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Former University of North Georgia (ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½) President Vernon "Nat" Nathaniel Hansford passed away March 4 at age 81.

Hansford served as president of ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ from 1999 to 2004.  During this time, North Georgia College & State University was growing, including its academic programs, the Corps of Cadets and Athletics.

He put in motion the initial steps for the Athletic Department to jump to NCAA Division II from NAIA, a move that benefits student-athletes and the university to this day as ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ uses its momentum to build the most competitive, value-added Division II athletics program in the nation.

Hansford Hall, which houses classes and faculty in the Department of Visual Arts, Department of Criminal Justice and Department of Political Science and International Affairs, is named in honor of Hansford and his wife, Frances Fincher Howard. They also continued to generously give back as longtime donors in support of student success, including scholarships and other programs.

"This week, Mrs. Hansford shared with me that Nat's most special and impactful years were during his time here at North Georgia as our president," ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ President Michael Shannon said. "He was a remarkable man, president, leader, husband, and father. We will surely miss him."

Hansford was commissioned a captain in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, and he spent three years in the Army, including one year in Korea. He always looked fondly on his time serving America, and as president, he was inspired by the Corps of Cadets.   

Retired Col. Tom Palmer, who served as ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½'s commandant of cadets for 20 years, started working at ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ on the same day as Hansford: July 1, 1999.

"He understood the importance of the military program at North Georgia, and he supported it to the fullest. I met with him every Monday morning for five years, and I clearly remember his attentive demeanor, his intellectual conversations and his great wit," Palmer said. "He and Frances were a great team who cared deeply for our university. Nat was instrumental in the construction of the current Military Leadership Center on the Dahlonega Campus, and he visited it frequently after its construction. I often called it 'the house that Nat built.'"

Dr. Richard Oates, who served in a variety of senior leadership roles at ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ including vice president of the Gainesville Campus and vice provost before retiring in 2022, served as head of the Department of Kinesiology when Hansford was president. Oates considered Hansford "a Southern gentleman" who "made North Georgia better." The athletics move to NCAA was an example of Hansford's principled leadership, according to Oates.

"He saw that was the direction that was going to enhance our student-athlete experience. That was not an easy transition, but that's what he did," Oates said. "After listening to everybody, he did what he thought was right for the university."

Dr. Mac McConnell, retired senior vice president of Business and Finance, enjoyed Hansford's sense of humor and his thoughtful leadership.

"He was an outstanding, visionary president," McConnell said.

Prior to coming to the ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½, Hansford served as the dean of the School of Law at the University of Alabama from 1986 to 1999. He practiced law in Dalton, Georgia, from 1973 to 1975 before joining the law school faculty at the University of Alabama in 1975.

During the 1997-98 academic year, Hansford served as a visiting professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, teaching constitutional law to senior-year cadets. He also served twice as a visiting professor at the University of Georgia and as a visiting professor at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.

He is survived by his wife Frances Fincher Hansford, his two children and his grandchildren.