Mercer University
Encyclopedia
Mercer University is an independent, private
, coeducational university
with a Baptist
heritage located in the U.S. state
of Georgia
.
Mercer is the only university of its size in the United States
that offers programs in eleven diversified fields of study: liberal arts
, business
, education
, music
, engineering
, medicine
, nursing
, pharmacy
, law
, theology
, and continuing and professional studies
. Mercer enrolls approximately 8,000 students in its eleven colleges and schools. Students come from approximately 45 states and 65 countries; more than 80% are Georgia residents.
Mercer has major campuses in Macon
, Atlanta
, and Savannah
, regional academic centers in Henry County
, Douglas County
, Eastman
, and Newnan
, teaching hospitals in Macon and Savannah, a university press and a performing arts center in Macon, and the Mercer Engineering Research Center in Warner Robins
.
Mercer is a founding member of the Atlantic Sun Conference
and is the only private university in Georgia with a NCAA Division I athletic program.
as a boys' preparatory school
under the leadership of Billington McCarthy Sanders, a professor who served as the first president, and Adiel Sherwood, a Baptist
minister who previously founded a boys' manual labor school that served as a model. Initially named Mercer Institute, the school opened with 39 students on January 14, 1833. The school was named for Jesse Mercer
, a prominent Baptist leader who provided a founding endowment
and who served as the first chairman of the board of trustees. The Georgia General Assembly
granted a university charter in December 1837. Mercer adopted its present name in 1838 and graduated its first university class, of three students, in 1841. Mercer was one of the few Southern
colleges or universities and the only college or university in Georgia to remain open throughout the American Civil War
. In 1866, Mercer awarded an honorary
Doctor of Laws to Confederate
General
Robert E. Lee
, the only college or university to grant him an honorary degree.
Mercer moved to Macon
, a center of transportation and commerce in Georgia, in 1871. The School of Law was established in 1873 and was named the Walter F. George School of Law
in 1947 in honor of Mercer alumnus Walter F. George
, class of 1901, who served as a United States Senator from Georgia and as President pro tempore of the United States Senate
.
, Mercer was one of 131 colleges and universities that participated in the V-12 Navy College Training Program
. The program offered military training that prepared students for a commission in the United States Navy
.
in 1959 when the university absorbed the independent Southern School of Pharmacy. The College of Liberal Arts, the Walter F. George School of Law
, and the Southern School of Pharmacy comprised the university until 1972 when Mercer merged with Atlanta Baptist College, which became Mercer's Atlanta campus.
Atlanta Baptist College was founded in 1968 under the leadership of Dr. Monroe F. Swilley
, a prominent Baptist
educator. The college merged with Mercer in 1972 and became the College of Arts and Sciences, and in 1984 was named the Cecil B. Day
College of Arts and Sciences. Mercer offered undergraduate liberal arts
education in Atlanta until 1990 when the college closed. Faculty and students tried to prevent the closure, but were not successful. The mission of the Atlanta campus changed to graduate
and professional education. The Southern School of Pharmacy moved in 1992 from its downtown location to the Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Campus.
Mercer grew substantially between 1982 and 2006 with the establishment of eight colleges and schools: the School of Medicine in 1982, the Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics in 1984, the School of Engineering in 1985, the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology in 1994, the Tift College of Education in 1995, the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing in 2001, the College of Continuing and Professional Studies in 2003, and the Townsend School of Music in 2006.
Mercer opened the Savannah
campus in 2008. The campus is the location of Mercer's second four-year medical school, which opened at the same time.
jointly, was valued at $123 million. The campaign financed numerous projects including the construction and renovation of facilities and endowed scholarships for students. New facilities on the Macon campus include the University Center, a large multi-purpose facility that houses the university's athletics department, basketball
arena, and student services, the Allan and Rosemary McCorkle Music Building that houses the Townsend School of Music, a new Science and Engineering Building, and the Greek Village with 18 fraternity
and sorority
houses. New facilities on the Atlanta campus include academic buildings for the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology, the Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics, the Tift College of Education, and the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing as well as a large student housing complex.
. The convention also saw Mercer as becoming secularized and not conforming to its values. In November 2005, the Georgia Baptist Convention voted to end the affiliation between Mercer and the convention. Mercer still has ties to individual churches, provides scholarships to students through its Baptist Scholars Fund, and operates the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology, which is affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Mercer's decision to become an independent Baptist university contrasts with other universities that became secular after severing ties with their state conventions. Such universities include Furman University
, Stetson University
, the University of Richmond
, and Wake Forest University
.
along with Vanderbilt University
, Duke University
, Emory University
, Wake Forest University
, and Tulane University
. Specific goals of the plan include increasing the student body from 7,300 to 8,500, enlarging the endowment to $1 billion, expanding the number of master's and doctoral
programs, and constructing numerous new facilities including a medical education building in Savannah, a student center and an undergraduate sciences building in Macon, a chapel/performing arts center in Atlanta, and residence halls in Macon and Atlanta.
degrees: Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction
, Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing
, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and Doctor of Physical Therapy
. Mercer also opened its second four-year medical school, in Savannah
, in 2008 and its fourth regional academic center, in Newnan
, in 2010. The university will begin offering the Doctor of Clinical Medical Psychology
degree in 2012.
Mercer opened a large retail-residential center on the Macon
campus in February 2011. The center, called Mercer Lofts, houses the Barnes & Noble
operated university bookstore, other shops, and student housing. In July 2011, Phase II of the project was approved by the city planning council; Mercer Lofts II will be another large retail-residential center across the street from Phase I.
In addition to the Mercer Lofts project, the university is planning a new welcome center and admissions office on the Macon campus; the center will be named for Emily P. Myers, a long-time university administrator and will be the university's first LEED
certified building.
Improvements to the Mercer athletics department are planned to increase the university's visibility. Mercer won the Atlantic Sun Conference
championship in baseball
and in women's soccer in 2010. Mercer's men's lacrosse
team began play in 2011; the university has the first NCAA Division I lacrosse program in Georgia. Women's lacrosse will begin play in 2012. Mercer has also announced the reinstatement of intercollegiate football
as a NCAA Division I, non-scholarship sport beginning in the fall of 2013. In September 2011, the university began construction of a new football stadium on the Macon campus.
US News and World Report continues to rank Mercer among the top 10 comprehensive universities in the South
; Mercer is ranked ninth in the 2012 "Best Universities-Master's" category marking the university's twenty-second consecutive year among the top 15 and thirteenth consecutive year in the top 10. The 2012 edition also ranks Mercer among the "Great Schools, Great Prices" as the seventh best value in the South
. In addition, the Princeton Review, in its 2012 "Best 376 Colleges" guide, ranks Mercer in the top fifteen percent of all colleges and universities nationwide.
became Mercer’s eighteenth president on July 1, 2006, succeeding Dr. Raleigh Kirby Godsey
, who served as president for 27 years. Dr. Godsey continues to serve as the university’s chancellor.
Underwood has led Mercer during a period of dynamic growth and development for the university. Enrollment has increased by approximately twenty percent to more than 8,200 students. Mercer has launched a second medical school (in Savannah), initiated a master’s-level physician assistant program and a doctoral-level program in physical therapy, and added doctoral programs in Clinical Psychology, Nursing, Counseling, Educational Leadership, and Curriculum and Instruction. Reflecting an increased emphasis on research, Mercer now meets the criteria established by the Carnegie Foundation
for classification as a research-doctoral university. Over the past three years, the number of doctoral students has increased from fewer than 25 to more than 200, while the amount of annual externally funded research expenditures has grown to more than $25 million. In addition to increased levels of funding from the National Institutes of Health
and the National Science Foundation
, Mercer scientists have for the first time been funded as eminent cancer scientists by the Georgia Cancer Coalition, while other Mercer scientists are now receiving funding to support their research through the Georgia Research Alliance.
The university has intensified its longstanding commitment to service-learning and community engagement under President Underwood’s leadership. In 2009, Mercer announced a $5 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to support continued revitalization of the College Hill Corridor between campus and downtown Macon. The groundbreaking Mercer On Mission program, launched in 2007, has been recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative as “an exemplary approach to addressing a specific global challenge.” Prior to joining Mercer, President Underwood served at Baylor University
as interim president and held the prestigious Leon Jaworski
Chair at Baylor Law School
.
, approximately 75 miles (120.7 km) south of Atlanta
. The College of Liberal Arts, the Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics, the Tift College of Education, the Townsend School of Music, the School of Engineering, the School of Medicine, and programs of the College of Continuing and Professional Studies are located on the Macon campus. The R. Kirby Godsey Administration Building and the W. G. Lee Alumni House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
is located on its own campus in Macon, one mile (1.6 km) from the main campus. The Law School building is a three-story partial replica of Independence Hall in Philadelphia
and is located on Coleman Hill overlooking downtown Macon. Adjacent to the Law School is the university-owned Woodruff House, a Greek revival-style mansion built in 1836, which is used for university special events. The Law School building and the Woodruff House are two of Macon's most recognizable sites.
Graduate and Professional Campus of Mercer University is in Atlanta
, approximately two miles (3.2 km) south of the interchange of Interstate 85
and Interstate 285
in the Northlake
area of DeKalb County
. The Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology, the College of Continuing and Professional Studies, and programs of the Tift College of Education (Master's and PhD programs), the Stetson School of Business and Economics (BBA, MBA and Executive MBA programs), and the School of Medicine (Master's program) are located here. Mercer's Atlanta campus was formerly the home of Atlanta Baptist College until it merged with Mercer in 1972. The campus is named for Cecil B. Day
, founder of Days Inn
Hotel
s who attended Mercer before leaving to serve in the United States Marine Corps
.
Mercer enlarged the Atlanta campus in 2004 by acquiring the former headquarters of the Georgia Baptist Convention, which constructed a new headquarters in Gwinnett County
. The former headquarters building, renamed the Mercer University Conference and Administration Center, is occupied by the American Baptist Historical Society
and the Baptist History and Heritage Society.
in Macon
and Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah
.
, Henry County
and Eastman
. The centers offer undergraduate and graduate degrees for working adults
.
The Douglas County Regional Academic Center was named in 2007 in honor of Fred and Aileen Borrish. The Borrishes are longtime benefactors of Mercer University and of education in Douglas County. The formal name of the academic center is the Fred W. and Aileen Kasper Borrish Building.
The Henry County Regional Academic Center opened in 2003. The new facility combined programs previously offered at two smaller facilities in Covington
and Griffin
. The Henry County center is located in McDonough
.
The Eastman Regional Academic Center is located in Dodge County
. The center extends Mercer's educational offerings to areas south of Macon
.
in the fall of 2010 and will begin offering graduate education in Forsyth County
in the spring of 2011. The Newnan center offers undergraduate degrees through Mercer's College of Continuing and Professional Studies. The Forsyth program, located in Cumming
, will partner with the county public school system to offer a master's degree in education through Mercer's Tift College of Education.
. The school, named for a Mercer alumnus who was a senior executive for The Coca-Cola Company
, the Illinois Central Railroad
, and JP Morgan, offers bachelor's degree (BBA) programs in Macon, Atlanta, and Douglas County, Evening MBA programs in Macon and Atlanta, Professional MBA programs in Henry County and Savannah, and an Executive MBA program in Atlanta.
The Mercer University Executive Forum, Georgia's premier business outreach program, is a part of the school. The program welcomes nationally known speakers who conduct management and leadership seminars in Macon and Atlanta. Speakers have included Lou Dobbs
, Bob Dole
, Steve Forbes
, Lou Holtz
, Jesse Jackson
, Tom Ridge
, George Tenet
, George Will
, Bob Woodward
, and numerous other business, political, and social leaders.
and is the largest private provider of teachers in Georgia. The college was named in 2001 to honor the legacy of Tift College
, a Baptist women's college
in Forsyth
. Tift College, founded in 1849, merged with Mercer in 1986 and was closed. Mercer adopted its alumnae and maintains their records.
