The University of North Georgia, a regional multi-campus institution and premier senior military college, provides a culture of academic excellence in a student-focused environment that includes quality education, service, inquiry, and creativity. This is accomplished through broad access to comprehensive academic and co-curricular programs that develop students into leaders for a diverse and global society. The University of North Georgia is a University System of Georgia leadership institution and is The Military College of Georgia. At the University of North Georgia, we believe that engagement through authentic partnerships with our communities should be an integral part of our DNA as an institution, not only determining the fabric of who we are, but also who we are going to be in the future. UNG President Bonita Jacobs became a signatory on Campus Compact’s 30th Anniversary Action Statement in January 2016, committing the University of North Georgia to develop a campus Civic Action Plan, which is intended to be a living document that celebrates on-going community-engaged work, across our five campuses, identify opportunities for new programs or initiatives, and emphasize capacity-building for sustainable change. The UNG Civic Action Plan serves as a map for improving the depth and pervasiveness of our community engagement work. This process has provided us with the opportunity to renew our commitment to preparing students for democratic citizenship, strengthen our partnerships for change, and ensure that our teaching, research, and institutional actions contribute to the public good.
- Goal 1: Increase the profile and celebration of community engagement activities through purposeful opportunities to connect the campuses with their communities. Each of these opportunities would be open to students, faculty, staff, and the community.
- Goal 2: Form a community of practice for faculty and staff members focused on community engagement. This community of practice will be purposefully aligned with the existing Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) Initiative at UNG.
- Goal 3: Explore the resources required to expand community engagement efforts at UNG. This will include input from an analysis of peer institutions and will be informed by the current literature.
- Goal 4: Evaluate and identify areas of improvement for the data collection and assessment practices for community engagement.
- Goal 5: Establish deeper relationships across the institution to ensure that community engagement plays a central role in the identity of the University of North Georgia.
- Goal 6: Work with Deans of Students, campus Student Government Associations, and leadership on each campus to determine an appropriate pathway for the civic education and mentoring of students. This process will leverage existing efforts, advocate for incorporating civic learning to appropriate co-curricular activities, and identify areas of needed programming.
- Goal 7: Determine critical issue areas that help UNG focus its community impact efforts.