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The University of North Georgia (¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ) broke ground Sept. 23 on its Wynne-Mathews Military Science Center for the ¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ. With the groundbreaking a year ahead of what was originally expected, the Military Science Center is set to open in time for the fall 2025 semester.

¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ (USG) Chancellor Sonny Perdue, USG Regent Jim Syfan, state Sen. Steve Gooch, and state Rep. Will Wade joined ¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ President Michael Shannon and other ¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ leaders at the ceremony, which was incorporated into the annual Distinguished Military Student Review on the Gen. William "Lipp" Livsey Drill Field.

¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ has received $8.3 million in state funding for the project after raising $5 million in private donations. The state funds include $7 million for construction in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget and $1.3 million for design in the Fiscal Year 2023 amended budget.

Perdue thanked the donors in attendance at the ceremony.

"¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ plays a vital role in our state and nation," Perdue said. "Your investment will continue to propel the ¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ to greater heights."

¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ plays a vital role in our state and nation. Your investment will continue to propel the ¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ to greater heights.

Dr. Sonny Perdue

¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ chancellor

It is the first of three planned facilities necessary to modernize and consolidate the support functions of ¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ's ¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ.  

"The future is bright for our U.S. military because of the future leaders who stand before us," Gooch, the Senate majority leader and a two-time ¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ alumnus, said.

The facility is named in recognition of the eight members of the Wynne-Mathews family who attended ¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ or served in the US Armed Forces and in honor of his late wife, whom he met at ¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ, Mary Joan Wynne Mathews.

"You are all to be commended for making a transformational mark on the future of the ¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ," Shannon, a retired lieutenant colonel, said. "Our legacy has been and will continue to be the contributions of the leaders we produce in all walks of life."

Mathews served six years in the United States Army and is a member of the inaugural class of the Army ROTC Hall of Fame. He recently retired as president and CEO of Colliers International/Atlanta, where he held leadership positions since 1993, including serving as CEO from 2004 until his retirement.

He formerly served as a ¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ Foundation trustee and president of the ¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ Alumni Association. Mathews continues to serve as chairman of the ¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ Real Estate Foundation. In addition to his transformational gift to this new facility for the ¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ, Mathews has created a significant endowed scholarship in honor of his late wife.

This new building will be a two-story, freestanding structure. At approximately 22,500 square feet, this facility will be composed primarily of academic space including classrooms, computer labs and offices. The academic space will include a large classroom that will accommodate 100 cadets. It is designed to be reconfigured to accommodate various events and auditorium-style presentations.