The Tift College of Education offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs on the Macon and Atlanta campuses. The Educational Leadership Program is the newest graduate offering with candidates earning a Doctor of Philosophy
in P-12 School Leadership or Higher Education Leadership.
In December 2008, Mercer announced a Doctoral
program in Curriculum and Instruction with the first students to enroll in fall 2009.
and his wife Julie, provided the founding endowment. The school, named in honor of Mrs. McAfee's parents, Raymond and Sophia Townsend, is housed in the Allan and Rosemary McCorkle Music Building, a state-of-the-art facility that opened in 2001 on the Macon campus. The Townsend School of Music offers undergraduate and graduate music degrees formerly offered by the College of Liberal Arts.
The Townsend-McAfee Institute, established in 2005, is a collaboration between the Townsend School of Music and the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology offering graduate programs in church music that prepare musical artists for the ministry. The institute, located on the Macon campus with the School of Music, is preparing a new hymnal
for Baptists and other Christian fellowships. Slated for release in 2009, the 400th anniversary of Baptists, the project demonstrates Mercer’s commitment to its church-related heritage and connects with the university’s namesake, Jesse Mercer
, who authored Cluster of Spiritual Songs, a hymnal first published circa 1800 with 11 subsequent editions.
The Robert McDuffie
Center for Strings offers conservatory-quality music training in a comprehensive university setting. McDuffie is an internationally renowned violinist who has served as Distinguished University Professor of Music since 2004. The focus of the center, housed in the School of Music on the Macon campus, is to provide highly talented string students the opportunity to learn with some of the nation's most renowned string musicians. Total enrollment is limited to 26 students: 12 violin
ists, 6 violists
, 6 cellists
and 2 double bass
ists.
, founded in 1985, is the only private engineering school in Georgia and one of only three engineering schools in the state, the others are Georgia Institute of Technology
and Southern Polytechnic State University
. The school offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and is the primary provider of engineers for Robins Air Force Base
in Warner Robins, Georgia
. The school is located on the Macon campus in a modern 62000 square feet (5,760 m²) academic facility. Mercer dedicated a new $14 million Science and Engineering Building adjacent to the existing facility in 2007; the new building significantly expands the school's laboratory and classroom resources. Mercer Engineering Research Center (MERC), an extension of the school located in a state-of-the-art facility in Warner Robins, directly supports Robins AFB and offers significant research opportunities for students and faculty. In addition, the school's National Engineering Advisory Board, composed of some of the nation's most respected corporate leaders including Northrop Grumman
, Lockheed Martin
, Raytheon
, Boeing
, and Georgia Pacific, provides premier research and career opportunities for students.
The School of Engineering and Robins Air Force Base
maintain an educational partnership that provides on-base internships and other learning opportunities for aerospace engineering
, electrical engineering
, and computer engineering
students. The partnership is separate from the Mercer Engineering and Research Center, which is located near the base in Warner Robins. The educational partnership is one of two maintained by Mercer University, the other involves the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, the School of Medicine, and Piedmont Healthcare
of Atlanta.
The Clinton Global Initiative University, a program of the William J. Clinton Foundation, recognized Mercer University in 2009 for its Mercer On Mission project, which provides amputees in developing nations with low-cost prosthetics. The prosthetics use a universal socket technology developed by School of Engineering faculty and students. Mercer On Mission was one of only three university projects recognized by former President Bill Clinton
at the CGI University annual conference.
program. The school's core mission is to train primary care physicians and other health professionals for service in rural and medically underserved areas of Georgia. The school is consistently recognized for its focus on family medicine
, and in 2005, US News and World Report ranked the school 17th out of 126 accredited medical schools in the family medicine category. In addition to the Doctor of Medicine, the school offers master's programs in public health
, family therapy
, and nurse anesthetist
. The School of Medicine's teaching hospitals are the Medical Center of Central Georgia
in Macon and Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah.
The School of Medicine received additional state funding in 2007 to expand its existing partnership with Memorial University Medical Center by establishing a four-year medical school in Savannah, the first medical school in southern Georgia. Third and fourth year Mercer students have completed clinical rotations at Memorial since 1996, approximately 100 residents are trained each year in a number of specialities. The expanded program opened in August 2008 with 30 first year students. The School of Medicine's Macon and Savannah campuses are administered by Senior Associate Deans who report to one Dean. The new medical program furthers Mercer's mission to train primary care physicians for service in rural and medically underserved areas of Georgia.
The Center for Health and Learning is an educational partnership between the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, the School of Medicine, and Piedmont Healthcare
of Atlanta. The School of Medicine joined the partnership in September 2007 when it partnered with Piedmont to offer a Masters in family therapy
on the Atlanta campus. Piedmont is a not-for-profit organization with several hospitals, including Piedmont Hospital and Piedmont Fayette Hospital, both recognized as among the best in the nation, a primary care physician group with approximately 20 clinics, and a physician network with approximately 500 members. Family therapy students are provided learning experiences at various facilities throughout the Piedmont system.
In April 2011, Mercer announced a new Doctor of Clinical Medical Psychology
program with the first students to enroll in the fall of 2012.
education began in 1902. The college, named the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing in 1993, merged with Mercer in 2001 and moved from its downtown location to Mercer's Atlanta campus in 2002. The college offers undergraduate and graduate programs and provides clinical experiences at numerous Atlanta-area hospitals and at other community facilities.
The Center for Health and Learning is an educational partnership between the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, the School of Medicine, and Piedmont Healthcare
of Atlanta. Piedmont is a not-for-profit organization with several hospitals, including Piedmont Hospital and Piedmont Fayette Hospital, both recognized as among the best in the nation, a primary care physician group with approximately 20 clinics, and a physician network with approximately 500 members. Nursing students are provided clinical experiences at various facilities throughout the Piedmont system, as well as other medical facilities across the Atlanta metropolitan area.
The Georgia Baptist College of Nursing began offering the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing
degree in August 2009 and the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in August 2010. Both programs are a part of Mercer's strategic plan to expand the university's doctoral programs.
, the highest level of pharmacy education, as its sole professional degree. The college, formerly named the Southern School of Pharmacy, adopted its current name on July 1, 2006. The name change reflects additional health science programs, including a physician assistant
program, offered by the college.
In September 2009, Mercer announced a new Doctor of Physical Therapy
program with the first students to enroll in fall 2010.
, founded in 1873, is one of the oldest law schools in the United States. The school is named for a Mercer alumnus, former United States Senator Walter F. George
. Additional information is available on the school's Wikipedia entry.
Gary J. Simson, former dean of Case Western Reserve University School of Law
, became dean of the Walter F. George School of Law on July 1, 2010. Simson is a graduate of Yale University
and Yale Law School
.
. McAfee's curriculum is not directed by the Georgia Baptist Convention or Southern Baptist Convention
. The school, located on the Atlanta campus, is named for James T. McAfee, Jr., former chairman of Mercer's board of trustees, and his wife Carolyn. The McAfees provided a founding endowment.
The McAfee School of Theology and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
are "identity partners"; announced in 2006, the CBF provides funding for operating costs, scholarships, and collaborative projects. The designation, which grants the highest level of CBF funding, is held by four theology schools, the McAfee School of Theology, the George W. Truett Theological Seminary
at Baylor University
, the Divinity School at Campbell University
, and the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond
.
The American Baptist Historical Society
(ABHS), with the largest and most diverse collection of Baptist
historical materials and archives in the world, is located on the Atlanta campus. The ABHS moved to Atlanta in 2008 from Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
and Rochester, New York
. The organization is housed in the Mercer University Conference and Administration Center, formerly occupied by the Georgia Baptist Convention. The ABHS provides research opportunities for Baptist scholars and positions Mercer and the McAfee School of Theology as a national center of Baptist scholarship.
The Baptist History and Heritage Society (BHHS), founded in 1938 as the Southern Baptist Historical Society, relocated from Brentwood, Tennessee
to the Atlanta campus in 2007. The BHHS, an independent organization with historic ties to the Southern Baptist Convention
, is housed in the former Georgia Baptist Convention headquarters building along with the American Baptist Historical Society. The two organizations complement each other by providing resources on the American Baptist
tradition and the Southern Baptist tradition, which further enhances Mercer's position as a national center of Baptist scholarship.
. Courses are offered on the Macon and Atlanta campuses and at the regional academic centers in Henry County, Douglas County, and Eastman.
The Public Safety Leadership Institute on the Atlanta campus offers educational programs for law enforcement
and other public safety
officials. The curriculum focuses on organizational leadership, liberal studies, and human resources
administration within governmental organizations in the rapidly changing post 9/11 world. The institute has been endorsed by numerous law enforcement organizations.
In July 2009, Mercer announced a new undergraduate degree in public safety, reformulated from the college's criminal justice
major, with the first students to enroll in fall 2009. The degree complements the college's master of science
in public safety leadership.
, are also in Macon. The Monroe F. Swilley, Jr. Library is on the Atlanta campus. Each library has a wide variety of print and non-print resources.
is Mercer's Performing Arts Center. Located in downtown Macon and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
, the Grand opened in 1884 with the largest stage in the southeastern United States
. The Grand has hosted vaudeville
performances, Broadway
touring companies, community theatre
, concerts, movies, and numerous other events. Mercer has operated the Grand since 1995 through a lease agreement with Bibb County
. The Grand has undergone extensive renovation and regularly hosts special events that are open to the community.
culture, biography, history, literature and music. MUP's annual Authors Luncheon, a book-signing event in Atlanta, is Georgia's premier literary event. Former President Jimmy Carter
and civil rights
activist Will D. Campbell
are among MUP's published authors. Campbell's book The Stem of Jesse, a history of Mercer in the 1960s, discusses integration
of the university. The book, named for university founder Jesse Mercer
, profiles notable alumni including Sam Oni and Samaria Mitcham Bailey
. Oni was the first student of African descent to be admitted to Mercer University. Bailey was one of the first African-American female students at Mercer.
. This new facility is located a short drive from Robins Air Force Base and provides upgraded physical security, staff offices, laboratories, classrooms, and a large conference facility.. Established in 1987 as an extension of the School of Engineering, MERC has extensive research agreements with Robins Air Force Base
and the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as with private concerns. Providing a broad range of customer oriented services to commercial and government clients, MERC's offerings include: management consulting, logistics consulting and analysis, systems engineering, structural and mechanical engineering, information technology consulting, software engineering, and various areas of industrial process and equipment design.
class project in 1922. The call sign
was WMAZ, which stood for “Watch Mercer Attain Zenith”. The student-run station operated from the tower of Willingham Chapel until 1927 when Mercer gave WMAZ to the Macon
Junior Chamber of Commerce. WMAZ was purchased by the Southeastern Broadcasting Company in 1935 and a television station added with the same call sign in 1953. The radio station was subsequently dropped, but the television station remains a CBS affiliate, WMAZ-TV
Channel 13.
Mercer and Georgia Public Broadcasting
partnered in 2006 to create WMUM-FM
, formerly WDCO-FM. The station provides local content to central Georgia public radio listeners from its broadcast studio on the Macon campus. The station's call sign was changed to WMUM-FM to identify the partnership with "Mercer University Macon". The studio, constructed in 2006, offers various media-related educational opportunities for Mercer students.
heritage, has an active religious life program for students seeking that experience. Religion, however, is not overly prominent; Mercer has an independent board of trustees and is not controlled by the church. Students are not required to attend religious services and the only religion-related curriculum requirement for undergraduates is that they take an introductory course in the New
or Old Testament
.
