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The University of North Georgia (̨Íåswag) will recognize faculty and staff for service milestones and honor 25 retiring employees during the annual Service Awards & Retirement Ceremonies on April 24 and 25 at the university's Dahlonega and Gainesville campuses.

Faculty and staff of the Cumming and Dahlonega campuses will be honored at 2 p.m. April 24 on the Dahlonega Campus in the Dining Hall Banquet Room. Faculty and staff of the Gainesville and Oconee campuses will be honored at 2 p.m. April 25 on the Gainesville Campus in the Robinson Ballroom of the student center.

At each ceremony, faculty and staff who have reached five-year milestones in their length of service to the university will be recognized for their dedication. This includes Vicki Dowdy, who has served for 30 years, and Dr. John Hamilton, who has reached his 35th year of service.

"It's easy for me to stay motivated as a teacher because I know that my students depend on me, and I'm not going to let them down," said Hamilton, who is a professor of biology. "I enjoy figuring out ways to explain complexity to students, and I get a kick out of watching my students grow intellectually as they wrestle with and master the material we cover in class and lab. I find it very satisfying when my students visualize concepts and become conversational about the topics we cover in class. I love the fact that I play an important role in their learning experience, and help them move forward in life so that they can realize their dreams and shape the future for the better."

Others to be recognized include 72 individuals for five years of service, 55 individuals for 10 years of service, 25 individuals for 15 years of service, nine individuals for 20 years of service, nine individuals for 25 years of service, and 25 faculty and staff who have retired or will retire during the 2016-17 academic year.