About Michael P. Shannon, Ph.D.

Dr. Michael P. Shannon has served as President of the University of North Georgia (UNG) — The Military College of Georgia — since July 2023, leading a transformation centered on a simple commitment: Students First. Always.

His vision is rooted in the belief that every person is created for purpose and that students come to UNG to be equipped to walk toward that purpose. Under his leadership, UNG is challenging traditional assumptions about higher education — strengthening the connection between learning and opportunity, developing leaders of character, expanding access, and continually building what higher education can become for the students, communities, state, and nation it serves.

At the same time, UNG is expanding how and where it serves students and communities. The university launched the What Comes Next Hub to connect university expertise with community needs, created Evergreen Learning to provide lifelong learning opportunities, and introduced a $1,000 scholarship for dual-enrolled high school seniors. UNG has expanded four-year degree opportunities at the Cumming Campus and brought bachelor's degrees to the Blue Ridge Campus for the first time, extending access to high-demand programs across the region.

Dr. Shannon has also challenged UNG to respond directly to Georgia's workforce and leadership needs. In 2025, he committed the university to helping prepare more than 3,000 nurses, 250 physical therapists and 200 mental health counselors over five years. UNG's Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program was ranked No. 5 nationally in Fall 2025, while investments across healthcare, education, business, agriculture, STEM, the arts and humanities, and national security are strengthening the university's role in Georgia's economic competitiveness.

Leadership development is central to that work. Through UNG's Strategic Big Bets, the emerging Institute for Peak Performance and Leadership Foundry were launched, setting the conditions for the university to deliver new ways to develop the human capabilities that will matter most in a rapidly changing world — character, resilience, judgment, adaptability, performance, and the ability to lead others toward a greater purpose.

That commitment is particularly visible in America's Corps - UNG's Corps of Cadets. The Corps has experienced significant enrollment growth and nationally recognized performance. During the past year, UNG produced both the nation's No. 1 Army active-duty ROTC cadet and No. 1 Army National Guard ROTC cadet, along with 21 Distinguished Military Students and 37 Distinguished Military Graduates, reinforcing UNG's historic role in developing leaders for the nation.

Across the Power of Five, Dr. Shannon is also advancing a long-term strategy to align academic excellence, student experience, community partnership and physical investment. UNG secured $50 million in state and philanthropic support in 2025 for the STEM Excellence Center on the Dahlonega Campus and funding in 2026 for a major renovation of the Strickland Building on the Gainesville Campus. In spring and summer 2026, the university broke ground on the STEM Excellence Center and the Bob Lathem Poultry Instructional Center Complex and Abit Massey Poultry Instructional Center, opened expansions to the Library and Student Center on the Oconee Campus, and celebrated the opening of the Wynne-Mathews Military Science Center in Dahlonega.

These investments are part of a larger vision for UNG's campuses — one that connects the university more deeply with the communities it serves and builds upon the distinctive strengths of each campus while multiplying their collective impact.

That momentum extends beyond academics. Philanthropic support has reached historic levels, while UNG Athletics has won the Peach Belt Conference David R. Brunk Commissioner's Cup twice in the past three seasons and continues to compete for NCAA championships. Together, these achievements reflect a university increasingly focused on excellence, opportunity, and impact.

Dr. Shannon's approach is deeply personal. A first-generation college graduate who was once told he would never attend a university, he earned a Ph.D. from Georgia Tech and has made removing barriers and creating opportunity central to his leadership. He also served 20 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a lieutenant colonel after assignments in the Infantry, Signal Corps, counterproliferation, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and West Point. Following his military career, he worked in small business and served as a faculty member, researcher and executive at Georgia Tech.

Those experiences have shaped a leadership philosophy grounded in calling, relevance and differentiation: understanding whom UNG is called to serve, ensuring the university remains relevant to the world its students will enter, and building on the qualities that make UNG distinctly powerful.

Dr. Shannon is joined in that work by his wife, Jessica, a fellow veteran and teacher who is a passionate advocate for students, literacy and families. They are the proud parents of four children.