Mercer's Greek social organizations are:
Traditional African-American Fraternities:
Traditional African-American Sororities:
Fraternities:
Sororities:
Mercer's graduate and professional schools sponsor numerous student organizations as well.
Mercer's Computer Science Programming Team, the "Binary Bears," earned an Honorable Mention in the 2007 ACM
World Finals Programming Competition held in Tokyo, Japan. Mercer was one of 88 teams out of more than 6,000 teams from 75 countries that advanced to the championship round; the team qualified for Mercer's first appearance in the event after finishing second in the Southeast regional competition.
. Mercer joined the Atlantic Sun, formerly called the Trans American Athletic Conference, in 1978 and is the only charter member remaining with the conference. The university fields varsity teams, known as the Bears, in six men's, seven women's, and one co-educational sport. Men's teams include baseball
, basketball
, cross-country
, golf
, lacrosse
, soccer, and tennis
. Women's teams include basketball
, cross-country
, golf
, soccer, softball
, tennis
, and volleyball
. Air-rifle
is co-educational. Mercer teams have won 15 Atlantic Sun Conference championships (as of November 2010): four baseball, three men's basketball, two women's basketball, five men's soccer, and one women's soccer. The most recent championship was the one in women's soccer achieved in November 2010.
, an indoor pool, work-out facilities, intramural basketball courts, an air-rifle range, offices, a food court, and numerous meeting facilities. Mercer's baseball, softball, and intramural fields are next to the center along with the university's tennis complex. In 2007, a 101-room Hilton Garden Inn
opened on university-owned land adjacent to the University Center.
system, is the new athletics director. Cole, a member of the Georgia House of Representatives
, served as Governor Sonny Perdue
's floor leader in the House and was selected to become Georgia Secretary of State in December 2009. He declined the appointment to become Mercer athletics director.
beginning in the fall of 2013. Mercer will compete as a NCAA Division I, non-scholarship program and will compete in the Pioneer Football League
. Reinstatement comes after a 70-year hiatus; the university suspended football during World War II
and did not revive it. The final game was in 1941.
On January 20, 2011, Mercer announced the hiring of Bobby Lamb
as its new head football coach. Lamb compiled a record of 67-40 in nine seasons as the head coach at Furman University
from 2002-2010. He played quarterback at Furman from 1982-1985 and was the Southern Conference
player of the year in 1985. Lamb was an assistant coach at Furman from 1986 until he became head coach in 2002. He resigned from Furman after compiling a record of 5-6 for the 2010 season, his only losing season in nine years. Lamb is a Georgia native; he was born in Augusta
and graduated from high school in Commerce
.
In September 2011, the university began construction of a new football stadium on the Macon campus. The new stadium is adjacent to the University Center and Mercer's other athletic facilities.
, ranks Mercer ninth in the Southern
"Best Universities-Master's" category marking the university's twenty-second consecutive year among the top 15 and thirteenth consecutive year in the top 10. The 2012 edition also ranks Mercer among the "Great Schools, Great Prices" as the seventh best value in the South
.
The Princeton Review, in its 2012 "Best 376 Colleges" guide, ranks Mercer in the top fifteen percent of all colleges and universities nationwide. The 2007 edition ranked Mercer's campus as the fifth most beautiful in the nation. In addition, in its most recent "America's Best Value Colleges" guide (2008), the Princeton Review lists Mercer as a "Best Value", one of 165 colleges and universities in the nation that combine excellent academics, generous financial aid packages, and a relatively low cost of attendance; Mercer is one of 75 private institutions among the 165 "Best Values".
US News and World Report ranks the School of Medicine in the top 20 of the nation's 126 accredited medical schools in the family medicine category, the school's primary focus, and ranks the Walter F. George School of Law
in Tier 3 with schools ranked 101 through 137 of the nation's 184 accredited law schools. The same edition ranks Mercer's legal writing
program first in the nation. The legal writing program has been ranked first or second since US News and World Report began the speciality ranking in 2006. The program was ranked first in 2006 (tied with one other school), second in 2007, and first in 2008 and 2009.
The Princeton Review, in its "Best 301 Business Schools: 2010 Edition", ranks the Atlanta MBA program third in the nation in the category of "Greatest Opportunity for Women". The program was ranked first in 2008 and third in 2009. The Princeton Review also includes the Walter F. George School of Law in its "Best 174 Law Schools: 2010 Edition".
In 2007, Mercer was one of 141 colleges and universities selected for the first President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll; the honor roll is sponsored by several agencies including the United States Department of Education
and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
to recognize support for community service. In 2005, Mercer was one of 81 institutions of higher education named a “College with a Conscience” by the Princeton Review and College Compact. and in 2006, Mercer was ranked thirteenth in the nation in the first “Saviors of Our Cities” ranking by Evan Dobelle
, president and CEO of the New England Board of Higher Education.
Mercer earned national recognition in 2008 from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for the university's commitment to community engagement. Mercer is the only college in Georgia, and one of just 119 in the United States, to be selected by the foundation for its 2008 Community Engagement Classification. The university joins 76 institutions identified in 2006, including Emory University
and Spelman College
, the only other Georgia institutions to achieve the classification to date.
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
, coeducational university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
with a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
heritage located in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
.
Mercer is the only university of its size in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that offers programs in eleven diversified fields of study: liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
, business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
, pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
, law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, and continuing and professional studies
Professional development
Professional development refers to skills and knowledge attained for both personal development and career advancement. Professional development encompasses all types of facilitated learning opportunities, ranging from college degrees to formal coursework, conferences and informal learning...
. Mercer enrolls approximately 8,000 students in its eleven colleges and schools. Students come from approximately 45 states and 65 countries; more than 80% are Georgia residents.
Mercer has major campuses in Macon
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
, Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, and Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, regional academic centers in Henry County
Henry County, Georgia
Henry County is a growing suburban county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 119,341. As of 2010, the county's population swelled to 203,922, up 70.9% from the previous census and becoming Georgia's 8th most populous county and the 10th fastest growing...
, Douglas County
Douglas County, Georgia
Douglas County, Georgia has been experiencing numerous natural disasters over the most recent decades. Being located in the South Eastern United States the county experiences strong storms and tornadoes often because of its location in Dixie Alley....
, Eastman
Eastman, Georgia
Eastman is a city in Dodge County, Georgia, United States. The population was 13,541 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Dodge County...
, and Newnan
Newnan, Georgia
Newnan is a city in Coweta County, Georgia, about 30 miles southwest of Atlanta. The population was 16,242 at the 2000 Census. Newnan is one of the fastest growing cities in Georgia, with an estimated population of 27,097 in 2006 and 33,293 in July 2008...
, teaching hospitals in Macon and Savannah, a university press and a performing arts center in Macon, and the Mercer Engineering Research Center in Warner Robins
Warner Robins, Georgia
Warner Robins is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located primarily in Houston County with a small portion in Peach County. The city has its own metropolitan statistical area . As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 48,804...
.
Mercer is a founding member of the Atlantic Sun Conference
Atlantic Sun Conference
The Atlantic Sun Conference is a college athletic conference operating in the Southeastern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I; it does not sponsor football. The conference was established in 1978 as the Trans America Athletic Conference...
and is the only private university in Georgia with a NCAA Division I athletic program.
History
Founding
Mercer University was founded in Penfield, GeorgiaPenfield, Georgia
Penfield, Georgia, in the United States was established shortly after 1829 in Greene County, Georgia, and named in honor of Josiah Penfield , a Savannah merchant and silversmith, who bequeathed $2,500.00 and a financial challenge to the Georgia Baptist Convention to match his gift for educational...
as a boys' preparatory school
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
under the leadership of Billington McCarthy Sanders, a professor who served as the first president, and Adiel Sherwood, a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
minister who previously founded a boys' manual labor school that served as a model. Initially named Mercer Institute, the school opened with 39 students on January 14, 1833. The school was named for Jesse Mercer
Jesse Mercer
Jesse Mercer was a prominent Baptist minister and a founder of Mercer University in the U.S. state of Georgia. Born in North Carolina on December 16, 1769, he was the son of Silas Mercer, a Baptist minister who moved his family to Wilkes County, Georgia in the early 1770s...
, a prominent Baptist leader who provided a founding endowment
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
and who served as the first chairman of the board of trustees. The Georgia General Assembly
Georgia General Assembly
The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, being composed of the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate....
granted a university charter in December 1837. Mercer adopted its present name in 1838 and graduated its first university class, of three students, in 1841. Mercer was one of the few Southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
colleges or universities and the only college or university in Georgia to remain open throughout the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. In 1866, Mercer awarded an honorary
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
Doctor of Laws to Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
, the only college or university to grant him an honorary degree.
Mercer moved to Macon
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
, a center of transportation and commerce in Georgia, in 1871. The School of Law was established in 1873 and was named the Walter F. George School of Law
Walter F. George School of Law
The Walter F. George School of Law of Mercer University, founded in 1873, is one of the oldest law schools in the United States and is the second oldest of Mercer's eleven colleges and schools. The School of Law, with approximately 420 students, is located in Macon, Georgia on its own campus one...
in 1947 in honor of Mercer alumnus Walter F. George
Walter F. George
Walter Franklin George was an American politician from the state of Georgia. He was a long-time United States Senator and was President pro tempore. He was a Democrat.-Early years:...
, class of 1901, who served as a United States Senator from Georgia and as President pro tempore of the United States Senate
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
The President pro tempore is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate. The United States Constitution states that the Vice President of the United States is the President of the Senate and the highest-ranking official of the Senate despite not being a member of the body...
.
World War II
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Mercer was one of 131 colleges and universities that participated in the V-12 Navy College Training Program
V-12 Navy College Training Program
The V-12 Navy College Training Program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II...
. The program offered military training that prepared students for a commission in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
.
Expansion
Mercer expanded to AtlantaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
in 1959 when the university absorbed the independent Southern School of Pharmacy. The College of Liberal Arts, the Walter F. George School of Law
Walter F. George School of Law
The Walter F. George School of Law of Mercer University, founded in 1873, is one of the oldest law schools in the United States and is the second oldest of Mercer's eleven colleges and schools. The School of Law, with approximately 420 students, is located in Macon, Georgia on its own campus one...
, and the Southern School of Pharmacy comprised the university until 1972 when Mercer merged with Atlanta Baptist College, which became Mercer's Atlanta campus.
Atlanta Baptist College was founded in 1968 under the leadership of Dr. Monroe F. Swilley
Monroe F. Swilley, Jr. Library
The Monroe F. Swilley, Jr. Library serves as the information center for the Cecil B. Day campus of Mercer University. It is named in honor of the late Dr. Monroe F. Swilley, the first Chairman of the Board of Trustees and only President of the Atlanta Baptist College . When the Atlanta Baptist...
, a prominent Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
educator. The college merged with Mercer in 1972 and became the College of Arts and Sciences, and in 1984 was named the Cecil B. Day
Cecil B. Day
Cecil Burke Day was the founder of Days Inn Hotels. Day studied at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, but withdrew prior to graduation to join the United States Marine Corps...
College of Arts and Sciences. Mercer offered undergraduate liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
education in Atlanta until 1990 when the college closed. Faculty and students tried to prevent the closure, but were not successful. The mission of the Atlanta campus changed to graduate
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
and professional education. The Southern School of Pharmacy moved in 1992 from its downtown location to the Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Campus.
Mercer grew substantially between 1982 and 2006 with the establishment of eight colleges and schools: the School of Medicine in 1982, the Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics in 1984, the School of Engineering in 1985, the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology in 1994, the Tift College of Education in 1995, the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing in 2001, the College of Continuing and Professional Studies in 2003, and the Townsend School of Music in 2006.
