was a rousing success. The event was conceived and sponsored by the North Georgia Corps of Cadets Association. We thank all Cadet alumni who participated and interacted with our Cadets throughout the weekend. Kris “Tanto” Paronto, hero of Benghazi and featured in the movie 13 Hours spoke with the Cadets, alumni and guests about his experiences during the Benghazi attack. He held the audience’s attention while describing small unit combat leadership in an ambiguous, uncertain, and complex environment. Colonel (Ret.) Jimmie Blackmon spoke with groups of Cadets about leadership. Other alumni spoke with Cadets about succeeding in various occupations after college. We’re looking forward to next year’s event!

Mr. Bob Mathews, UNG ’70, president and CEO of Colliers International – Atlanta and chairman of the UNG real estate foundation, addressed the Corps of Cadets during distinguished military student review and parade. Twenty-five Cadets were honored.

General Carter Ham, U.S. Army (Retired), President and CEO of AUSA, spoke with the Corps of Cadets on 13 Sep. He was extremely impressed, and stated that he was “blown away” by our Cadet program.

UNG signed a Cadet exchange agreement with the Polish Land Forces Academy. We will send Cadets to study at their academy for a semester, and they will send Cadets to study with us. This fall, our Cadets attended short duration programs in the Czech Republic (University of Defense Economics Course), Italy (NATO Defense College), and Hawaii (Asia-Pacific Center for Strategic Studies). We have a Cadet from the Republic of China (Taiwan) Military Academy studying with us this semester. Also, UNG was awarded a $1.2M grant to continue our ROTC Chinese Language Flagship program. We have 21 Cadets majoring in Chinese, and 14 in Arabic.

Cadet alumnus, LTG Burton Patrick, UNG ’57, was inducted into the Georgia Military Veteran’s Hall of Fame. A total of seven UNG graduates are now in the Hall of Fame.

Cadet alumnus, LTG William (Burke) Garrett, UNG ’81, is retiring from the Army after 35 years of outstanding service as a Soldier.

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. For more information, go to unggive.org/corps-of-cadets.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu

UNG graduates took command. COL Branch took command of the 780^th MI Brigade at Ft Meade on 17 Jun: a MSC of Army Intelligence and Security Command and Army Cyber Command. COL Skelton took command of the Army’s 1^st Information Operations Command at Ft Belvoir on 20 Jun. (COL Ginn commands the 106^th Signal Brigade at Ft Sam Houston.) All three jobs are critical components of the Army’s cyber operations efforts. COL Duggan took command of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall on 28 Jun. COL Beaudoin took command of 3d Brigade, 82d Airborne Division on 20 May.

Cadet Sydney Coursey was selected as the top graduate (out of more than 500 Cadets) for her CLC (Advance Camp) Regiment. She was presented the AUSA Warrior Ethos Award, a saber. 

Boar’s Head-Corps Alumni Weekend, 9-11 Sep. Conceived and sponsored by the North Georgia Corps of Cadets Association. Event celebrates the Boar’s Head Brigade, and encourages interaction between corps alumni and Cadets through a variety of events, classes, speakers, socials, recognitions and remembrances. Begins Friday night and culminates with the Distinguished Military Student Review on 11 Sep at 1400. A schedule can be found on the NGCCA web site:  ngcorpsofcadetsassn.org  We would be very happy if you could join us for some of the events. 

GEN Carter Ham, U.S. Army (Retired), President and CEO of AUSA, will visit UNG on 13 Sep and speak with the Corps of Cadets.

UNG was named one of the nation's top higher education institutions by Forbes Magazine in its annual "America’s Top Colleges" ranking. This is the first time UNG has been named to the list, and one of only six public universities in Georgia to make the list.

The Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies now has an advisory board composed of accomplished experts in leadership and strategic issues who also have a deep understanding of the value of the Corps of Cadets and its contribution to society. Purpose is to provide ILSS leadership with the knowledge, understanding and strategic thinking that will enable us to more effectively accomplish our mission. Board president is LTG (Ret) Terry, Dr Crupi, LTG (Ret) Mixon, and LTG (Ret) Keen (inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame on 14 July). LTG Garrett has agreed to serve after he retires in a month or two. Bios are on the ILSS web site:  ung.edu/ilss

ILSS will co-host a security symposium on 15 November in collaboration with the Mike Cottrell College of Business and the College of Arts and Letters. The topic to be explored is international trade partnerships.

ILSS is working with foreign countries to establish military exchange opportunities and/or internships for our Cadets. Hungary, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Austria, Brazil, South Korea, Latvia, Estonia, Republic of Georgia, Czech Republic, Germany, and Italy are all candidates for agreements. We already have formal agreements with Land Forces Military Academy, Poland; Republic of China Military Academy, Taiwan; and Bundeswher Academy, Germany.

