Fourteen University of North Georgia (UNG) cadets commissioned as second lieutenants in the Army and Georgia Army National Guard on July 25 in a ceremony in the Hoag Auditorium at UNG's Dahlonega Campus. The university also honored three cadets who graduated this summer on the National Service Leadership Track.

Russell Adams, who is from Colbert, Georgia, earned a Master of Arts in International Affairs while he was a cadet through the Green to Gold program that allows Army soldiers to earn a degree and commission as an officer.

Adams was in the Army for four years before coming to UNG. He commissioned as a Chemical Corps second lieutenant in the Army with plans to move into Military Intelligence when he becomes a captain. With a natural bent toward servant leadership, Adams is grateful for the level of training he received at UNG.

"It's the senior military college. The name itself sets you up for success down the road," Adams said. "UNG has a different standard that's a lot higher than everywhere else."

UNG is one of six senior military colleges (SMC) in the nation and is the lone Army-only SMC. The university's Corps of Cadets commissions about 100 second lieutenants annually. More than 60 alumni have gone on to become flag officers.

Coleman Johnson, who is from Evans, Georgia, earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in management and commissioned into the active-duty Army Field Artillery branch. He was a civilian student for three years before becoming a cadet for his final two years.

He was originally pursuing a degree in kinesiology and considered dropping out and enlisting in the Army before deciding to join the Corps of Cadets. Lt. Col. Robert Johnson, his father and a UNG alumnus, convinced him to take the commissioning route instead.

Johnson said his time as a squad leader in Echo Company allowed him to learn that leadership is much more than simply telling people what to do.

His experience at Advanced Camp convinced him that UNG's Leadership Development Program (LDP) is the gold standard in preparing cadets for camp, which helps determine the branch in which they will commission.

"A lot of other schools have a version of LDP," Johnson said. "I haven't seen any of them do it as well as we do."

Col. Bryan Kirk, UNG's professor of military science, said the commissioning cadets have taken advantage of the solid foundation provided by UNG.

"The cadets commissioning into the U.S. Army this week in Dahlonega are exemplars of the caliber of leaders forged at the University of North Georgia. They have met and, in most cases, exceeded the standards required to commission and make a difference in today's dynamic and complex world," Kirk said. "We are proud of their hard work, their success and their preparation to lead on the day they graduate and arrive at their unit."