Mercer opened the Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
campus in 2008. The campus is the location of Mercer's second four-year medical school, which opened at the same time.
Advancing the Vision Campaign
Mercer successfully completed Phase III of the $350 million Advancing the Vision Campaign in December 2008. Phases I and II were completed with $208 million received or pledged. For Phase II, Mercer received one of the largest gifts in the history of higher education when it received a large tract of developed real estate in Atlanta. The property, given to Mercer and to LaGrange CollegeLaGrange College
LaGrange College is the oldest private college in the U.S. state of Georgia. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, it is located in LaGrange, Georgia, with an enrollment of about 1,000 students. The student-to-faculty ratio is 11:1...
jointly, was valued at $123 million. The campaign financed numerous projects including the construction and renovation of facilities and endowed scholarships for students. New facilities on the Macon campus include the University Center, a large multi-purpose facility that houses the university's athletics department, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
arena, and student services, the Allan and Rosemary McCorkle Music Building that houses the Townsend School of Music, a new Science and Engineering Building, and the Greek Village with 18 fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
and sorority
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
houses. New facilities on the Atlanta campus include academic buildings for the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology, the Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics, the Tift College of Education, and the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing as well as a large student housing complex.
Baptist affiliation
Mercer chose to retain its Baptist identity when its affiliation with the Georgia Baptist Convention ended in 2006 after 173 years. Mercer was founded by Georgia Baptists, but had an independent board of trustees and was not directly controlled by the convention. The convention provided financial support used to fund scholarships for Baptist students and other special projects. The lack of convention control caused friction with Mercer exercising its independence to embrace the moderate Cooperative Baptist FellowshipCooperative Baptist Fellowship
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is a Christian fellowship of Baptist churches formed in 1991. Theologically moderate, the CBF withdrew from the Southern Baptist Convention over philosophical and theological differences, such as the SBC prohibition of women serving as pastors. The Cooperative...
. The convention also saw Mercer as becoming secularized and not conforming to its values. In November 2005, the Georgia Baptist Convention voted to end the affiliation between Mercer and the convention. Mercer still has ties to individual churches, provides scholarships to students through its Baptist Scholars Fund, and operates the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology, which is affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Mercer's decision to become an independent Baptist university contrasts with other universities that became secular after severing ties with their state conventions. Such universities include Furman University
Furman University
Furman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...
, Stetson University
Stetson University
Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I-4 corridor in Central Florida. The primary undergraduate campus is located in DeLand, Florida, USA. In the 2012 U.S...
, the University of Richmond
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond is a selective, private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate...
, and Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
.
New strategic plan
Mercer's board of trustees adopted a new 10-year strategic plan on April 18, 2008. The plan seeks to position Mercer among the most prestigious private universities in the SoutheastSoutheastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
along with Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
, Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
, Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
, and Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
. Specific goals of the plan include increasing the student body from 7,300 to 8,500, enlarging the endowment to $1 billion, expanding the number of master's and doctoral
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
programs, and constructing numerous new facilities including a medical education building in Savannah, a student center and an undergraduate sciences building in Macon, a chapel/performing arts center in Atlanta, and residence halls in Macon and Atlanta.
Implementation of the new strategic plan
Mercer set an enrollment record in the fall of 2011 with a university-wide population of 8,336 students. The larger student body reflects expanded academic programs including four new doctoralDoctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degrees: Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
, Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and Doctor of Physical Therapy
Doctor of Physical Therapy
The Doctor of Physical Therapy or Doctor of Physiotherapy is a post-baccalaureate three-year degree conferred upon successful completion of a professional clinical doctoral level professional or post-professional physical therapist education program for the licensed physical therapist...
. Mercer also opened its second four-year medical school, in Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, in 2008 and its fourth regional academic center, in Newnan
Newnan, Georgia
Newnan is a city in Coweta County, Georgia, about 30 miles southwest of Atlanta. The population was 16,242 at the 2000 Census. Newnan is one of the fastest growing cities in Georgia, with an estimated population of 27,097 in 2006 and 33,293 in July 2008...
, in 2010. The university will begin offering the Doctor of Clinical Medical Psychology
Doctor of Psychology
The Doctor of Psychology degree is a professional doctorate earned through one of two established training models for clinical psychology...
degree in 2012.
Mercer opened a large retail-residential center on the Macon
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
campus in February 2011. The center, called Mercer Lofts, houses the Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble College Booksellers
Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, Inc. operates bookstores at more than 600 U.S. colleges and universities. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers is a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc., which acquired it in 2009. It was formerly a separate company, and Barnes & Noble chairman Leonard S. Riggio...
operated university bookstore, other shops, and student housing. In July 2011, Phase II of the project was approved by the city planning council; Mercer Lofts II will be another large retail-residential center across the street from Phase I.
In addition to the Mercer Lofts project, the university is planning a new welcome center and admissions office on the Macon campus; the center will be named for Emily P. Myers, a long-time university administrator and will be the university's first LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
certified building.
Improvements to the Mercer athletics department are planned to increase the university's visibility. Mercer won the Atlantic Sun Conference
Atlantic Sun Conference
The Atlantic Sun Conference is a college athletic conference operating in the Southeastern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I; it does not sponsor football. The conference was established in 1978 as the Trans America Athletic Conference...
championship in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and in women's soccer in 2010. Mercer's men's lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
team began play in 2011; the university has the first NCAA Division I lacrosse program in Georgia. Women's lacrosse will begin play in 2012. Mercer has also announced the reinstatement of intercollegiate football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
as a NCAA Division I, non-scholarship sport beginning in the fall of 2013. In September 2011, the university began construction of a new football stadium on the Macon campus.
US News and World Report continues to rank Mercer among the top 10 comprehensive universities in the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
; Mercer is ranked ninth in the 2012 "Best Universities-Master's" category marking the university's twenty-second consecutive year among the top 15 and thirteenth consecutive year in the top 10. The 2012 edition also ranks Mercer among the "Great Schools, Great Prices" as the seventh best value in the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
. In addition, the Princeton Review, in its 2012 "Best 376 Colleges" guide, ranks Mercer in the top fifteen percent of all colleges and universities nationwide.
President William D. Underwood
President William D. UnderwoodWilliam D. Underwood
William D. Underwood has served as the eighteenth President of Mercer University since 2006. He was the interim President of Baylor University from 2005 to 2006.-Biography:...
became Mercer’s eighteenth president on July 1, 2006, succeeding Dr. Raleigh Kirby Godsey
Raleigh Kirby Godsey
Raleigh Kirby Godsey, better known as R. Kirby Godsey, served as the seventeenth president of Mercer University, an independent, coeducational, private university, located in the US state of Georgia, from July 1, 1979 to June 30, 2006–27 years—longer than any of his predecessors...
, who served as president for 27 years. Dr. Godsey continues to serve as the university’s chancellor.
Underwood has led Mercer during a period of dynamic growth and development for the university. Enrollment has increased by approximately twenty percent to more than 8,200 students. Mercer has launched a second medical school (in Savannah), initiated a master’s-level physician assistant program and a doctoral-level program in physical therapy, and added doctoral programs in Clinical Psychology, Nursing, Counseling, Educational Leadership, and Curriculum and Instruction. Reflecting an increased emphasis on research, Mercer now meets the criteria established by the Carnegie Foundation
Carnegie Foundation
The Carnegie Foundation is an organization based in The Hague, Netherlands. It was founded in 1903 by Andrew Carnegie in order to manage his donation of US$1.5 million, which was used for the construction, management and maintenance of the Peace Palace...
for classification as a research-doctoral university. Over the past three years, the number of doctoral students has increased from fewer than 25 to more than 200, while the amount of annual externally funded research expenditures has grown to more than $25 million. In addition to increased levels of funding from the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
and the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
, Mercer scientists have for the first time been funded as eminent cancer scientists by the Georgia Cancer Coalition, while other Mercer scientists are now receiving funding to support their research through the Georgia Research Alliance.
The university has intensified its longstanding commitment to service-learning and community engagement under President Underwood’s leadership. In 2009, Mercer announced a $5 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to support continued revitalization of the College Hill Corridor between campus and downtown Macon. The groundbreaking Mercer On Mission program, launched in 2007, has been recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative as “an exemplary approach to addressing a specific global challenge.” Prior to joining Mercer, President Underwood served at Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
as interim president and held the prestigious Leon Jaworski
Leon Jaworski
Leonidas "Leon" Jaworski was the second Special Prosecutor during the Watergate Scandal...
Chair at Baylor Law School
Baylor Law School
Founded in 1857, Baylor Law School is the oldest law school in Texas and has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1931 and a member of the Association of American Law Schools since 1938. Baylor Law School is affiliated with Baylor University and located in Waco, Texas...
.
Presidents
- Billington McCarthy Sanders (1833–1840)
- Otis Smith (1840–1844)
- John Leadley Dagg (1844–1854)
- Nathaniel Macon Crawford(1854–1856)
- Shelton Palmer Sanford (acting President; 1856–1858)
- Nathaniel Macon Crawford (1858–1866)
- Henry Holcombe TuckerHenry Holcombe TuckerHenry Holcombe Tucker was the chancellor of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia from 1874 until his resignation in 1878. Note that the head of the University was referred to as chancellor instead of president from 1860 until 1932...
(1866–1871) - Archibald John Battle (1872–1889)
- Gustavus Alonzo Nunnally (1889–1893)
- Joseph Edgerton Willet (acting President; 1893)
- James Bruton Gambrell (1893–1896)
- Pinckney Daniel Pollock (1896–1903)
- William Heard KilpatrickWilliam Heard KilpatrickWilliam Heard Kilpatrick was a US American pedagogue and a pupil, a colleague and a successor of John Dewey. He was a major figure in the progressive education movement of the early 20th century.-Biography:...
(acting President; 1903–1905) - Charles Lee Smith (1905–1906)
- Samuel Young Jameson (1906–1913)
- James Freeman Sellers (acting President; 1913–1914)
- William Lowndes Pickard (1914–1918)
- Rufus Washington Weaver (1918–1927)
- Andrew Phillip Montague (acting President; 1927–1928)
- Spright Dowell (1928–1953)
- George Boyce Connell (1953–1959)
- Spright Dowell (interim President; 1959–1960)
- Rufus Carrollton Harris (1960–1979)
- Raleigh Kirby GodseyRaleigh Kirby GodseyRaleigh Kirby Godsey, better known as R. Kirby Godsey, served as the seventeenth president of Mercer University, an independent, coeducational, private university, located in the US state of Georgia, from July 1, 1979 to June 30, 2006–27 years—longer than any of his predecessors...
(1979–2006) - William D. UnderwoodWilliam D. UnderwoodWilliam D. Underwood has served as the eighteenth President of Mercer University since 2006. He was the interim President of Baylor University from 2005 to 2006.-Biography:...
(2006–present)
Macon campus
The main campus of Mercer University is in MaconMacon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
, approximately 75 miles (120.7 km) south of Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. The College of Liberal Arts, the Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics, the Tift College of Education, the Townsend School of Music, the School of Engineering, the School of Medicine, and programs of the College of Continuing and Professional Studies are located on the Macon campus. The R. Kirby Godsey Administration Building and the W. G. Lee Alumni House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Law school
The Walter F. George School of LawWalter F. George School of Law
The Walter F. George School of Law of Mercer University, founded in 1873, is one of the oldest law schools in the United States and is the second oldest of Mercer's eleven colleges and schools. The School of Law, with approximately 420 students, is located in Macon, Georgia on its own campus one...
is located on its own campus in Macon, one mile (1.6 km) from the main campus. The Law School building is a three-story partial replica of Independence Hall in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
and is located on Coleman Hill overlooking downtown Macon. Adjacent to the Law School is the university-owned Woodruff House, a Greek revival-style mansion built in 1836, which is used for university special events. The Law School building and the Woodruff House are two of Macon's most recognizable sites.