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative, the first fundraising effort in the history of UNG for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets, launched during Alumni Weekend 2016. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. For more information, go to unggive.org/corps-of-cadets/

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you.  Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu

Continuing our cyber education initiatives, UNG was just given the distinction of becoming a National Security Agency/Department of Homeland Defense Center of Academic Excellence for Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE).

This summer, we received a grant from the NSA/DHS GenCyber program to run a free, two-week residential “National Cyber Warrior Academy” on the Dahlonega Campus.  We’ll enroll 40 high school students 19 Jun – 1 July, who will live in Gaillard Hall, and will be taught the Certified Ethical Hacker curriculum by UNG Ph.D. computer science professors.

In December/January, we will seek to become an Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence (IC CAE) by the Defense Intelligence Agency.  The IC CAE has the mission to increase intelligence community job applicants. They provide grants to accredited U.S. four-year colleges and universities to support the design and development of intelligence-related curricula.  We strongly feel that we meet the criteria by which the DIA evaluates applications, including having academic programs which serve as a foundation for an intelligence or national security studies certificate, major or minor.  With our degrees and minors in international affairs, strategic studies, critical foreign languages, cyber security, study abroad programs and more, we believe we’ll be very competitive to become an IC CAE.

We have four Cadets who were awarded prestigious national scholarships in 2015-2016.  Anita Renfroe is a winner of the prestigious David L. Boren Scholarship, a national scholarship funded by DoD’s National Security Education Program worth up to $20,000 to spend a full academic year studying abroad. Renfroe is a junior in the Corps of Cadets majoring in Arabic with a minor in Spanish and will spend next year studying in Fez, Morocco. Two Cadets won Fulbright scholarships.  Cadet Cody Bijeaux, a Chinese major, and former Cadet Jacob Dietrich, an Arabic major.  The Fulbright program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. In addition, Cadet Elisha Weber will spend a year at ZhieJiang Normal University in Jinhua, courtesy of Chinese Government Scholarships from the Consulate in Houston.

We commissioned 48 Cadets on 6-7 May: 36 active duty, 13 Reserve Force Duty (primarily Georgia Army National Guard); 9 were Distinguished Military Graduates (DMG). 

173 Cadets will participate in Cadet training programs this summer.  15 will participate in Cadet Command’s Cultural Understanding and Language Program (CULP) for three weeks in the following countries: Republic of Georgia (3); Hungary; Lithuania (2); Philippines, Bulgaria; Mongolia (2); Morocco; Senegal; Sri Lanka; Nepal; Bukina-Faso.  A record 126 Cadets will attend the Cadet Leader Course (summer or advanced camp) at Ft. Knox.  Forty seven will go to Cadet Initial Entry Training (CIET) at Ft. Knox (a new program for freshman and sophomore Cadets who intend to commission).  Fifteen Cadets will attend schools: airborne (5), air assault (7), and Cadet Field Training (3).  Three Cadets will do overseas CTLT in Germany, Korea, and Alaska. 

Distinguished Military Student Review Weekend will be 9-11 Sep.  We’re planning to make this a Cadet Alumni Weekend event.  More info to follow, but would really be happy if you could join us for some of the events. 

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative, the first fundraising effort in the history of UNG for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets, launched during Alumni Weekend 2016.  With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. For more information contact Phil Collins, phil.collins@ung.edu. Three priority areas are: Scholarships, Operational Support, and Facilities and Infrastructure.

The Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies (ILSS) has decided to adapt the Army’s 21^st Century Soldier Competencies contained in TRADOC Pam 525-8-2, The U.S. Army Learning Concept, to our Corps of Cadets. A purpose of the ILSS is to ensure that academic and co-curricular programs are in place for Cadets to learn and practice these competencies.  The flyer is attached.

In January, UNG established a “Center for Cyber Operations Education” to provide more cyber-related educational opportunities for our Cadets.  We also applied to become a National Security Agency/Department of Homeland Security Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. Our application has been accepted, and the next step is an on-site visit by the NSA/DHS grant team.  We have also joined a consortium of colleges and universities that offer the Army Cyber Institute’s “Cyber Leader Development Program” for Cadets who are interested in commissioning into the Army’s Cyber Branch.

Colonel Ron Stephens has been selected to promotion to brigadier general.  He’s a graduate of UNG, Magna Cum Laude in chemistry, commissioned Medical Service Corps, and later completed medical school at the Medical College of Georgia under the Health Professions Scholarship Program.  He attended UNG on the Georgia Military Scholarship. Congratulations!

MG William K. Gayler, a 1988 graduate of the University of North Georgia (UNG), was appointed the commanding general for the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, Alabama. He previously served as the deputy commanding general, U.S. Army Europe, and commander, U.S. Army NATO.

On the international front, since the beginning of the new year, we’ve sent Cadets to conferences in Japan, Latvia, Republic of Georgia, Boston, and VMI.  We also have Cadets in study abroad or internships in Italy, Taiwan, France, China, Germany and Bulgaria.  Our leadership traveled to South Africa, Estonia and South Korea to explore partnerships with military academies. 

