The University of North Georgia broke ground Sept. 23 on its Wynne-Mathews Military Science Center for the Corps of Cadets. 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.
University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue, USG Regent Jim Syfan, state Sen. Steve Gooch, and state Rep. Will Wade joined UNG President Michael Shannon and other UNG leaders at the ceremony, which was incorporated into the annual Distinguished Military Student Review on the Gen. William “Lipp” Livsey Drill Field.
UNG 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.
“UNG plays a vital role in our state and nation,” Perdue said. “Your investment will continue to propel the Corps of Cadets to greater heights.”
UNG is one of six senior military colleges in the nation, and it is the lone Army-only SMC. It holds designations as the Military College of Georgia and a State Leadership Institution. More than 60 alumni have gone on to be flag officers.
The Military Science Center, slated for construction between the Drill Field and the cadet residence halls, will provide modern, technology-enabled classrooms sufficient for teaching 1,000 cadets.
It is the first of four planned facilities necessary to modernize and consolidate the support functions of UNG’s Corps of Cadets.
“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 UNG alumnus, said.
The facility is named in recognition of the philanthropic support and service of Bob Mathews, ‘71, UNG Real Estate Foundation founding chairman, and in honor of his late wife, Mary Joan Wynne Mathews.
“You are all to be commended for making a transformational mark on the future of the Corps of Cadets,” 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 UNG Foundation trustee and president of the UNG Alumni Association. Mathews continues to serve as chairman of the UNG Real Estate Foundation. In addition to his transformational gift to this new facility for the Corps of Cadets, 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.