Atlanta campus
The Cecil B. DayCecil B. Day
Cecil Burke Day was the founder of Days Inn Hotels. Day studied at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, but withdrew prior to graduation to join the United States Marine Corps...
Graduate and Professional Campus of Mercer University is in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, approximately two miles (3.2 km) south of the interchange of Interstate 85
Interstate 85 in Georgia
In the U.S. state of Georgia, the major Interstate Highway, Interstate 85, runs northeast-southwest from the Alabama border near West Point, and Lanett, Ala., running through Metropolitan Atlanta, and traveling to the border with South Carolina, where it crosses the Savannah River near Lake Hartwell...
and Interstate 285
Interstate 285
Interstate 285 is an Interstate Highway loop encircling Atlanta, Georgia, for . I-285 is also known as unsigned State Route 407 and is colloquially referred to as the Perimeter. Suburban sprawl has made it one of the most heavily traveled roadways in the United States, and portions of the highway...
in the Northlake
Northlake, Georgia
Northlake is an unincorporated community in northeastern metro Atlanta, Georgia, United States, near Tucker. Although not formally an edge city, Northlake is home to a large amount of office space, retail options, and residential housing...
area of DeKalb County
DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...
. The Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology, the College of Continuing and Professional Studies, and programs of the Tift College of Education (Master's and PhD programs), the Stetson School of Business and Economics (BBA, MBA and Executive MBA programs), and the School of Medicine (Master's program) are located here. Mercer's Atlanta campus was formerly the home of Atlanta Baptist College until it merged with Mercer in 1972. The campus is named for Cecil B. Day
Cecil B. Day
Cecil Burke Day was the founder of Days Inn Hotels. Day studied at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, but withdrew prior to graduation to join the United States Marine Corps...
, founder of Days Inn
Days Inn
Days Inn is a motel chain headquartered in the United States. Founded in 1970, it is now a part of the Wyndham Hotel Group, based in Parsippany, New Jersey, which was formerly a part of Cendant...
Hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s who attended Mercer before leaving to serve in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
.
Mercer enlarged the Atlanta campus in 2004 by acquiring the former headquarters of the Georgia Baptist Convention, which constructed a new headquarters in Gwinnett County
Gwinnett County, Georgia
, Gwinnett County had a population of 805,321. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 53.3% white , 23.6% black , 2.7% Korean, 2.6% Asian Indian, 2.0% Vietnamese, 3.3% other Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 8.8% some other race and 3.1% from two or more races...
. The former headquarters building, renamed the Mercer University Conference and Administration Center, is occupied by the American Baptist Historical Society
American Baptist Historical Society
The American Baptist Historical Society is the oldest Baptist historical society in the United States.-History:It was created in 1853 after the instigation of John Mason Peck. In 1862, it was chartered under the laws of Pennsylvania. In 1896, a fire destroyed the archives. That same year, Samuel...
and the Baptist History and Heritage Society.
Savannah campus
Mercer opened a new four-year medical school in Savannah in August 2008. The school is a branch of the School of Medicine in Macon and is located at Memorial University Medical Center, Mercer's teaching hospital in Savannah. The new medical school is the university's third major campus in addition to those in Macon and Atlanta. Mercer's strategic plan calls for construction of a new medical education building that will further enlarge the Savannah campus.Teaching hospitals
Mercer's teaching hospitals are the Medical Center of Central GeorgiaMedical Center of Central Georgia
The Medical Center of Central Georgia is a 637-bed hospital located in Macon, Georgia. MCCG is the second largest hospital in Georgia, behind Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. MCCG is a teaching hospital affiliated with Mercer University Medical School. MCCG Serves 28 counties throughout...
in Macon
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
and Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
.
Regional Academic Centers
Mercer has regional academic centers in Douglas CountyDouglas County, Georgia
Douglas County, Georgia has been experiencing numerous natural disasters over the most recent decades. Being located in the South Eastern United States the county experiences strong storms and tornadoes often because of its location in Dixie Alley....
, Henry County
Henry County, Georgia
Henry County is a growing suburban county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 119,341. As of 2010, the county's population swelled to 203,922, up 70.9% from the previous census and becoming Georgia's 8th most populous county and the 10th fastest growing...
and Eastman
Eastman, Georgia
Eastman is a city in Dodge County, Georgia, United States. The population was 13,541 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Dodge County...
. The centers offer undergraduate and graduate degrees for working adults
Adult education
Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through 'extension' school or 'school of continuing education' . Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers...
.
The Douglas County Regional Academic Center was named in 2007 in honor of Fred and Aileen Borrish. The Borrishes are longtime benefactors of Mercer University and of education in Douglas County. The formal name of the academic center is the Fred W. and Aileen Kasper Borrish Building.
The Henry County Regional Academic Center opened in 2003. The new facility combined programs previously offered at two smaller facilities in Covington
Covington, Georgia
Covington is a city in Newton County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 13,118. The city is the county seat of Newton County...
and Griffin
Griffin, Georgia
Griffin is a city in and the county seat of Spalding County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 23,643.-Geography:Griffin is located at ....
. The Henry County center is located in McDonough
McDonough, Georgia
McDonough is a city in Henry County, Georgia, United States. The population was 22084 at the 2010 census. Inclusion of the unincorporated neighborhoods surrounding McDonough, which are not part of a town/city, raises the population to approximately 30,000 from an estimate in 2008. The city is the...
.
The Eastman Regional Academic Center is located in Dodge County
Dodge County, Georgia
Dodge County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 19,171. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 20,042. The county seat is Eastman. Dodge County lies in the Historic South region of Georgia, an area that has architectural wonders and shows the...
. The center extends Mercer's educational offerings to areas south of Macon
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
.
New Regional Academic Centers
Mercer opened a new regional academic center in NewnanNewnan, Georgia
Newnan is a city in Coweta County, Georgia, about 30 miles southwest of Atlanta. The population was 16,242 at the 2000 Census. Newnan is one of the fastest growing cities in Georgia, with an estimated population of 27,097 in 2006 and 33,293 in July 2008...
in the fall of 2010 and will begin offering graduate education in Forsyth County
Forsyth County, Georgia
Forsyth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The county seat is Cumming, Georgia. Forsyth County is a part of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
in the spring of 2011. The Newnan center offers undergraduate degrees through Mercer's College of Continuing and Professional Studies. The Forsyth program, located in Cumming
Cumming, Georgia
Cumming is a city in Forsyth County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,430 at the 2010 census. However, places with a Cumming mailing address have a population of around 100,000...
, will partner with the county public school system to offer a master's degree in education through Mercer's Tift College of Education.
College of Liberal Arts
The College of Liberal Arts, founded in 1833, is the heart of the university offering undergraduate degrees in the arts, humanities, communications, natural sciences, and social sciences. The college, with more than 110 full-time faculty members, offers dozens of majors, minors, and interdisciplinary programs, and the Great Books program allows students to study the classic writers and thinkers of the Western world. In 2011, the college’s largest majors were biology and biochemistry, psychology, chemistry, English, and political science. The curricular program of the college is recognized for its focus on critical thinking, effective communication, problem-solving, and development of the whole person.Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics
The Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics, founded in 1984, has the highest level of accreditation for business schools from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of BusinessAssociation to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business was founded in 1916 to accredit schools of business worldwide. The first accreditations took place in 1919. The stated mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation and thought leadership. It is regarded...
. The school, named for a Mercer alumnus who was a senior executive for The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia...
, the Illinois Central Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
, and JP Morgan, offers bachelor's degree (BBA) programs in Macon, Atlanta, and Douglas County, Evening MBA programs in Macon and Atlanta, Professional MBA programs in Henry County and Savannah, and an Executive MBA program in Atlanta.
The Mercer University Executive Forum, Georgia's premier business outreach program, is a part of the school. The program welcomes nationally known speakers who conduct management and leadership seminars in Macon and Atlanta. Speakers have included Lou Dobbs
Lou Dobbs
Louis Carl "Lou" Dobbs is an American journalist, radio host, television host on the Fox Business Network, and author. He anchored CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight until November 2009 when he announced on the air that he would leave the 24-hour cable news television network.He was born in Texas and lived...
, Bob Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
, Steve Forbes
Steve Forbes
Malcolm Stevenson "Steve" Forbes, Jr. is an American editor, publisher, and businessman. He is the editor-in-chief of business magazine Forbes as well as president and chief executive officer of its publisher, Forbes Inc. He was a Republican candidate in the U.S. Presidential primaries in 1996...
, Lou Holtz
Lou Holtz
Louis Leo "Lou" Holtz is a retired American football coach, and active sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker in the United States...
, Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
, Tom Ridge
Tom Ridge
Thomas Joseph "Tom" Ridge is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives , the 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania , Assistant to the President for Homeland Security , and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security...
, George Tenet
George Tenet
George John Tenet was the Director of Central Intelligence for the United States Central Intelligence Agency, and is Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University....
, George Will
George Will
George Frederick Will is an American newspaper columnist, journalist, and author. He is a Pulitzer Prize-winner best known for his conservative commentary on politics...
, Bob Woodward
Bob Woodward
Robert Upshur Woodward is an American investigative journalist and non-fiction author. He has worked for The Washington Post since 1971 as a reporter, and is currently an associate editor of the Post....
, and numerous other business, political, and social leaders.
Tift College of Education
The Tift College of Education, founded in 1995 as the School of Education, has the highest level of accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher EducationNational Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education was founded in 1954 to accredit teacher certification programs at U.S. colleges and universities. NCATE is a council of educators created to ensure and raise the quality of preparation for their profession. NCATE is recognized by the U.S....
and is the largest private provider of teachers in Georgia. The college was named in 2001 to honor the legacy of Tift College
Tift College
Tift College was a private liberal arts women's college located in Forsyth, Georgia. Its campus was situated 20 miles outside of Macon. Tift College merged with Mercer University in 1986 and was closed by Mercer in 1987....
, a Baptist women's college
Women's college
Women's colleges in higher education are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are composed exclusively or almost exclusively of women...
in Forsyth
Forsyth, Georgia
Forsyth is a city in Monroe County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,776 at the 2000 census. This number was corrected to read 4,300. The city is the county seat of Monroe County.Forsyth is part of the Macon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. Tift College, founded in 1849, merged with Mercer in 1986 and was closed. Mercer adopted its alumnae and maintains their records.
The Tift College of Education offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs on the Macon and Atlanta campuses. The Educational Leadership Program is the newest graduate offering with candidates earning a Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in P-12 School Leadership or Higher Education Leadership.
In December 2008, Mercer announced a Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
program in Curriculum and Instruction with the first students to enroll in fall 2009.
Townsend School of Music
The Townsend School of Music opened on July 1, 2006. Mercer trustee Carolyn McAfee, wife of James T. McAfee, Jr., former chairman of Mercer's board of trustees, and her son and daughter-in-law, Tom McAfeeJ. Thomas McAfee
J. Thomas McAfee is chairman and president of Hallmark Systems, Inc., a company specializing in treating adolescents with behavioral problems. He received his undergraduate degree in management and marketing from Union University and an MBA in finance from Mercer University...
and his wife Julie, provided the founding endowment. The school, named in honor of Mrs. McAfee's parents, Raymond and Sophia Townsend, is housed in the Allan and Rosemary McCorkle Music Building, a state-of-the-art facility that opened in 2001 on the Macon campus. The Townsend School of Music offers undergraduate and graduate music degrees formerly offered by the College of Liberal Arts.
