DAHLONEGA, Ga. (July 15, 2026) — JE Dunn Construction joined University of North Georgia (UNG) leaders, students, faculty, and community partners on July 7, 2026, to celebrate the groundbreaking of the STEM Excellence Center on the university’s Dahlonega campus. The three-story facility represents a significant investment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, and will expand opportunities for innovation, research, and workforce development across North Georgia.
The 53,214-square-foot STEM Excellence Center is designed to support the university’s growing STEM programs through flexible learning environments that encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and hands-on education. The building will include classrooms, chemistry and physics laboratories, research and focus rooms, faculty offices, an Innovation Maker Space, open collaboration areas, and covered outdoor terraces, creating a unified STEM campus that strengthens connections across academic programs.
By bringing teaching, research, and experiential learning together under one roof, the STEM Excellence Center will prepare students for careers in high-demand STEM fields while providing opportunities to engage with advanced technologies and real-world problem solving.
“The STEM Excellence Center represents an investment in far more than a building. It’s an investment in the students who will solve tomorrow’s biggest challenges,” said Fred Tull, JE Dunn’s Education Construction Group Manager. “By creating a collaborative, hands-on learning environment where students can innovate, discover, and apply STEM in real-world ways, UNG is preparing the next generation of engineers, scientists, and leaders who will strengthen Georgia’s workforce and our communities. We’re proud to help bring that vision to life.”
Construction is underway on the facility, with completion anticipated in late 2027. Through early collaboration with key trade and prefabrication partners, the project team identified opportunities to incorporate prefabricated building components that improve quality, increase efficiency, and support schedule certainty. Designed for flexibility and collaboration, the building will become a cornerstone of STEM education for generations of students.
