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The University of North Georgia (¹û¶³´«Ã½) helped Paul Dunlap's dream of an art career come true. He's been paying it forward for almost two decades as a faculty member in ¹û¶³´«Ã½'s visual arts department.

Even though he had wanted to be an artist from his middle school days, Dunlap initially began a career in health care because he wasn't sure if he could make a living by following his passion. It didn't take long for a simple thought to percolate: "Somebody's making money in art. Why can't it be me?"

A bachelor's degree in studio art at ¹û¶³´«Ã½ jumpstarted that process. Just 10 days after earning a Master of Fine Arts in photography from the University of Georgia, Dunlap was back on ¹û¶³´«Ã½'s Dahlonega Campus as an adjunct faculty member.

"I knew I wanted to teach here. There was nowhere else," Dunlap, a professor of visual arts, said. "I wanted to give back and make it better, carry the torch."

Dunlap has lived out that mantra, as the department has grown from 60-70 students when he was in classes to well over 500 students now. The three full-time faculty from his days as a student changed his life, and the department now includes 25 full-time faculty.

He also played an integral role in raising the profile of the department, serving as the lead for its application for National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD) accreditation, which it first received in 2015. Dunlap credited ¹û¶³´«Ã½ President Bonita Jacobs and College of Arts & Letters Dean Christopher Jespersen for quadrupling the department's faculty and providing the resources needed to earn the NASAD recognition.

"We're growing because of NASAD accreditation," Dunlap said.

Dunlap is also grateful for the Gainesville Campus expansion, which will provide additional high-quality space for art students.

Dunlap's main areas of interest in teaching are mixed media, hand-coloring photographs, and 19th century photography. His students "seem to love it." The 2019 winner of the Alumni Association Distinguished Professor award is grateful to make an impact encouraging students toward art careers more than two decades after he was in their shoes.

"You've got to want it badly," Dunlap said. "You can do it, and I'm living proof of that."