The Townsend-McAfee Institute, established in 2005, is a collaboration between the Townsend School of Music and the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology offering graduate programs in church music that prepare musical artists for the ministry. The institute, located on the Macon campus with the School of Music, is preparing a new hymnal
Hymnal
Hymnal or hymnary or hymnbook is a collection of hymns, i.e. religious songs, usually in the form of a book. The earliest hand-written hymnals are known since Middle Ages in the context of European Christianity...
for Baptists and other Christian fellowships. Slated for release in 2009, the 400th anniversary of Baptists, the project demonstrates Mercer’s commitment to its church-related heritage and connects with the university’s namesake, Jesse Mercer
Jesse Mercer
Jesse Mercer was a prominent Baptist minister and a founder of Mercer University in the U.S. state of Georgia. Born in North Carolina on December 16, 1769, he was the son of Silas Mercer, a Baptist minister who moved his family to Wilkes County, Georgia in the early 1770s...
, who authored Cluster of Spiritual Songs, a hymnal first published circa 1800 with 11 subsequent editions.
The Robert McDuffie
Robert McDuffie
Robert McDuffie is an internationally renowned violinist. He has played as a soloist with many of the major orchestras around the world including those of New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Montreal, Toronto, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Minnesota, Houston, St...
Center for Strings offers conservatory-quality music training in a comprehensive university setting. McDuffie is an internationally renowned violinist who has served as Distinguished University Professor of Music since 2004. The focus of the center, housed in the School of Music on the Macon campus, is to provide highly talented string students the opportunity to learn with some of the nation's most renowned string musicians. Total enrollment is limited to 26 students: 12 violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ists, 6 violists
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, 6 cellists
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
and 2 double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
ists.
School of Engineering
The School of EngineeringMercer University School of Engineering
The Mercer University School of Engineering is one of Mercer University's eleven colleges and schools. MUSE, located on Mercer's main campus in Macon, Georgia, offers 10 different engineering-related majors and enrolls approximately 500 students...
, founded in 1985, is the only private engineering school in Georgia and one of only three engineering schools in the state, the others are Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
and Southern Polytechnic State University
Southern Polytechnic State University
Southern Polytechnic State University is a public, co-educational state university located in Marietta, Georgia, USA just northwest of Atlanta...
. The school offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and is the primary provider of engineers for Robins Air Force Base
Robins Air Force Base
Robins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base located in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of and adjacent to the city of Warner Robins, Georgia, SSE of Macon, Georgia, and about SSE of Atlanta, Georgia...
in Warner Robins, Georgia
Warner Robins, Georgia
Warner Robins is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located primarily in Houston County with a small portion in Peach County. The city has its own metropolitan statistical area . As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 48,804...
. The school is located on the Macon campus in a modern 62000 square feet (5,760 m²) academic facility. Mercer dedicated a new $14 million Science and Engineering Building adjacent to the existing facility in 2007; the new building significantly expands the school's laboratory and classroom resources. Mercer Engineering Research Center (MERC), an extension of the school located in a state-of-the-art facility in Warner Robins, directly supports Robins AFB and offers significant research opportunities for students and faculty. In addition, the school's National Engineering Advisory Board, composed of some of the nation's most respected corporate leaders including Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
, Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
, Raytheon
Raytheon
Raytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...
, Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, and Georgia Pacific, provides premier research and career opportunities for students.
The School of Engineering and Robins Air Force Base
Robins Air Force Base
Robins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base located in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of and adjacent to the city of Warner Robins, Georgia, SSE of Macon, Georgia, and about SSE of Atlanta, Georgia...
maintain an educational partnership that provides on-base internships and other learning opportunities for aerospace engineering
Aerospace engineering
Aerospace engineering is the primary branch of engineering concerned with the design, construction and science of aircraft and spacecraft. It is divided into two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering...
, electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
, and computer engineering
Computer engineering
Computer engineering, also called computer systems engineering, is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer systems. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic engineering, software design, and...
students. The partnership is separate from the Mercer Engineering and Research Center, which is located near the base in Warner Robins. The educational partnership is one of two maintained by Mercer University, the other involves the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, the School of Medicine, and Piedmont Healthcare
Piedmont Hospital
Piedmont Hospital is a major hospital at 2002 Peachtree Road at Collier Road in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, Georgia.-Washington Street location:...
of Atlanta.
The Clinton Global Initiative University, a program of the William J. Clinton Foundation, recognized Mercer University in 2009 for its Mercer On Mission project, which provides amputees in developing nations with low-cost prosthetics. The prosthetics use a universal socket technology developed by School of Engineering faculty and students. Mercer On Mission was one of only three university projects recognized by former President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
at the CGI University annual conference.
School of Medicine
The School of Medicine, founded in 1982, is partially state funded and accepts only Georgia residents into the Doctor of MedicineDoctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
program. The school's core mission is to train primary care physicians and other health professionals for service in rural and medically underserved areas of Georgia. The school is consistently recognized for its focus on family medicine
Family medicine
Family medicine is a medical specialty devoted to comprehensive health care for people of all ages. It is a division of primary care that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, sexes, diseases, and parts of the body...
, and in 2005, US News and World Report ranked the school 17th out of 126 accredited medical schools in the family medicine category. In addition to the Doctor of Medicine, the school offers master's programs in public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
, family therapy
Family therapy
Family therapy, also referred to as couple and family therapy, family systems therapy, and family counseling, is a branch of psychotherapy that works with families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and development. It tends to view change in terms of the systems of...
, and nurse anesthetist
Nurse anesthetist
A nurse anesthetist is a nurse who specializes in the administration of anesthesia.In the United States, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist is an advanced practice registered nurse who has acquired graduate-level education and board certification in anesthesia...
. The School of Medicine's teaching hospitals are the Medical Center of Central Georgia
Medical Center of Central Georgia
The Medical Center of Central Georgia is a 637-bed hospital located in Macon, Georgia. MCCG is the second largest hospital in Georgia, behind Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. MCCG is a teaching hospital affiliated with Mercer University Medical School. MCCG Serves 28 counties throughout...
in Macon and Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah.
The School of Medicine received additional state funding in 2007 to expand its existing partnership with Memorial University Medical Center by establishing a four-year medical school in Savannah, the first medical school in southern Georgia. Third and fourth year Mercer students have completed clinical rotations at Memorial since 1996, approximately 100 residents are trained each year in a number of specialities. The expanded program opened in August 2008 with 30 first year students. The School of Medicine's Macon and Savannah campuses are administered by Senior Associate Deans who report to one Dean. The new medical program furthers Mercer's mission to train primary care physicians for service in rural and medically underserved areas of Georgia.
The Center for Health and Learning is an educational partnership between the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, the School of Medicine, and Piedmont Healthcare
Piedmont Hospital
Piedmont Hospital is a major hospital at 2002 Peachtree Road at Collier Road in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, Georgia.-Washington Street location:...
of Atlanta. The School of Medicine joined the partnership in September 2007 when it partnered with Piedmont to offer a Masters in family therapy
Family therapy
Family therapy, also referred to as couple and family therapy, family systems therapy, and family counseling, is a branch of psychotherapy that works with families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and development. It tends to view change in terms of the systems of...
on the Atlanta campus. Piedmont is a not-for-profit organization with several hospitals, including Piedmont Hospital and Piedmont Fayette Hospital, both recognized as among the best in the nation, a primary care physician group with approximately 20 clinics, and a physician network with approximately 500 members. Family therapy students are provided learning experiences at various facilities throughout the Piedmont system.
In April 2011, Mercer announced a new Doctor of Clinical Medical Psychology
Doctor of Psychology
The Doctor of Psychology degree is a professional doctorate earned through one of two established training models for clinical psychology...
program with the first students to enroll in the fall of 2012.
Georgia Baptist College of Nursing
The Georgia Baptist College of Nursing was founded in 1901 as the Baptist Tabernacle Infirmary, an independent institution in Atlanta. The college was renamed the Baptist Tabernacle Infirmary and Training School for Nurses when nursingNursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
education began in 1902. The college, named the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing in 1993, merged with Mercer in 2001 and moved from its downtown location to Mercer's Atlanta campus in 2002. The college offers undergraduate and graduate programs and provides clinical experiences at numerous Atlanta-area hospitals and at other community facilities.
The Center for Health and Learning is an educational partnership between the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, the School of Medicine, and Piedmont Healthcare
Piedmont Hospital
Piedmont Hospital is a major hospital at 2002 Peachtree Road at Collier Road in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, Georgia.-Washington Street location:...
of Atlanta. Piedmont is a not-for-profit organization with several hospitals, including Piedmont Hospital and Piedmont Fayette Hospital, both recognized as among the best in the nation, a primary care physician group with approximately 20 clinics, and a physician network with approximately 500 members. Nursing students are provided clinical experiences at various facilities throughout the Piedmont system, as well as other medical facilities across the Atlanta metropolitan area.
The Georgia Baptist College of Nursing began offering the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degree in August 2009 and the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in August 2010. Both programs are a part of Mercer's strategic plan to expand the university's doctoral programs.
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, founded in 1903, was initially an independent school in Atlanta. The college merged with Mercer in 1959 and moved from its downtown location to Mercer's Atlanta campus in 1992. In 1981, the college became the first in the southeast and the fifth in the nation to offer the Doctor of PharmacyDoctor of Pharmacy
A Doctor of Pharmacy is a professional doctorate degree in pharmacy. In some countries, it is a first professional degree, and a prerequisite for licensing to exercise the profession of pharmacist.-Kenya :...
, the highest level of pharmacy education, as its sole professional degree. The college, formerly named the Southern School of Pharmacy, adopted its current name on July 1, 2006. The name change reflects additional health science programs, including a physician assistant
Physician assistant
A physician assistant/associate ' is a healthcare professional trained and licensed to practice medicine with limited supervision by a physician.-General description:...
program, offered by the college.
In September 2009, Mercer announced a new Doctor of Physical Therapy
Doctor of Physical Therapy
The Doctor of Physical Therapy or Doctor of Physiotherapy is a post-baccalaureate three-year degree conferred upon successful completion of a professional clinical doctoral level professional or post-professional physical therapist education program for the licensed physical therapist...
program with the first students to enroll in fall 2010.
Walter F. George School of Law
The Walter F. George School of LawWalter F. George School of Law
The Walter F. George School of Law of Mercer University, founded in 1873, is one of the oldest law schools in the United States and is the second oldest of Mercer's eleven colleges and schools. The School of Law, with approximately 420 students, is located in Macon, Georgia on its own campus one...
, founded in 1873, is one of the oldest law schools in the United States. The school is named for a Mercer alumnus, former United States Senator Walter F. George
Walter F. George
Walter Franklin George was an American politician from the state of Georgia. He was a long-time United States Senator and was President pro tempore. He was a Democrat.-Early years:...
. Additional information is available on the school's Wikipedia entry.
Gary J. Simson, former dean of Case Western Reserve University School of Law
Case Western Reserve University School of Law
Case Western Reserve University Franklin Thomas Backus School of Law is the law school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. It opened in 1892, making it one of the oldest law schools in the country. It was one of the first schools accredited by the American Bar Association and was...
, became dean of the Walter F. George School of Law on July 1, 2010. Simson is a graduate of Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
.
James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology
The James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology, founded in 1994, offers graduate theological programs and is affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist FellowshipCooperative Baptist Fellowship
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is a Christian fellowship of Baptist churches formed in 1991. Theologically moderate, the CBF withdrew from the Southern Baptist Convention over philosophical and theological differences, such as the SBC prohibition of women serving as pastors. The Cooperative...
. McAfee's curriculum is not directed by the Georgia Baptist Convention or Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
. The school, located on the Atlanta campus, is named for James T. McAfee, Jr., former chairman of Mercer's board of trustees, and his wife Carolyn. The McAfees provided a founding endowment.
