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(March 18, 2011) – North Georgia College & State University will honor former president Nathaniel Hansford and his wife, Frances Fincher Hansford, by renaming an historic campus facility during the university's annual Parents-Alumni Weekend celebration. West Main Hall will be renamed and dedicated as Nathaniel and Frances Fincher Hansford Hall. The ceremony, open to the public, is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 9, at the front entrance of the building.

The Hansfords served at North Georgia from 1999 to 2005, a period marked by significant construction projects, including the Health & Natural Sciences Building, John H. Owen Residence Hall, and a new plant operations building. Hansford also sought state funding for the Library Technology Center, which was completed in 2008. Under his leadership, the university also expanded the Corps of Cadets and solidified the university's leadership initiative and its role as a state leadership institution.

West Main Hall, formerly known as the Education Building, was constructed in 1895 and was renovated in 2008. It currently houses the Department of Visual Arts, the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice, the Center for Global Engagement, and the Department of Information and Instructional Technology.

Before becoming president of North Georgia College & State University in 1999, Nathaniel "Nat" Hansford was dean of the School of Law at the University of Alabama. He previously served as a visiting professor at the United States Military Academy, the University of Georgia, and the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. An attorney, Hansford was commissioned a captain in the Judge Advocate General's Corps and spent three years in the Army. He retired after 20 years of service in the U.S. Army Reserves with the rank of colonel.

Additionally, he has served on the board of directors of Cohutta Bank of Chatsworth, Ga., for 34 years and Synovus Financial Corporation of Columbus, Ga., for more than 20 years. He is a member and former chairman of the Georgia Non-Public Postsecondary Education Commission and a member of the Board of Trustees for the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.

Frances Fincher Hansford is a former teacher with experience in elementary schools, special education and mathematics. As first lady at North Georgia, she enjoyed attending many campus events and was actively involved with the International Students Association. She currently serves on two state boards: the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and the National Society of Colonial Dames of America in the State of Georgia.

The dedication of Hansford Hall is one of many events scheduled for Parents-Alumni Weekend, which will be Friday, April 8 through Sunday, April 10. Scheduled events include the annual Saints Club Golf Tournament, alumni class reunions, wine tasting with former professor Guy Oliver, planetarium programs, a breakfast for nursing alumni, a chemistry department open house and luncheon to celebrate its recent accreditation, athletic events featuring baseball Hall of Famer Phil Neikro, the Alumni Association's annual awards banquet, a brunch hosted by the Parents Association, and the Military Awards Review. Some events do require advance registration. Please see www.northgeorgia.org/paw for details.