UNG is expecting to commission fifty-six Cadets on 16 May and more in August.  We anticipate commissioning around 90 Cadets this year. 

Dahlonega Campus Alumni Weekend will be 22-24 April 2016 (Recall).  The Honorable Debra Wada, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) tentatively plans to run with the Corps of Cadets on Saturday morning at 0800, attend 5^th Ranger Training Battalion Open House on Saturday, and speak at Sunday’s Corps of Cadets Military Awards review at 1400 on the drill field.  Recall details are available here:  https://ungalumni.org/aw

A UNG alumni event was held on 12 March at Ft. Bragg, graciously hosted by LTG Steve and Melissa Townsend.  The 82d Abn Chorus provided entertainment, and fun was had by all.  About 50 alumni attended, many of whom were younger alumni, including lieutenants and captains.  Thank you, General Townsend!

The Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies (ILSS) has decided to adapt the Army 21^st Century Soldier Competencies contained in TRADOC Pam 525-8-2, The U.S. Army Learning Concept, to our Corps of Cadets. A purpose of the ILSS is to ensure that academic and co-curricular programs are in place for Cadets to learn and practice these competencies.  The competency flyer is attached.

In January, UNG established a “Center for Cyber Operations Education” to provide more cyber-related educational opportunities for our Cadets.  We also applied to become a NSA/DHS Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. Our application has been accepted, and the next step is an on-site visit by the NSA/DHS grant team.  We have also joined a consortium of colleges and universities that offer the Army Cyber Institute’s “Cyber Leader Development Program” for Cadets who are interested in commissioning into the Army’s Cyber Branch.

Colonel Ron Stephens has been selected to promotion to brigadier general.  He’s a graduate of UNG Magna Cum Laude in chemistry, commissioned Medical Service Corps, and later completed medical school at the Medical College of Georgia under the Health Professions Scholarship Program.  He attended UNG on the Georgia Military Scholarship. 

Since the beginning of the New year, we’ve sent Cadets to conferences in Japan, Latvia, Republic of Georgia, Boston, and VMI.  We also have four Cadets studying in China.  Our leadership traveled to South Africa, Estonia and South Korea to explore partnerships with military academies. 

Fifty-two Cadets will commission on 16 May and in August.  We anticipate commissioning around 90 Cadets this year. 

Dahlonega Campus Alumni Weekend will be 22-24 April 2016.  Details will be available here soon:  https://ungalumni.org/

Top news is two of our cadets are ranked #2 and #5 out of 5,535 on the U.S. Army national order of merit list. The #2 Cadet is Andrew Gomez (left) from Gainesville, Georgia who will commission cyber on active duty, and #5 Cadet Bryton Wenzel (right) from Albany Georgia who will commission in the Corps of Engineers in the Army National Guard. No other ROTC program placed 2 in the top 5 this year.

LTC Rembert Rollison, UNG ’66, was inducted into the Georgia Military Veteran’s Hall of Fame in November for valor.

Our Ranger Challenge Team beat all five other senior military colleges at Ft. Knox at the end of October to claim the SMC Ranger Challenge trophy. Next is West Point’s Sandhurst international competition in April.

There will be 68 teams from West Point, other service academies, 8 Army ROTC, and 15 international teams in the competition. Congratulations to the Ranger Challenge Team, and good luck at Sandhurst!

An alumni gathering was held at McKellar’s Lodge on Ft. Bragg on 28 October. LTG and Mrs. Townsend were in attendance. Thanks COL (Ret.) Chris & Renee Bagley for hosting!

Boar's Head Weekend returned to Dahlonega Campus on Oct. 6-7 with a goal of connecting current and former cadets during a weekend of mentoring and networking. GreyStone Power Corporation sponsored COL (Ret) Jimmy Blackmon, UNG ’91, spoke to the Corps on leadership (author of Pale Horse: Hunting Terrorists and Commanding Heroes with the 101st Airborne Division) Thanks NGCCA!

LTC (Ret) Sandra Owens, UNG ’85, was named Teacher of the Year in Richmond County, GA – a school system with nearly 2,300 teachers.

Cadets beat cadre 41-35 in the Turkey Bowl touch football game on 13 Nov. The NGCCA sponsored Ft. Benning’s Silver Wings parachute demonstration team’s jump onto the drill field to open the game. Join the NGCCA today - “Fraternity of the Corps”.

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. For more information, contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu. We encourage alumni, friends and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu.

Please help us recruit high school students for the Corps of Cadets! Spread the word about National Leadership Challenge Weekend, 3-5 November 2017. High school students will rappel down a sheer rock cliff, rope bridge across a rushing mountain stream, negotiate leadership reaction and obstacle courses, all while learning about the Corps. Learn more about the National Leadership Challenge.