The McAfee School of Theology and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is a Christian fellowship of Baptist churches formed in 1991. Theologically moderate, the CBF withdrew from the Southern Baptist Convention over philosophical and theological differences, such as the SBC prohibition of women serving as pastors. The Cooperative...
are "identity partners"; announced in 2006, the CBF provides funding for operating costs, scholarships, and collaborative projects. The designation, which grants the highest level of CBF funding, is held by four theology schools, the McAfee School of Theology, the George W. Truett Theological Seminary
George W. Truett Theological Seminary
George W. Truett Theological Seminary is a Baptist theological seminary in Waco, Texas. The seminary, named after Southern Baptist preacher George Washington Truett, was founded in 1993 as part of Baylor University.-History:...
at Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
, the Divinity School at Campbell University
Campbell University
Campbell University is a coeducational, church-related university in rural North Carolina, USA. Its main campus is located in the community of Buies Creek; its law school moved from Buies Creek to a new campus in the state capital of Raleigh in 2009. Campbell has an approximately equal number of...
, and the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond
Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond
Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond is a free-standing seminary in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded in March 1989 by Virginia Baptists related to the Southern Baptist Alliance and Baptist General Association of Virginia...
.
The American Baptist Historical Society
American Baptist Historical Society
The American Baptist Historical Society is the oldest Baptist historical society in the United States.-History:It was created in 1853 after the instigation of John Mason Peck. In 1862, it was chartered under the laws of Pennsylvania. In 1896, a fire destroyed the archives. That same year, Samuel...
(ABHS), with the largest and most diverse collection of Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
historical materials and archives in the world, is located on the Atlanta campus. The ABHS moved to Atlanta in 2008 from Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
The Village of Valley Forge is an unincorporated settlement located on the west side of Valley Forge National Historical Park at the confluence of Valley Creek and the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania, United States. The remaining village is in Schuylkill Township of Chester County, but once...
and Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
. The organization is housed in the Mercer University Conference and Administration Center, formerly occupied by the Georgia Baptist Convention. The ABHS provides research opportunities for Baptist scholars and positions Mercer and the McAfee School of Theology as a national center of Baptist scholarship.
The Baptist History and Heritage Society (BHHS), founded in 1938 as the Southern Baptist Historical Society, relocated from Brentwood, Tennessee
Brentwood, Tennessee
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,445 people, 7,693 households, and 6,808 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,889 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.63% European American, 1.89% African American,...
to the Atlanta campus in 2007. The BHHS, an independent organization with historic ties to the Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
, is housed in the former Georgia Baptist Convention headquarters building along with the American Baptist Historical Society. The two organizations complement each other by providing resources on the American Baptist
American Baptist Churches USA
The American Baptist Churches USA is a Baptist Christian denomination within the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization is usually considered mainline, although varying theological and mission emphases may be found among its...
tradition and the Southern Baptist tradition, which further enhances Mercer's position as a national center of Baptist scholarship.
College of Continuing and Professional Studies
The College of Continuing and Professional Studies, founded in 2003, offers undergraduate and graduate degrees for working adultsAdult education
Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through 'extension' school or 'school of continuing education' . Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers...
. Courses are offered on the Macon and Atlanta campuses and at the regional academic centers in Henry County, Douglas County, and Eastman.
The Public Safety Leadership Institute on the Atlanta campus offers educational programs for law enforcement
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
and other public safety
Public Safety
Public safety involves the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety of the general public from significant danger, injury/harm, or damage, such as crimes or disasters .-See also:* By nation...
officials. The curriculum focuses on organizational leadership, liberal studies, and human resources
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
administration within governmental organizations in the rapidly changing post 9/11 world. The institute has been endorsed by numerous law enforcement organizations.
In July 2009, Mercer announced a new undergraduate degree in public safety, reformulated from the college's criminal justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
major, with the first students to enroll in fall 2009. The degree complements the college's master of science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in public safety leadership.
Mercer libraries
Mercer University has four libraries, which are organized as a separate division alongside the eleven colleges and schools. The Jack Tarver Library, located on the Macon campus, is the largest. The Medical Library and Peyton T. Anderson Resources Center, located in the School of Medicine, and the Furman Smith Law Library, located in the Walter F. George School of LawWalter F. George School of Law
The Walter F. George School of Law of Mercer University, founded in 1873, is one of the oldest law schools in the United States and is the second oldest of Mercer's eleven colleges and schools. The School of Law, with approximately 420 students, is located in Macon, Georgia on its own campus one...
, are also in Macon. The Monroe F. Swilley, Jr. Library is on the Atlanta campus. Each library has a wide variety of print and non-print resources.
Opera House
The Grand Opera HouseGrand Opera House (Macon, Georgia)
The Grand Opera House, often called The Grand and also known as Academy of Music, is a historic opera house located in Macon, Georgia, United States...
is Mercer's Performing Arts Center. Located in downtown Macon and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, the Grand opened in 1884 with the largest stage in the southeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Grand has hosted vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
performances, Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
touring companies, community theatre
Community theatre
Community theatre refers to theatrical performance made in relation to particular communities—its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community...
, concerts, movies, and numerous other events. Mercer has operated the Grand since 1995 through a lease agreement with Bibb County
Bibb County, Georgia
Bibb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 153,887. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 154,709...
. The Grand has undergone extensive renovation and regularly hosts special events that are open to the community.
University Press
The Mercer University Press (MUP), established in 1979, is the only Baptist-related university press in the nation. MUP has published more than 1,000 books generally in the areas of theology, religion, SouthernSouthern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
culture, biography, history, literature and music. MUP's annual Authors Luncheon, a book-signing event in Atlanta, is Georgia's premier literary event. Former President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
and civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
activist Will D. Campbell
Will D. Campbell
Will Davis Campbell is a Baptist minister, activist, author, and lecturer. Throughout his life, he has been a notable white supporter of civil rights in the Southern United States...
are among MUP's published authors. Campbell's book The Stem of Jesse, a history of Mercer in the 1960s, discusses integration
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
of the university. The book, named for university founder Jesse Mercer
Jesse Mercer
Jesse Mercer was a prominent Baptist minister and a founder of Mercer University in the U.S. state of Georgia. Born in North Carolina on December 16, 1769, he was the son of Silas Mercer, a Baptist minister who moved his family to Wilkes County, Georgia in the early 1770s...
, profiles notable alumni including Sam Oni and Samaria Mitcham Bailey
Samaria (Mitcham) Bailey
Samaria Bailey in Macon, Georgia was an instrumental figure in the civil rights movement. She was one of the first American females of African descent to be accepted into Mercer University and the first American female of African descent to integrate A. L. Miller Senior High School, an all...
. Oni was the first student of African descent to be admitted to Mercer University. Bailey was one of the first African-American female students at Mercer.
Mercer Engineering Research Center (MERC)
The Mercer Engineering Research Center (MERC) is located in a state-of-the-art research facility in Warner Robins, GeorgiaWarner Robins, Georgia
Warner Robins is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located primarily in Houston County with a small portion in Peach County. The city has its own metropolitan statistical area . As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 48,804...
. This new facility is located a short drive from Robins Air Force Base and provides upgraded physical security, staff offices, laboratories, classrooms, and a large conference facility.. Established in 1987 as an extension of the School of Engineering, MERC has extensive research agreements with Robins Air Force Base
Robins Air Force Base
Robins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base located in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of and adjacent to the city of Warner Robins, Georgia, SSE of Macon, Georgia, and about SSE of Atlanta, Georgia...
and the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as with private concerns. Providing a broad range of customer oriented services to commercial and government clients, MERC's offerings include: management consulting, logistics consulting and analysis, systems engineering, structural and mechanical engineering, information technology consulting, software engineering, and various areas of industrial process and equipment design.
Radio station
Mercer established its first radio station as a physicsPhysics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
class project in 1922. The call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
was WMAZ, which stood for “Watch Mercer Attain Zenith”. The student-run station operated from the tower of Willingham Chapel until 1927 when Mercer gave WMAZ to the Macon
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
Junior Chamber of Commerce. WMAZ was purchased by the Southeastern Broadcasting Company in 1935 and a television station added with the same call sign in 1953. The radio station was subsequently dropped, but the television station remains a CBS affiliate, WMAZ-TV
WMAZ-TV
WMAZ-TV, channel 13, is the CBS affiliate television station in Macon, Georgia, United States. It is owned by Gannett.-History:The station signed on for the first time on September 27, 1953, owned by Southeastern Broadcasting Company along with WMAZ radio...
Channel 13.
Mercer and Georgia Public Broadcasting
Georgia Public Broadcasting
Georgia Public Broadcasting is the public broadcasting radio and television state network in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is operated by the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission....
partnered in 2006 to create WMUM-FM
WMUM-FM
WMUM-FM is the Georgia Public Broadcasting Public radio station serving Macon and central Georgia. The station shares a tower with its sister GPB Public Broadcasting Service member television station, WMUM-TV, in Cochran, its city of license.The station is a partnership, established in 2006,...
, formerly WDCO-FM. The station provides local content to central Georgia public radio listeners from its broadcast studio on the Macon campus. The station's call sign was changed to WMUM-FM to identify the partnership with "Mercer University Macon". The studio, constructed in 2006, offers various media-related educational opportunities for Mercer students.
Religious life
Mercer, a faith-based university with a BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
heritage, has an active religious life program for students seeking that experience. Religion, however, is not overly prominent; Mercer has an independent board of trustees and is not controlled by the church. Students are not required to attend religious services and the only religion-related curriculum requirement for undergraduates is that they take an introductory course in the New
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
or Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
.
Student organizations
Mercer has over 100 undergraduate student organizations that provide learning experiences outside the classroom. Students may choose from academic, pre-professional, religious, special-interest, and social organizations including a campus newspaper (The Cluster), a closed-circuit student-operated television studio (MERCER99), a student-operated internet radio station, and 18 Greek organizations.Mercer's Greek social organizations are:
Traditional African-American Fraternities:
- Omega Psi PhiOmega Psi PhiOmega Psi Phi is a fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The founders were three Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos...
, Gamma Zeta chapter - Kappa Alpha PsiKappa Alpha PsiKappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...
, Theta Pi chapter
Traditional African-American Sororities:
- Alpha Kappa AlphaAlpha Kappa AlphaAlpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African American college women. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of nine students, led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle...
, Iota Eta chapter (Macon campus) - Alpha Kappa AlphaAlpha Kappa AlphaAlpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African American college women. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of nine students, led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle...
, Sigma Phi chapter (Atlanta campus) - Delta Sigma ThetaDelta Sigma ThetaDelta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...
, Iota Sigma chapter (Macon campus) - Delta Sigma ThetaDelta Sigma ThetaDelta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...
, Tau Omicron chapter (Atlanta campus) - Zeta Phi BetaZeta Phi BetaZeta Phi Beta is an international, historically black Greek-lettered sorority and a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.Zeta Phi Beta is organized into 800+ chapters, in eight intercontinental regions including the USA, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean...
, Omega Mu chapter
Fraternities:
- Alpha Tau OmegaAlpha Tau OmegaAlpha Tau Omega is a secret American leadership and social fraternity.The Fraternity has more than 250 active and inactive chapters, more than 200,000 initiates, and over 7,000 active undergraduate members. The 200,000th member was initiated in early 2009...
, Alpha Zeta chapter - Kappa Alpha OrderKappa Alpha OrderKappa Alpha Order is a social fraternity and fraternal order. Kappa Alpha Order has 124 active chapters, 3 provisional chapters, and 2 commissions...
, Kappa chapter - Kappa SigmaKappa SigmaKappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living...
