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September 13, 2021

A variety of new spaces are being built or have opened to benefit students on the University of North Georgia's (¹û¶³´«Ã½) campuses this fall.

Construction on the Cottrell Center for Business, Technology & Innovation, which is planned to open in fall 2022 as the new home for the Mike Cottrell College of Business (MCCB), is moving quickly on ¹û¶³´«Ã½'s Dahlonega Campus.

"The Cottrell Center project is progressing well and recently achieved the major milestone of 'topping out,' where the last component of structural steel was installed," Ken Crowe, assistant vice president for facilities, said. "We hope to achieve 'dry in' over the next month, allowing for the interior work to progress without weather delays."

A student lounge has opened on the Cumming Campus, and a few updated spaces have enhanced the student experience on the Oconee Campus. Nighthawk Engagement and Student Transitions has added a new adult learner and transfer lounge on the Dahlonega Campus in Room 320 of the Hoag Student Center, as well. These projects are in addition to the Gainesville Campus expansion that provided new space for multiple academic departments and information technology services.

Dr. Mary Gowan, dean of the MCCB, is excited to be less than a year away from making use of her college's new facility. A $10 million gift from Mike Cottrell, the college's namesake benefactor, and wife Lynn Cottrell, along with $25 million in state funds, paved the way for the new building.

"The Cottrell Center for Business, Technology & Innovation will be truly transformative for the MCCB, providing us with a facility designed for learning that is comparable to those of the top business programs," Gowan said. "The Cottrell Center will provide technology-enhanced classrooms and computer labs, dedicated spaces for cybersecurity and logistics, student engagement areas, and gathering spaces for large events."

Dr. James Conneely, vice president of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, credits Nikki McNeill, the former student services coordinator on the Cumming Campus, as the driving force behind the Cumming Campus student lounge.

"Consistent with our mission, students will have a place to go on the Cumming Campus to socialize and hang out," Conneely said. "We want students to know they belong and have a place they can be empowered to be successful. This student lounge space will offer them an opportunity for ownership as Nighthawks."

Isabelle Calcano, a junior from Cumming, Georgia, pursuing a degree in cybersecurity, is grateful for the lounge.

 "Having this space to hang out and make friends is important," Calcano said.

The Oconee Campus has added a veteran’s center in its 700 Building, making it the third ¹û¶³´«Ã½ campus to have a dedicated space for veterans.

"We're really excited about that. We know our veteran population at the Oconee Campus is growing," Dr. Cyndee Perdue Moore, executive director of the Oconee Campus, said. "We wanted to give them a special area to study with other veterans or have a cup of coffee."

Additionally, an arcade and a gallery celebrating the 50th anniversary of ¹û¶³´«Ã½'s Visual Arts Department are part of a refurbished Bishop Hall on the Oconee Campus.