The Corps of Cadets numbered 777 this fall. An increase of 2 over last year. Our goal is to reach 850 in the next couple years, and sustain that number indefinitely. Doing so will allow us to achieve the Army’s commissioning mission.

The 2016-2017 ILSS Annual Report is available is the right-hand column of this page.

The Corps of Cadets broke all previous records and commissioned 111 Cadets into the Total Army this past year. Of the 111, 36 were Distinguished Military Graduates (DMG). DMGs have a 3.0 cumulative GPA and rank among the top 20% of all Cadets on the National Order of Merit List.

77 of our 110 Cadets who completed ROTC advanced camp were rated outstanding or excellent. Thirty Cadets were outstanding meaning they were in the top 5 or 6 of their 3-40-Cadet platoons. Cadet Albershardt was recognized as the female Cadet with the highest PT test score.

The ILSS, the College of Arts and letters and the Center for Cyber Operations Education will host a symposium on 8-9 November: “Civil-Military Cooperation and International Collaboration in Cyber Operations”. Details at go.ung.edu/symposium. If you’re interested in the subject and would like to participate, please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu.

Prior to the beginning of this fall semester, 235 new Cadets went through FROG Week; 120 Cadets went through the non-commissioning officer (NCO) Academy; and 80 Cadets participated in the pre-command course. All three numbers were higher than last year.

This fall, we have 23 Distinguished Military Students (DMS), another record-breaking number. Last fall, we had 25.

We’re looking forward to Boar’s Head Brigade Weekend activities this weekend, 6-7 October. The North Georgia Corps of Cadets Association provides networking, mentoring, and career advice to our Cadets. Colonel (Ret) Jimmy Blackmon (UNG alumnus) will speak to the Corps on Friday night at 1900, and the DMS review parade will occur Saturday morning at 1000.

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. For more information, contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu. We encourage alumni, friends, and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu. 

The large UNG sign near the main entrance to UNG is in the final stages of completion. Thanks to an involved Cadet alumnus, among others, the old sign that was missing “The Military College of Georgia” tag line was replaced by the new sign pictured here!

1988 graduates Paul Calvert and James (Jamie) Jarrard have been selected for promotion to major general and will serve as Commanding General of the 1st Cavalry Division, and Commanding General of the Special Operations Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, respectively.

Stellenbosch University (South Africa) Rector with representatives from the South African Military Academy (SAMA) signed a Cadet exchange agreement with UNG on 14 Jun. Cadet Herbert is now at SAMA and SAMA will send a Cadet to UNG in the spring.

The Department of Military Science sent 111 Cadets to the Cadet Leader Course (Summer Camp) at Ft. Knox this summer. The last training regiment graduates on 16 August. We sent the UNG Counsel, Jenna Colvin, a big Corps of Cadets supporter, to visit CLC to observe the leadership development training Cadets receive. While there, she did a tandem HALO parachute jump with the Golden Knights.

In addition to CLC, we have lots of Cadets in training this summer all over the world. One Cadet is with the National Security Agencies Cyber 2017 Summer program internship at Ft Meade. Also, 8 to airborne school; 10 to air assault school; 1 to master fitness trainer; 17 to Cadet Troop Leader Training at 8 Army installations including in Korea and Germany; 4 to the Nurse Summer Training program; 2 to the International Military Academic Forum in the Czech Republic; 1 to an intel/cyber conference in New Zealand; and 13 to 8 countries under the Cultural Understanding and Language Program.

LTC (ret) Tony Fritchle, our military representative in the UNG Center for Global Engagement, along with SGM (ret) Terry Baumann visited the Brazilian Military Academy in June to study and coordinate a possible Cadet exchange program.

The ILSS, the College of Arts and letters and the Center for Cyber Operations Education will host a symposium on 8-9 November: “Civil-Military Cooperation and International Collaboration in Cyber Operations”. Details at go.ung.edu/symposium. If you’re interested in the subject and would like to participate, please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu. 

New Cadet basic training, or Freshman Recruit Orientation Group (FROG) week begins on 13 August and ends with graduation on 19 August. We anticipate approximately 245 new Cadets to show.

Note that the construction activity on the drill field is replacing the old dilapidated culvert.

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. All contributions benefitting Cadets will count toward our goal. For more information, contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu. We encourage alumni, friends and family of the Corps to participate in this vital fundraising effort.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu. 

This year will be the largest commissioning class in the history of the Corps of Cadets. Quality is excellent with a 3.31 average cumulative GPA and 291 average Army Physical Fitness Test score.
Twenty-five commissioned in the fall semester, and 66 commissioned in the spring. We anticipate commissioning another 20 this summer. Total will be over 110. As far as we’ve been able to determine, the most commissions occurred one year in the 1950s with 96.

Captain Rose, UNG ’12, assigned to 2d Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, and his partner MSG Horsager, won the 2017 Best Ranger competition at Ft. Benning. CPT Rose also won it in 2014. He is one of only four to ever win the competition twice.

