Breaking Ground for Higher Education in Cumming

Officials from Forsyth County, the city of Cumming, North Georgia College & State University (NGCSU) and Gainesville State College will take part in an official groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday of the new instructional campus in Cumming.

The site of the new campus called University Center Georgia 400 is located behind the and  at 300 Aquatic Circle, off Pilgrim Mill Road.

The city of Cumming has been working with North Georgia and Gainesville State for a number of years to build an instructional site in Forsyth County, according Gerald Blackburn, city administrator.

"We would hope the entire community is excited about it — certainly the city is," he said.

In a news release, Cumming Mayor H. Ford Gravitt said the community and businesses welcome the project with open arms.

"A community is not complete without higher education and it's something very much needed here," Gravitt said when the Board of Regents approved the facility last spring.

The new facility, expected to open this fall, eventually will offer a range of two- and four-year undergraduate programs, graduate programs and professional development opportunities. North Georgia's MBA program, currently located in the Cumming City Hall building, will move to the new location.

"We have been teaching a variety of courses in Cumming and Forsyth County for years in different locations," said Kate Maine, Director of University Relations at NGCSU. "This new facility gives us the opportunity to offer the courses and expanded courses in one location."

Maine said the new facility will allow students to also take classes from Gainesville State College to complete some of the core curriculum should they move on to higher level courses or baccalaureate degrees with North Georgia.

The Cumming site won't be residential, and is expected to alleviate some of the capacity pressure at both the Dahlonega and Oakwood campuses.

With nearly 6,100 students, North Georgia is nearing capacity at its Dahlonega campus and Gainesville State's capacity has exceeded 100 percent on the Oakwood campus since 2000.

As of fall 2011, more than 1,500 students from Forsyth County were enrolled at the schools — 782 at North Georgia and 806 at Gainesville State.

The existing partnership between North Georgia and Gainesville State to open the new facility hasn't been affected by the recent decision by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia to consolidate both schools.