State budget includes funds for Cumming, Dahlonega campus projects

Two construction projects at the University of North Georgia (UNG), a new business building in Dahlonega and a building expansion in Cumming, have received more than $4 million in funding in Georgia's Fiscal Year 2022 budget.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed the $23.7 billion state budget on May 10.

"Our region continues to experience tremendous growth, and expansion of our facilities is key so that we can meet the increased demand for higher education in the area," President Bonita Jacobs said. "We are very grateful for the support of Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, state legislators, the Board of Regents, and the University System of Georgia staff for recognizing this need and for their support of these important projects."

The state budget includes $3.2 million in funding for equipment for the new Cottrell Center for Business, Technology & Innovation on UNG's Dahlonega Campus. Scheduled to open for classes in fall 2022, the new 86,483-square-foot home for the Mike Cottrell College of Business (MCCB) will serve as the hub for business and computer science programs with specialized labs, student engagement spaces, and high technology classrooms, all designed to enhance student learning.

A $10 million gift from Mike Cottrell, the college's namesake benefactor, and wife Lynn Cottrell, along with $21.8 million in state funds for design and construction, paved the way for the new building.

"This new home for the MCCB will signal to students that we are providing them with an innovative learning experience that prepares them for success in the workplace," Dr. Mary Gowan, the college’s dean said. "The Cottrell Center design is competitive with the design of the best business school facilities in the state. The Cottrells' generosity enables us to move forward much more quickly than we otherwise would have been able to do."

The latest allocation represents the third and final phase of state funding for the project. Large-scale capital projects typically are funded over a period of three years. The first year is for planning and design, the second year is for construction, and the third year is for equipment.

Expansion of the current academic building at UNG's Cumming Campus took an initial step toward becoming a reality with the allocation of $1 million in planning and design funds in the FY22 state budget. Enrollment at the campus has doubled since the campus opened in August 2012; it now serves nearly 1,400 students. As a result of that growth, including a 6.4% increase from fall 2019 to fall 2020, UNG has capped dual enrollment of high school students at the campus and has moved two graduate programs, the Master of Business Administration and the Master of Science in counseling, to operate off-campus in the Cumming City Hall.

Growth at the Cumming Campus has been driven by population growth in Forsyth County, which continues to be one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation. It was the 11th-fastest-growing county in the nation over the past decade, with a growth rate of 39.2%, according to 2019 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Georgia Sen. Steve Gooch supported funding for both projects.

“I'm excited to help facilitate the growth of the Mike Cottrell College of Business and its programs that will support economic development and produce the business leaders of tomorrow," Gooch said. "And I’m equally excited to see the fast-growing Forsyth County area, especially high school students interested in dual-enrollment, benefit from the expansion of UNG’s Cumming Campus."