On 24 April, Major General Saeed Abdulrhman Abu Assaf, the commandant of the Royal Saudi Forces Land Academy visited to better his understanding of what his Cadets will experience while at UNG in the Corps of Cadets.

The National University for Public Service (Hungary) Rector and Commandant of Cadets with other representatives signed a Cadet exchange agreement with UNG on 12 May. We will send Cadets to Hungary and they will send Cadets to UNG.

LTG Garrett, UNG ’81, spoke at the Corps of Cadets military awards review and parade during alumni weekend on 23 April. LTC Gannaway spoke at the annual Memorial Retreat on 22 April, and also received the Ralph Colley Spirit of North Georgia Award which is given to an alumnus who has experienced adverse circumstances in his/her life and has risen above those circumstances to live an exemplary life.

On 6 April, the Corps of Cadets conducted their annual military ball at Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville.

Tragically, Lieutenant Weston C. Lee, UNG ‘14, was killed on 29 April 2017 in Mosul, Iraq. From Bluffton, Georgia, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice and commissioned as an infantry officer. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina and was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. Any contributions benefiting Cadets will count toward our goal. For more information, contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu.

April 1, 2017

AUSA Army Magazine March 2017 edition contains an article on UNG ILSS/Corps of Cadets entitled, “Mining a Different Kind of Gold: University of North Georgia Expanding ROTC Studies”.

Military Science instructor SFC Jason Bent was selected Cadet Command Instructor of The Year and recognized at the Georgia State Capitol on March 17.

In addition, SFC Shannon Clark was the first ROTC instructor in U.S. Army Cadet Command to earn the Army Basic Instructor Badge. We have outstanding cadre teaching and mentoring our Cadets.

The ILSS visited universities in the four other Five Eyes countries (Australia, New Zealand, Canada and England). In addition, the Georgia National Guard is establishing a relationship with Argentina under the DoD State Partnership Program. The ILSS accompanied the guard team on a visit to that country. Partnerships with academic institutions in these nations will produce additional educational opportunities for our Cadets, with particular emphasis on security and strategic studies.

BG Joe Jarrard, UNG ’88, the Adjutant General of the State of Georgia and Commanding General of the Georgia Department of Defense, was promoted to Major General in a ceremony at Dobbins Air Reserve Base on March 13.

The Commandant hosted a ceremony on March 28 in which 62 cadets were awarded for military excellence, academic achievement or leadership. 20+ organizations presented awards, totaling more than $53,000. The final Cadet awards ceremony for the year takes place on Livsey Drill Field at 1400 hours on Sunday, April 23, to which you’re all invited. 20 more cadets will be honored, most of whom will receive prestigious scholarships provided by donor families and organizations.

A portion of the Colonel (Ret) Jack C. Peevy Endowment Fund will be distributed to more than 30 cadets in fall 2017. The amount distributed this academic year is $100,000, with $80,000 to current cadets and $20,000 to incoming freshmen (FROGs). This is the second year the fund provided financial assistance to cadets. All Peevy Scholars will be recognized at the Corps of Cadets Awards Review on Sunday, April 23, 2017. Per Colonel Peevy’s wishes, the Commandant of Cadets provides oversight of the endowment, which should reach full maturity next year.

Blue Ridge Rifles precision drill team competed at the University of Southern California and placed second in 4-man; 1st in platoon exhibition; second in platoon regulation, and third overall. Also, UNG claimed the 2017 Southern Conference Rifle Championship at The Citadel beating VMI, The Citadel, Georgia Southern, Wofford, and UAB.

Georgia Gold, American Treasure initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps. Goal is $93,145,000 to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. Contact Phil Collins at phil.collins@ung.edu.

If you’re visiting Dahlonega, we invite you to schedule a personal briefing on the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies with Keith Antonia, 706-867-4576 or keith.antonia@ung.edu.

February 1, 2017

Corps strength was at 738 at the beginning of this semester, compared to 709 last spring. The Corps is always smaller in the spring than in the fall.

Colonel Cummings, the Professor of Military Science, anticipates commissioning more than 90 Cadets this year into the Total Army.

Rick Maze, Editor-in-Chief of AUSA Army Magazine, visited UNG on 8 December to learn about the Corps of Cadets and we anticipate an article in the March 2017 issue of the magazine.

Cadet Alexandra Bennett is participating in the capstone year of the Chinese Language Flagship program. She was selected to intern at the U.S. embassy in China in the trade division. She will commission into the Cyber career field (branch).

Military Science instructor Sergeant First Class Jason Bent was selected Cadet Command Instructor of The Year, and will now compete for Training and Doctrine Command Instructor of the Year. We have outstanding cadre teaching and mentoring our Cadets.

