The University of North Georgia (UNG) has opened the doors to its newest residence hall on the Dahlonega Campus. A ribbon cutting was held for the new co-ed, two-building facility known as The Commons Thursday morning.
The new facility adds 540 beds to UNG's residential on-campus housing.
Participating in the ribbon-cutting ceremony were UNG President Bonita C. Jacobs; Philip Wilheit of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, Jimmy Scott, program director of Corvias Campus Living; Dr. Janet Marling, UNG vice president for student affairs and enrollment management; and Oreva Aki, president of the Student Government Association at the Dahlonega Campus.
"UNG has a deep commitment to student success, and we put great effort into ensuring their college experience is among the very best," Jacobs said. "When students are able to live on campus, we know they tend to be more successful, they are more engaged academically, and they connect more to campus life."
With the addition of The Commons, UNG will now serve 2,740 students with on-campus housing – about 39 percent of the student population at the Dahlonega Campus.
Aki toured the building twice during its construction and is very excited to have a spot reserved in the hall for the fall. Aki is a senior pursuing a double-major in international affairs and Arabic language/literature.
"The Commons are located in a prime area of campus; the views that you get from the building are phenomenal, and I think students will really enjoy living in them," Aki said. "The living space will encourage students to emerge outside from their rooms and use the available chat rooms within the buildings, as well as get them out and into the community."
Corvias Campus Living was selected to develop, construct, manage, renovate, and maintain student housing by the University System of Georgia's Board of Regents in a public-private partnership for several institutions, including UNG.
"The Board of Regents introduced the Public-Private Partnership – or P3 – initiative in 2014 to support the development of on-campus student housing at institutions within the University System that have been experiencing growth, like the University of North Georgia," Wilheit said.
"As one of the state's leading institutions, UNG continues to experience strong market demand, and I know The Commons will enhance the on-campus housing experience of students. In fact, it is already fully booked for this year."
Building One of The Commons will contain 61 suites that house up to 187 students, while Building Two will contain 108 suites that house up to 351 students. The Commons will also provide basic cable and Wi-Fi access points and will be staffed with 17 resident assistants and a resident director. The single- and double-occupancy, suite-style housing is located across the street from UNG's dining hall and is adjacent to the Walker Drive residential parking deck.
Students will move into the hall for the fall semester beginning Friday, August 19.
