Many leaders of public universities across the state will convene at North Georgia College & State University as the Dahlonega school hosts the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.

The 18-member board and its chancellor govern 35 colleges and universities, including Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia, and will begin its two-day meeting today in North Georgia’s Library Technology Center. Administrators have been preparing the campus for the meeting since early summer, said university spokeswoman Kate Maine.

"Some of the things we have been planning to do on campus anyway for some time, we have coordinated that with this visit so the campus is looking its best," she said.

Andrew Leavitt, vice president for advancement at North Georgia, said the board meets at only two system campuses each year.

The remainder of the almost monthly Board of Regents meetings take place in the board’s downtown Atlanta office building. The University System of Georgia’s 35 institutions enroll more than 283,000 students and employ more than 40,000 faculty.

"We are delighted to have the opportunity to show the regents firsthand the extraordinary experience our students are having at North Georgia," he said. "... They’ve been here before, but it’s been a long time."

A lot has changed since the regents last met at North Georgia at least 20 years ago, he said.

Leavitt said the university will host the regents in its new $18 million Library Technology Center built with state funds. Also, student fees paid for a new recreation center and parking deck on campus.

A promenade connecting the new library to a new drill field was recently finished and landscaped.

There is more construction in the works for the university that had a 3 percent enrollment increase this year over last. North Georgia has more than 5,650 students this semester, Leavitt said.

He said the university broke ground this year on a 350-bed dormitory for cadets, a 600-bed dormitory for civilian students and on a 1,000-space parking deck.

Maine said the Board of Regents was scheduled to visit North Georgia’s campus last year, but the board cancelled its out-of-office meetings due to budgetary concerns.

"It’s such an important thing for them to be able to visit member institution campuses that they decided to resume that practice this year," Maine said.

She said administrators aim to impress upon the board the university’s unique role in the university system. The school strives to instill leadership qualities in its civilian population and in cadets who attend the state’s military college as designated by the state legislature, Maine said.

North Georgia President David Potter will welcome the board at the meeting this afternoon. The Corps of Cadets will conduct a military review before an evening reception open to the community.

On Wednesday, the board will take action on several academic issues relating to numerous universities.

The board is expected to approve North Georgia’s first doctoral degree this week. The physical therapy doctoral degree has been offered at North Georgia in conjunction with the Medical College of Georgia.

"It marks a major step for the university," Maine said. "Once we are approved for that, it paves the way for other opportunities at the doctoral level."

Augusta State University and the Medical College of Georgia will host the board’s next on-campus meeting in April, Maine said.