The U.S. Army Cadet Command national order of merit list was released in November. Thirty-four Cadets were Distinguished Military Graduates ranking in the top 20 percent in the nation, of whom eight were in the top 10 percent. This compares to four Cadets in the top 10 percent last year, and 22 in the top 20 percent. Placement on the order of merit list is determined by superior grade point average, strong performance on the Army physical fitness test, and demonstrating exceptional leadership skills.

We’re creating a “National Service Leadership Track” for Cadets who will not commission. Cadets will fully participate in the Corps of Cadets, and make a decision to enter the track beginning their junior year. They will take courses that are now being designed in lieu of Military Science III and IV courses that will focus on preparation for leadership in federal agencies or global entities. Implementation is planned for fall 2018. This will be good for recruiting and retaining Cadets.

The Georgia House of Representatives Military Affairs Study Committee visited UNG on 30 Nov – 1 Dec. We briefed them on the ILSS/Corps of Cadets. Jenna Colvin, our UNG Counsel, said this about our Cadets who participated, “My favorite part of the two days was the session with cadet leaders and the representatives after the public portion of the meeting … the cadets were simply extraordinary. One common theme I hear in the media and at the Capitol is that today’s college students are entitled snowflakes. These cadets were the counterpoint to that narrative. They were thoughtful and articulate in their presentation and interactions with the legislators, passionate and dedicated to their calling to serve in the military, and hardworking and focused in their preparation to accomplish their goals. As a mom, I can say they embody what I aspire to develop in my child. I was so proud of them for their parents ... They are also great ambassadors for our program and the training they receive here.”

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. For more information, contact Phil Collins.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia.

Corps strength stood at 775 at the beginning of this semester. This is the third largest in the Corps’ history.

UNG continued its tradition of outstanding performance at the ROTC summer camp (Cadet Leader Course – CLC) at Ft. Knox. We sent 123 Cadets, more than any other year in our history. Of those, 40 (32 percent) received the highest performance rating putting them in the top 15 percent of the entire nation. The closest senior military college had 18% percent in this category. Of our other Cadets, 43 had the second-highest rating of most qualified; 26 were highly qualified; 15 were qualified; and none were not qualified.

The first annual Boar’s Head-Corps Alumni Weekend occurred 9-11 Sep, and was a rousing success. The event was conceived and sponsored by the North Georgia Corps of Cadets Association. We thank all Cadet alumni who participated and interacted with our Cadets throughout the weekend. Kris “Tanto” Paronto, hero of Benghazi and featured in the movie 13 Hours spoke with the Cadets, alumni and guests about his experiences during the Benghazi attack. He held the audience’s attention while describing small unit combat leadership in an ambiguous, uncertain, and complex environment. Colonel (Ret.) Jimmie Blackmon spoke with groups of Cadets about leadership. Other alumni spoke with Cadets about succeeding in various occupations after college. We’re looking forward to next year’s event!

Mr. Bob Mathews, UNG ’70, president and CEO of Colliers International – Atlanta and chairman of the UNG real estate foundation, addressed the Corps of Cadets during distinguished military student review and parade. Twenty-five Cadets were honored.

General Carter Ham, U.S. Army (Retired), President and CEO of AUSA, spoke with the Corps of Cadets on 13 Sep. He was extremely impressed, and stated that he was “blown away” by our Cadet program.

UNG signed a Cadet exchange agreement with the Polish Land Forces Academy. We will send Cadets to study at their academy for a semester, and they will send Cadets to study with us. This fall, our Cadets attended short duration programs in the Czech Republic (University of Defense Economics Course), Italy (NATO Defense College), and Hawaii (Asia-Pacific Center for Strategic Studies). We have a Cadet from the Republic of China (Taiwan) Military Academy studying with us this semester. Also, UNG was awarded a $1.2M grant to continue our ROTC Chinese Language Flagship program. We have 21 Cadets majoring in Chinese, and 14 in Arabic.

Cadet alumnus, LTG Burton Patrick, UNG ’57, was inducted into the Georgia Military Veteran’s Hall of Fame. A total of seven UNG graduates are now in the Hall of Fame.

Cadet alumnus, LTG William (Burke) Garrett, UNG ’81, is retiring from the Army after 35 years of outstanding service as a Soldier.

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative is on-going for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. For more information, go to unggive.org/corps-of-cadets.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you. Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu

UNG graduates took command. COL Branch took command of the 780^th MI Brigade at Ft Meade on 17 Jun: a MSC of Army Intelligence and Security Command and Army Cyber Command. COL Skelton took command of the Army’s 1^st Information Operations Command at Ft Belvoir on 20 Jun. (COL Ginn commands the 106^th Signal Brigade at Ft Sam Houston.) All three jobs are critical components of the Army’s cyber operations efforts. COL Duggan took command of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall on 28 Jun. COL Beaudoin took command of 3d Brigade, 82d Airborne Division on 20 May.

Cadet Sydney Coursey was selected as the top graduate (out of more than 500 Cadets) for her CLC (Advance Camp) Regiment. She was presented the AUSA Warrior Ethos Award, a saber. 