, Alpha Beta chapter - Lambda Chi AlphaLambda Chi AlphaLambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's secret general fraternities in North America, having initiated more than 280,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole, while he was a...
, Zeta Omega chapter - Phi Delta ThetaPhi Delta ThetaPhi Delta Theta , also known as Phi Delt, is an international fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, Beta Theta Pi, and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad. The fraternity has about 169 active chapters and colonies in over 43 U.S...
, Georgia Gamma chapter - Pi Kappa PhiPi Kappa PhiPi Kappa Phi is an American social fraternity. It was founded by Andrew Alexander Kroeg, Jr., Lawrence Harry Mixson, and Simon Fogarty, Jr. on December 10, 1904 at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina...
, Alpha Alpha chapter - Sigma Alpha EpsilonSigma Alpha EpsilonSigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
, Georgia Psi chapter - Sigma NuSigma NuSigma Nu is an undergraduate, college fraternity with chapters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Sigma Nu was founded in 1869 by three cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia...
, Eta chapter
Sororities:
- Alpha Delta PiAlpha Delta PiAlpha Delta Pi is a fraternity founded on May 15, 1851 at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. The Executive office for this sorority is located on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia. Alpha Delta Pi is one of the two "Macon Magnolias," a term used to celebrate the bonds it shares with Phi Mu...
, Beta Sigma chapter - Alpha Gamma DeltaAlpha Gamma DeltaAlpha Gamma Delta is an international women's fraternity, who are mainly sluts, founded in 1904 at Syracuse University. The Fraternity promotes academic excellence, philanthropic giving, ongoing leadership and personal development, and a spirit of loving sisterhood. Also known as "Alpha Gam" and...
, Gamma Iota chapter - Chi OmegaChi OmegaChi Omega is a women's fraternity and the largest member of the National Panhellenic Conference. Chi Omega has 174 active collegiate chapters and over 230 alumnae chapters. Chi Omega's national headquarters is located in Memphis, Tennessee....
, Psi Gamma chapter - Phi MuPhi MuPhi Mu is the second oldest female fraternal organization established in the United States. It was founded at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. The organization was founded as the Philomathean Society on January 4, 1852, and was announced publicly on March 4 of the same year...
, Alpha Iota chapter
Mercer's graduate and professional schools sponsor numerous student organizations as well.
Mercer's Computer Science Programming Team, the "Binary Bears," earned an Honorable Mention in the 2007 ACM
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
World Finals Programming Competition held in Tokyo, Japan. Mercer was one of 88 teams out of more than 6,000 teams from 75 countries that advanced to the championship round; the team qualified for Mercer's first appearance in the event after finishing second in the Southeast regional competition.
Athletics
Mercer is an NCAA Division I member competing in the Atlantic Sun ConferenceAtlantic Sun Conference
The Atlantic Sun Conference is a college athletic conference operating in the Southeastern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I; it does not sponsor football. The conference was established in 1978 as the Trans America Athletic Conference...
. Mercer joined the Atlantic Sun, formerly called the Trans American Athletic Conference, in 1978 and is the only charter member remaining with the conference. The university fields varsity teams, known as the Bears, in six men's, seven women's, and one co-educational sport. Men's teams include baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, cross-country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, soccer, and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
. Women's teams include basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, cross-country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, soccer, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. Air-rifle
Air gun
An air gun is a rifle , pistol , or shotgun that fires projectiles by means of compressed air or other gas, in contrast to a firearm, which burns a propellant. Most air guns use metallic projectiles as ammunition. Air guns that only use plastic projectiles are classified as airsoft...
is co-educational. Mercer teams have won 15 Atlantic Sun Conference championships (as of November 2010): four baseball, three men's basketball, two women's basketball, five men's soccer, and one women's soccer. The most recent championship was the one in women's soccer achieved in November 2010.
Facilities
Mercer opened the University Center on the Macon campus in 2004. The $40 million 230000 square feet (21,367.7 m²) center houses Mercer's athletics department, a 3,500-seat basketball arenaArena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
, an indoor pool, work-out facilities, intramural basketball courts, an air-rifle range, offices, a food court, and numerous meeting facilities. Mercer's baseball, softball, and intramural fields are next to the center along with the university's tennis complex. In 2007, a 101-room Hilton Garden Inn
Hilton Garden Inn
Hilton Garden Inn is a chain of hotels trademarked by the Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Garden Inns are considered to be upscale mid-priced hotels that are designed for both business and leisure travelers. The hotel brand is similar to that of the Courtyard by Marriott brand, a key competitor...
opened on university-owned land adjacent to the University Center.
New Athletics Director
Bobby Pope retired on June 30, 2010 after 21 years as athletics director. Pope was affiliated with Mercer for 40 years starting in 1970 as a radio announcer, and in 1980 became sports information director. He became athletics director in 1989 and oversaw construction of the University Center and renovation of the baseball, softball, and tennis facilities. Jim Cole, a Mercer graduate and a former professional baseball player in the Milwaukee BrewersMilwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
system, is the new athletics director. Cole, a member of the Georgia House of Representatives
Georgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly of the U.S. state of Georgia.-Composition:...
, served as Governor Sonny Perdue
Sonny Perdue
George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III, was the 81st Governor of Georgia. Upon his inauguration in January 2003, he became the first Republican governor of Georgia since Benjamin F. Conley served during Reconstruction in the 1870s....
's floor leader in the House and was selected to become Georgia Secretary of State in December 2009. He declined the appointment to become Mercer athletics director.
Football
On November 19, 2010, Mercer announced the reinstatement of intercollegiate footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
beginning in the fall of 2013. Mercer will compete as a NCAA Division I, non-scholarship program and will compete in the Pioneer Football League
Pioneer Football League
The Pioneer Football League is a college athletic conference which operates in the East, Midwest, and California of the United States. It has member schools that range from New York, North Carolina, and Florida in the east to California in the west. The conference participates in the NCAA's...
. Reinstatement comes after a 70-year hiatus; the university suspended football during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and did not revive it. The final game was in 1941.
On January 20, 2011, Mercer announced the hiring of Bobby Lamb
Bobby Lamb (American football)
Robert Emory "Bobby" Lamb is the former head football coach of the Furman Paladins located in Greenville, South Carolina. He has filled the position since 2002. He resigned as coach in November 2010. The Paladins compete in the Football Championship Subdivision of Division I as members of the...
as its new head football coach. Lamb compiled a record of 67-40 in nine seasons as the head coach at Furman University
Furman University
Furman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...
from 2002-2010. He played quarterback at Furman from 1982-1985 and was the Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
player of the year in 1985. Lamb was an assistant coach at Furman from 1986 until he became head coach in 2002. He resigned from Furman after compiling a record of 5-6 for the 2010 season, his only losing season in nine years. Lamb is a Georgia native; he was born in Augusta
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
and graduated from high school in Commerce
Commerce, Georgia
Commerce is a city in Jackson County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 6,544.-Geography:Commerce is located at ....
.
In September 2011, the university began construction of a new football stadium on the Macon campus. The new stadium is adjacent to the University Center and Mercer's other athletic facilities.
Rankings
US News and World Report, in the 2012 edition of its college and university rankingsCollege and university rankings
College and university rankings are lists of institutions in higher education, ordered by combinations of factors. In addition to entire institutions, specific programs, departments, and schools are ranked...
, ranks Mercer ninth in the Southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
"Best Universities-Master's" category marking the university's twenty-second consecutive year among the top 15 and thirteenth consecutive year in the top 10. The 2012 edition also ranks Mercer among the "Great Schools, Great Prices" as the seventh best value in the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
.
The Princeton Review, in its 2012 "Best 376 Colleges" guide, ranks Mercer in the top fifteen percent of all colleges and universities nationwide. The 2007 edition ranked Mercer's campus as the fifth most beautiful in the nation. In addition, in its most recent "America's Best Value Colleges" guide (2008), the Princeton Review lists Mercer as a "Best Value", one of 165 colleges and universities in the nation that combine excellent academics, generous financial aid packages, and a relatively low cost of attendance; Mercer is one of 75 private institutions among the 165 "Best Values".
US News and World Report ranks the School of Medicine in the top 20 of the nation's 126 accredited medical schools in the family medicine category, the school's primary focus, and ranks the Walter F. George School of Law
Walter F. George School of Law
The Walter F. George School of Law of Mercer University, founded in 1873, is one of the oldest law schools in the United States and is the second oldest of Mercer's eleven colleges and schools. The School of Law, with approximately 420 students, is located in Macon, Georgia on its own campus one...
in Tier 3 with schools ranked 101 through 137 of the nation's 184 accredited law schools. The same edition ranks Mercer's legal writing
Legal writing
Legal writing is a type of technical writing used by lawyers, judges, legislators, and others in law to express legal analysis and legal rights and duties.- Authority :...
program first in the nation. The legal writing program has been ranked first or second since US News and World Report began the speciality ranking in 2006. The program was ranked first in 2006 (tied with one other school), second in 2007, and first in 2008 and 2009.
The Princeton Review, in its "Best 301 Business Schools: 2010 Edition", ranks the Atlanta MBA program third in the nation in the category of "Greatest Opportunity for Women". The program was ranked first in 2008 and third in 2009. The Princeton Review also includes the Walter F. George School of Law in its "Best 174 Law Schools: 2010 Edition".
In 2007, Mercer was one of 141 colleges and universities selected for the first President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll; the honor roll is sponsored by several agencies including the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the United States federal government...
to recognize support for community service. In 2005, Mercer was one of 81 institutions of higher education named a “College with a Conscience” by the Princeton Review and College Compact. and in 2006, Mercer was ranked thirteenth in the nation in the first “Saviors of Our Cities” ranking by Evan Dobelle
Evan Dobelle
Evan Samuel Dobelle is a public official and higher-education administrator, is known for promoting higher-education investment in the Creative Economy, public-private partnerships and the "College Ready" model that helps students graduate from high school and college.-Life:Evan Samuel Dobelle...
, president and CEO of the New England Board of Higher Education.
Mercer earned national recognition in 2008 from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for the university's commitment to community engagement. Mercer is the only college in Georgia, and one of just 119 in the United States, to be selected by the foundation for its 2008 Community Engagement Classification. The university joins 76 institutions identified in 2006, including Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
and Spelman College
Spelman College
Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman was the first historically black female...
, the only other Georgia institutions to achieve the classification to date.
See also
- List of alumni of Mercer University
- Walter F. George School of LawWalter F. George School of LawThe Walter F. George School of Law of Mercer University, founded in 1873, is one of the oldest law schools in the United States and is the second oldest of Mercer's eleven colleges and schools. The School of Law, with approximately 420 students, is located in Macon, Georgia on its own campus one...
- Mercer University School of EngineeringMercer University School of EngineeringThe Mercer University School of Engineering is one of Mercer University's eleven colleges and schools. MUSE, located on Mercer's main campus in Macon, Georgia, offers 10 different engineering-related majors and enrolls approximately 500 students...
- Mercer BearsMercer BearsThe Mercer Bears are the athletic teams of Mercer University, Mercer is an NCAA Division I member competing in the Atlantic Sun Conference for most sports, Mercer rifle and lacrosse teams compete as NCAA Division I independents, football will compete in the Pioneer Football League when the program...
External links
- Mercer University Website
- Mercer Admissions
- QuadWorks: Student Programming Board
- Mercer University Student Government Association
- Mercer University Athletics
- Mercer University Press
- Mercer University - New Georgia Encyclopedia entry
- Jesse Mercer - New Georgia Encyclopedia entry
- Adiel Sherwood - New Georgia Encyclopedia entry
- Mercer Radio
- Mercer University School of Medicine/Medical Center of Central Georgia Nurse Anesthesia Program in Macon