About Michael P. Shannon, Ph.D.

Dr. Michael P. Shannon has led the University of North Georgia – The Military College of Georgia (UNG) as President since July 2023, driving a transformative vision to redefine higher education over his two years in office, guided by the motto “Students First. Always.” He has positioned UNG as a dynamic institution, breaking from tradition to address modern challenges, enhance student and community impact, and redefine the higher education value proposition.

Under his leadership, UNG launched the pioneering What Comes Next Hub, integrating campus resources into the community to support lifelong learning for all ages, and introduced a $1,000 scholarship for dual-enrolled high school seniors. Since his arrival, enrollment has grown by 6.7%, marking the largest freshman class in UNG’s 152-year history and the Corps of Cadets’ biggest in seven years, reflecting his focus on retention. Today UNG stands at just over 19,300 students across the Power of Five (5 campuses across the north Georgia region delivering at scale). He has overseen campus expansions, including new four-year degrees in education, nursing, computer science, management, and international affairs at the Cumming Campus, and the upcoming Blue Ridge Campus expansion, strengthening UNG’s regional influence.

A key architect of UNG’s seven strategic “Big Bets,” Dr. Shannon has positioned the university as a leader in workforce development, launching the Institute for Peak Performance and the Leadership Foundry to equip students with cutting-edge skills in healthcare, education, business, agriculture, STEM, the arts, the humanities, and national security roles.

As a first-generation college graduate, a Ph.D. from Georgia Tech, and once told he’d never attend a university, Dr. Shannon’s passion to remove barriers fuels his leadership, a theme echoed in his State of the University addresses calling for disruption, accountability, and a student-centric future. A retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel with 20 years of service, Dr. Shannon brings a servant-leader approach, honed through roles in the U.S. Army Infantry, the Signal Corps, and as a Counterproliferation operator in several Army units, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, at West Point and after retirement, in small business and as a faculty member and executive at Georgia Tech. His vision is based on delivering on UNG’s Calling, Relevance, and Differentiation to ensure UNG delivers for Georgia and America.