Boar’s Head-Corps Alumni Weekend, 9-11 Sep. Conceived and sponsored by the North Georgia Corps of Cadets Association. Event celebrates the Boar’s Head Brigade, and encourages interaction between corps alumni and Cadets through a variety of events, classes, speakers, socials, recognitions and remembrances. Begins Friday night and culminates with the Distinguished Military Student Review on 11 Sep at 1400. A schedule can be found on the NGCCA web site:  ngcorpsofcadetsassn.org  We would be very happy if you could join us for some of the events. 

GEN Carter Ham, U.S. Army (Retired), President and CEO of AUSA, will visit UNG on 13 Sep and speak with the Corps of Cadets.

UNG was named one of the nation's top higher education institutions by Forbes Magazine in its annual "America’s Top Colleges" ranking. This is the first time UNG has been named to the list, and one of only six public universities in Georgia to make the list.

The Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies now has an advisory board composed of accomplished experts in leadership and strategic issues who also have a deep understanding of the value of the Corps of Cadets and its contribution to society. Purpose is to provide ILSS leadership with the knowledge, understanding and strategic thinking that will enable us to more effectively accomplish our mission. Board president is LTG (Ret) Terry, Dr Crupi, LTG (Ret) Mixon, and LTG (Ret) Keen (inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame on 14 July). LTG Garrett has agreed to serve after he retires in a month or two. Bios are on the ILSS web site:  ung.edu/ilss

ILSS will co-host a security symposium on 15 November in collaboration with the Mike Cottrell College of Business and the College of Arts and Letters. The topic to be explored is international trade partnerships.

ILSS is working with foreign countries to establish military exchange opportunities and/or internships for our Cadets. Hungary, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Austria, Brazil, South Korea, Latvia, Estonia, Republic of Georgia, Czech Republic, Germany, and Italy are all candidates for agreements. We already have formal agreements with Land Forces Military Academy, Poland; Republic of China Military Academy, Taiwan; and Bundeswher Academy, Germany.

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative, the first fundraising effort in the history of UNG for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets, launched during Alumni Weekend 2016. With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. For more information, go to unggive.org/corps-of-cadets/

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, and you are visiting Dahlonega, we’d like to schedule a one-hour personal briefing for you.  Please contact Keith Antonia at keith.antonia@ung.edu

Continuing our cyber education initiatives, UNG was just given the distinction of becoming a National Security Agency/Department of Homeland Defense Center of Academic Excellence for Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE).

This summer, we received a grant from the NSA/DHS GenCyber program to run a free, two-week residential “National Cyber Warrior Academy” on the Dahlonega Campus.  We’ll enroll 40 high school students 19 Jun – 1 July, who will live in Gaillard Hall, and will be taught the Certified Ethical Hacker curriculum by UNG Ph.D. computer science professors.

In December/January, we will seek to become an Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence (IC CAE) by the Defense Intelligence Agency.  The IC CAE has the mission to increase intelligence community job applicants. They provide grants to accredited U.S. four-year colleges and universities to support the design and development of intelligence-related curricula.  We strongly feel that we meet the criteria by which the DIA evaluates applications, including having academic programs which serve as a foundation for an intelligence or national security studies certificate, major or minor.  With our degrees and minors in international affairs, strategic studies, critical foreign languages, cyber security, study abroad programs and more, we believe we’ll be very competitive to become an IC CAE.

We have four Cadets who were awarded prestigious national scholarships in 2015-2016.  Anita Renfroe is a winner of the prestigious David L. Boren Scholarship, a national scholarship funded by DoD’s National Security Education Program worth up to $20,000 to spend a full academic year studying abroad. Renfroe is a junior in the Corps of Cadets majoring in Arabic with a minor in Spanish and will spend next year studying in Fez, Morocco. Two Cadets won Fulbright scholarships.  Cadet Cody Bijeaux, a Chinese major, and former Cadet Jacob Dietrich, an Arabic major.  The Fulbright program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. In addition, Cadet Elisha Weber will spend a year at ZhieJiang Normal University in Jinhua, courtesy of Chinese Government Scholarships from the Consulate in Houston.

We commissioned 48 Cadets on 6-7 May: 36 active duty, 13 Reserve Force Duty (primarily Georgia Army National Guard); 9 were Distinguished Military Graduates (DMG). 

173 Cadets will participate in Cadet training programs this summer.  15 will participate in Cadet Command’s Cultural Understanding and Language Program (CULP) for three weeks in the following countries: Republic of Georgia (3); Hungary; Lithuania (2); Philippines, Bulgaria; Mongolia (2); Morocco; Senegal; Sri Lanka; Nepal; Bukina-Faso.  A record 126 Cadets will attend the Cadet Leader Course (summer or advanced camp) at Ft. Knox.  Forty seven will go to Cadet Initial Entry Training (CIET) at Ft. Knox (a new program for freshman and sophomore Cadets who intend to commission).  Fifteen Cadets will attend schools: airborne (5), air assault (7), and Cadet Field Training (3).  Three Cadets will do overseas CTLT in Germany, Korea, and Alaska. 

