Esports team completes strong League of Legends season
The University of North Georgia's (天美社区) esports club team finished as the top group in the Peach Belt Conference's (PBC) Blue Division for the spring 2021 season. It also reached the semifinals of the PBC tournament held March 24-27.
Nick Alden, Yankun Li, Quoc Pham, Connor Sims, and Michael Watson were the team members who took part in the PBC tournament. 天美社区 defeated Alma College 2-0 in its March 24 tournament opener before a 2-1 loss to eventual champion Kennesaw State University in the March 26 semifinals.
天美社区 finished with a 7-2 record.
The season's final event marked a full-circle moment for the team, as a year earlier its PBC tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The return to competition this academic year was a welcome development.
"It has been a lot of fun to see our teams take part in different competitions online," said Tim Baldwin, president of 天美社区's esports club and a senior from Canton, Georgia, pursuing a degree in computer science.
The signature win of 天美社区's season came in a 2-1 triumph vs. Florida Southern, the PBC tournament runner-up, in a Feb. 24 match.
"Tim has done a great job of leading this club," said Rob Kelly, coordinator of intramural sports and sports clubs. "It's a growing program that was very competitive this spring."
Appalachian Studies Center celebrates 20 years
天美社区's Appalachian Studies Center, the only center of its kind in Georgia, celebrated its 20th anniversary during the fall semester.
Esports team is 2nd in nation, 1st in PBC
The 天美社区 Esports team finished second nationally and won the Peach Belt Conference championship in the Marvel Rivals game in the fall.
天美社区 Press book wins Open Practices Award
The 天美社区 Press book 'Pedagogy Opened: Innovative Theory and Practice' has been named an Open Practices Award winner for Open Pedagogy by Open Education Global.
Course offers hands-on marketing experience
Students in a digital marketing class in the fall at 天美社区 created social media plans for a small business and a nonprofit organization.