1871

Articles of Incorporation are filed for North Georgia Agricultural College (NGAC) with the aim of providing access to education for young men and women who might not otherwise have an opportunity to attend college.

The abandoned U.S. Mint building and 10 acres of land in Dahlonega are transferred to the State of Georgia for educational use.

1872

Articles of incorporation are approved. The Board of Trustees approves the admission of women, making NGAC the first co-educational institution in the state. Women would take the same classes as men, with the exception of the military training required for students attending all land-grant institutions.

1873

NGAC officially welcomes its first class of 177 students, including 79 women, making it the first coeducational institution in the state.

1878

NGAC receives permission from the Lumpkin County Superior Court to award degrees to both male and female students.

1916

Although military training was always part of the NGAC’s curriculum, with passage of the National Defense Act of 1916 the college establishes its first ROTC program.

Later, the college would become one of only six federally-designated senior military colleges in the nation, including The Citadel, Norwich University, Texas A&M University, Virginia Tech, and Virginia Military Institute. The college would also become designated as The Military College of Georgia.

1929

With dwindling interest in mining engineering and agricultural education assumed by other state institutions, NGAC shifts its focus to arts and sciences and is renamed North Georgia College.

1934

By action of the state Board of Regents, NGAC’s administration building is dedicated as Price Memorial Building to honor founder William Pierce Price, who worked tirelessly on behalf of the college until his death in 1908.

1945

With the end of the war and the newly enacted GI Bill, returning veterans pursue a college education in record numbers.

1950

The college farm ceases operations and is renovated to Pine Valley Recreation Area, which continues to be used by the Corps of Cadets for simulation training.

1951

Fueled by the post-war boom, an abundance of construction is completed during the term of 11^th president Merritt E. Hoag (1949-1970), including Lewis Hall (1951), a women’s dormitory named to honor NGAC’s first female graduate, Willie B. Lewis.

During the Hoag administration, other notable construction includes Gaillard Hall, the president’s residence, Memorial Hall, Dunlap Hall, Lewis Hall Annex, Simon’s Hall and a new student center dedicated as Hoag Hall.

1958

Gold mined from the Dahlonega area, the site of the first American gold rush in the 1830s, is used to gild the dome of the Georgia State Capitol building.

1964

Gainesville Junior College is founded, the result of visionary community leaders seeking to fill a need for accessible, quality higher education for the citizens of Northeast Georgia. While the campus is in development, classes initially meet at the Gainesville Civic Center and First Baptist Church.

1966

Gainesville Junior College opens its permanent campus with high demand from the outset for programs aimed at preparing students for the local workforce or transfer to other senior institutions.

1970

NGAC’s longest-serving president, John H. Owen, is inaugurated and serves until 1992.

1972

Price Memorial Hall, the oldest surviving building on campus, is added to the National Register of Historic Places.

During the presidency of John H. Owen, a library, plant operations building, Donovan Hall dormitory and the chow hall are completed.

1973

Gold leafing is installed on the bell tower of Price Memorial Hall to commemorate the college’s centennial, making it the iconic symbol of Georgia’s second-oldest public institution and one of the earliest land grant institutions.

1987

Gainesville Junior College is renamed Gainesville College when the USG authorizes removal of “Junior” or “Community” from two-year colleges to better reflect the quality of students’ academic experience.

1996

With the broadening scope of its programs, NGC is reclassified as a state university and renamed North Georgia College & State University.

2003

Gainesville College expands to include to the Oconee Campus in Watkinsville.

2005

Gainesville College is renamed Gainesville State College to reflect the growth of four-year programs at the institution. The college’s first four-year degree offering is the B.S. in Applied Environmental and Spatial Analysis.

2011

Dr. Bonita C. Jacobs is installed as NGCSU’s 17^th president and the first woman in the college’s history.

2012

The University System of Georgia recommends consolidation of North Georgia College & State University and Gainesville State College.

2013

Consolidation is official on January 8, 2013, creating the University of North Georgia, with four campuses across northeast Georgia. With this designation, UNG becomes one of only six senior military colleges in the nation, which include The Citadel, Norwich University, Texas A&M University, Virginia Tech, and Virginia Military Institute.

2015

UNG opens its fifth campus in Blue Ridge to serve the northernmost region of the state, this final addition making UNG the campus we know today.

2016

UNG is designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, a program jointly sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency.

2017

The Lewis F. Rogers Institute for Environmental and Spatial Analysis was designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence.

2020

UNG completes construction of a new standalone campus in Blue Ridge along with expansion projects on the Gainesville and Cumming Campuses.

The U.S. Department of Labor awards a $1.4 million grant to UNG to provide workforce development in six northeast Georgia counties: Dawson, Fannin, Forsyth, Gilmer, Hall and Lumpkin.

2021

UNG is named a Fulbright U.S. Student Program Top Producer for the fourth consecutive year.

2022

UNG kicks off its yearlong Sesquicentennial Celebration on August 12, 2022.