Distinguished Military Student Review Weekend will be 9-11 Sep.  We’re planning to make this a Cadet Alumni Weekend event.  More info to follow, but would really be happy if you could join us for some of the events. 

Georgia Gold, American Treasure development initiative, the first fundraising effort in the history of UNG for the sole benefit of the Corps of Cadets, launched during Alumni Weekend 2016.  With a goal of $93,145,000, the vision of the initiative is to “Secure and strengthen the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia”. For more information contact Phil Collins, phil.collins@ung.edu. Three priority areas are: Scholarships, Operational Support, and Facilities and Infrastructure.

The Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies (ILSS) has decided to adapt the Army’s 21^st Century Soldier Competencies contained in TRADOC Pam 525-8-2, The U.S. Army Learning Concept, to our Corps of Cadets. A purpose of the ILSS is to ensure that academic and co-curricular programs are in place for Cadets to learn and practice these competencies.  The flyer is attached.

In January, UNG established a “Center for Cyber Operations Education” to provide more cyber-related educational opportunities for our Cadets.  We also applied to become a National Security Agency/Department of Homeland Security Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. Our application has been accepted, and the next step is an on-site visit by the NSA/DHS grant team.  We have also joined a consortium of colleges and universities that offer the Army Cyber Institute’s “Cyber Leader Development Program” for Cadets who are interested in commissioning into the Army’s Cyber Branch.

Colonel Ron Stephens has been selected to promotion to brigadier general.  He’s a graduate of UNG, Magna Cum Laude in chemistry, commissioned Medical Service Corps, and later completed medical school at the Medical College of Georgia under the Health Professions Scholarship Program.  He attended UNG on the Georgia Military Scholarship. Congratulations!

MG William K. Gayler, a 1988 graduate of the University of North Georgia (UNG), was appointed the commanding general for the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, Alabama. He previously served as the deputy commanding general, U.S. Army Europe, and commander, U.S. Army NATO.

On the international front, since the beginning of the new year, we’ve sent Cadets to conferences in Japan, Latvia, Republic of Georgia, Boston, and VMI.  We also have Cadets in study abroad or internships in Italy, Taiwan, France, China, Germany and Bulgaria.  Our leadership traveled to South Africa, Estonia and South Korea to explore partnerships with military academies. 

UNG is expecting to commission fifty-six Cadets on 16 May and more in August.  We anticipate commissioning around 90 Cadets this year. 

Dahlonega Campus Alumni Weekend will be 22-24 April 2016 (Recall).  The Honorable Debra Wada, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) tentatively plans to run with the Corps of Cadets on Saturday morning at 0800, attend 5^th Ranger Training Battalion Open House on Saturday, and speak at Sunday’s Corps of Cadets Military Awards review at 1400 on the drill field. 

A UNG alumni event was held on 12 March at Ft. Bragg, graciously hosted by LTG Steve and Melissa Townsend.  The 82d Airborne Chorus provided entertainment, and fun was had by all.  About 50 alumni attended, many of whom were younger alumni, including lieutenants and captains.  Thank you, General Townsend!

The Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies (ILSS) has decided to adapt the Army 21^st Century Soldier Competencies contained in TRADOC Pam 525-8-2, The U.S. Army Learning Concept, to our Corps of Cadets. A purpose of the ILSS is to ensure that academic and co-curricular programs are in place for Cadets to learn and practice these competencies.  The competency flyer is attached.

In January, UNG established a “Center for Cyber Operations Education” to provide more cyber-related educational opportunities for our Cadets.  We also applied to become a NSA/DHS Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. Our application has been accepted, and the next step is an on-site visit by the NSA/DHS grant team.  We have also joined a consortium of colleges and universities that offer the Army Cyber Institute’s “Cyber Leader Development Program” for Cadets who are interested in commissioning into the Army’s Cyber Branch.

Colonel Ron Stephens has been selected to promotion to brigadier general.  He’s a graduate of UNG Magna Cum Laude in chemistry, commissioned Medical Service Corps, and later completed medical school at the Medical College of Georgia under the Health Professions Scholarship Program.  He attended UNG on the Georgia Military Scholarship. 

Since the beginning of the New year, we’ve sent Cadets to conferences in Japan, Latvia, Republic of Georgia, Boston, and VMI.  We also have four Cadets studying in China.  Our leadership traveled to South Africa, Estonia and South Korea to explore partnerships with military academies. 

Fifty-two Cadets will commission on 16 May and in August.  We anticipate commissioning around 90 Cadets this year. 

Dahlonega Campus Alumni Weekend will be 22-24 April 2016.  Details will be available here soon:  https://ungalumni.org/