The University of North Georgia (UNG) launched the Institute for Peak Performance (IPP) on Sept. 21, bringing together the collective expertise and resources of the Cadet Leadership Academy (CLA), Athletics Department and College of Health Sciences & Professions.

"The University of North Georgia is becoming the most innovative, dynamic, legacy-making university in America by bringing together multiple units to provide training, development, and cutting-edge research in the five core domains of holistic health and fitness for our cadets and student-athletes," President Michael Shannon said. "The synergy created by this Institute will also enable students in our health care programs to receive cutting-edge clinical and research experience. This Institute is one-of-a-kind in America."

The IPP is a strategic enabler which lies at the nexus of three UNG strategic big bets: "deliver the Corps of the Future",  "build the most competitive, value-added Division II athletics program in the nation," and "supercharge workforce development."

Retired Col. Bryan Kirk, associate vice president and chief of staff of UNG's CLA, will serve as the Institute’s interim director.

"For our Corps of Cadets graduates — our future leaders and Army officers — to be able to meet the challenges of the future and win, they must be able to operate at peak levels of performance across all five domains of what the Army has established as Holistic Health and Fitness," Kirk said. "A holistic approach to the physical, mental, spiritual, nutritional, and sleep domains of our cadets is fundamental and foundational to setting conditions for their success as leaders."

Some elements of the IPP have already been in motion for months in preparation for the launch of the Institute, and those efforts will now expand. Initially, the IPP will be housed in Memorial Hall while a new, state-of-the-art facility is imagined and built.

Mary Rob Plunkett, director of athletics, is looking forward to the impacts of IPP as well.

"The Institute for Peak Performance represents a significant leap forward in how we approach the development and well-being of our student-athletes," Plunkett said. "By integrating the expertise of our Department of Athletics, the Corps of Cadets, the College of Health Sciences & Professions, and our community partners, we are poised to redefine what it means to achieve peak performance."

Dr. Carolynn DeSandre, dean of the College of Health Sciences & Professions, said the IPP offers multifaceted benefits to UNG's health care students.

"IPP will provide students a unique interprofessional opportunity to work alongside their faculty in both innovative research and curriculum in holistic health and fitness education, training and hands-on clinical practice," DeSandre said. "The opportunity for our students to work alongside dedicated faculty and collaborative experts in the field of human performance to facilitate whole health and wellness education and training of peer Division II athletes and the Corps of Cadets will transform our students into health care workforce leaders of the future."

Kirk said cadets will graduate prepared to have maximum impact as Army officers and business and community leaders.

"Perhaps just as significant to the individual success of our future leaders and Army officers will be their ability to immediately impact their teams, their squads and platoons of soldiers upon graduation, which will carry our Corps of the Future impact exponentially throughout the Army and our public sectors," Kirk said.

With this effort, UNG’s vision is powerful. According to President Shannon, "Today we embark on a journey to set the conditions for the University of North Georgia's Institute for Peak Performance to become the national leader in human performance — America's human performance makerspace.  Welcome to the future of peak human performance."