In early 2012, the University System of Georgia's Board of Regents recommended the consolidation of Gainesville State College, which was founded in 1964 in Gainesville, Georgia, and North Georgia College & State University, which was founded in 1873 in Dahlonega, Georgia. The consolidation became official on January 8, 2013, creating the University of North Georgia (UNG), with four campuses across northeast Georgia. In August 2015, UNG opened an additional campus in Blue Ridge, Georgia, to serve students in the northernmost region of the state. As a regional multi-campus institution and premier senior military college, UNG is unique in the range of educational pathways it offers students. From associate degrees to graduate-level programs, UNG provides an array of opportunities to help develop students into leaders for a diverse and global society. One of only six federally designated senior military colleges in the nation, the university carries the distinction of The Military College of Georgia and its nationally recognized Army ROTC program attracts students from across the state, region and nation. Additionally, UNG is designated by the University System of Georgia as a State Leadership Institution and has earned the Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.