Presidential Investiture

Presidential Investiture

The Investiture of Dr. Michael P. "Mike" Shannon
as the 21st president of the University of North Georgia was on Friday, November 10.


Schedule of Events

Thursday, Nov. 9
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Academic Showcase: The UNG Way
Convocation Center, Concourse Level
Dahlonega Campus

Friday, Nov. 10
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Investiture Ceremony
Convocation Center, Dahlonega Campus
( Robing for delegates and faculty will begin at 8:00 a.m.)

President Shannon Investiture Program (PDF)

Find more information for delegates and ceremony participants.

If you are unable to attend the investiture in person, join the celebration through a watch party at one of our regional campuses. Refreshments will be served.

  • Blue Ridge Campus, Lobby
  • Cumming Campus, Room 246
  • Gainesville Campus, Robinson Ballroom
  • Oconee Campus, Room 522

Livestream started at 8:45 a.m.

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Corps of Cadets Military Review
Memorial Hall, Dahlonega Campus

Corps of Cadets Investiture Review Program (PDF)

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Picnic Celebration
Pine Valley, Dahlonega

About the Investiture

The University of North Georgia will celebrate the installation of Mike Shannon as the university’s twenty-first president on Friday, November 10, at 9:00 a.m. in the Convocation Center at UNG’s Dahlonega Campus.

An investiture ceremony is a long-standing academic tradition that is typically held during a president’s first year of office to signify a new chapter of leadership for the university. The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia named Michael P. “Mike” Shannon as UNG’s president on June 1, and he took office July 1. A retired U.S. Army officer, President Shannon most recently served as interim executive vice president for Administration and Finance and interim chief business officer at Georgia Institute of Technology.

The investiture ceremony will feature performances by university musicians and remarks by the president and special guests, including University System of Georgia Board of Regents Chairman Harold Reynolds, Chancellor Sonny Perdue, and Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera.

The investiture ceremony will be followed by a UNG Corps of Cadets Military Review at 11:30 a.m. at the William J. “Lipp” Livsey Drill Field and a celebratory picnic for the university community at the Pine Valley Recreation Center in Dahlonega from 1:00  to 4:00 p.m.

President Shannon’s investiture is scheduled in the same week as Veteran’s Day commemorations to highlight UNG’s designations as a one of six senior military colleges in the nation and as The Military College of Georgia. President Shannon will serve as the Grand Marshal of the Veterans Day Parade on Saturday, November 11, in downtown Dahlonega.

In addition, the week’s festivities will include an Academic Showcase on Thursday, November 9, from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. The event will feature student and faculty academic and service activities from across UNG’s five campuses. The Academic Showcase will be in the Convocation Center at UNG’s Dahlonega Campus and will be shared digitally via the investiture website.

All members of the university community are invited and encouraged to participate in the activities as their schedules allow. The investiture ceremony will be streamed live on the day of the event, and UNG’s regional campuses will host watch parties for those who are unable to attend in person.

About President Michael P. Shannon

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia named Michael P. “Mike” Shannon as UNG’s president on June 1, and he took office July 1.

A native of New Jersey, President Shannon is a first-generation college graduate and was commissioned through Army ROTC. He holds a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering and a master's in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He also holds a master's in health physics and a Ph.D. in nuclear and radiological engineering from Georgia Tech.

President Shannon served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for 20 years, retiring in 2015 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. After operational Army service as an Infantry and Signal Corps officer with assignments in the 82d Airborne Division, the 35th Signal Brigade (18th Airborne Corps) and the 2nd Infantry Division, he was selected to serve as a U.S. Army Nuclear and Counterproliferation officer.

For more than 10 years, he provided leadership and technical and operational expertise to the U.S. Department of Defense as an expert in nuclear technology issues and later held leadership assignments with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Shannon also served at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point during two different leadership assignments, as an instructor and later as an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering. At West Point, he was actively engaged in teaching and research along with several activities in support of cadet and Army officer development.

Prior to joining the University of North Georgia, President Shannon served as a member of Georgia Tech's executive leadership team and was responsible for strategic leadership and operations of human resources, finance and budget, information technology, facilities and infrastructure, capital planning, campus security, and emergency response. In addition, he served in numerous faculty, leadership and advisory roles, including as a research faculty member and principal investigator in the Advanced Concepts Laboratory at the Georgia Tech Research Institute.

President Shannon continues to serve veterans’ causes, is an active member of his church and is a coach for multiple local youth sports programs. He and his wife, Jessica, have four children.

During his first months in office, President Shannon conducted a listening tour across UNG’s five campuses to learn about the university from students, faculty, staff, and community members. From that process and through conversations with university colleagues, President Shannon developed “Bold Forward: Running Into Our Calling,” a white paper that identifies seven strategic areas in which UNG will differentiate itself in the coming years, deliver transformational educational opportunities to students, and serve the workforce needs of our region, state and nation.

Learn more about President Shannon.


Presidents of the University of North Georgia and Its Legacy Institutions

In 2013, Gainesville State College and North Georgia College & State University
consolidated to become the University of North Georgia.


David W. Lewis
North Georgia Agricultural College
1873–1885

William Starr Basinger
North Georgia Agricultural College
1886–1893

Isaac W. Waddell
North Georgia Agricultural College
1893–1897

Joseph Spencer Stewart
North Georgia Agricultural College
1897–1903

Edward Spain Avis
North Georgia Agricultural College
1903–1904

Gustavus Richard Glenn
North Georgia Agricultural College
1904–1922

Marion DuBois
North Georgia Agricultural College
1922–1925

John W. West
North Georgia College
1925–1932

Frank G. Branch
North Georgia College
1932–1933

Jonathan Clark Rogers
North Georgia College
1933–1949

Merritt E. Hoag
North Georgia College
1949–1970

Hugh M. Mills Jr.
Gainesville Junior College
1966-1983

John H. Owen
North Georgia College
1970–1992

J. Foster Watkins
Gainesville College
1983-1997

Delmas J. Allen
North Georgia College
1993–1996

Sherman R. Day
North Georgia College & State University
1996–1999

Martha T. Nesbitt
Gainesville State College
1997-2012

Nathaniel Hansford
North Georgia College & State University
1999–2004

David L. Potter
North Georgia College & State University
2005–2011

Bonita C. Jacobs
University of North Georgia
2011–2023