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Wikipedia

Mercer University

September 05, 2023

Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 students in 12 colleges and schools.[5][6] Mercer is a member of the Georgia Research Alliance.[7][8] It is classified as a "R2: Doctoral Universities — High research activity".[9]

Mercer University
Latin: Merceriensis Universitas
Former name
Mercer Institute (1833–1837)
Southern School of Pharmacy (1903-1959)
Atlanta Baptist College (1964-1972)
MottoScientiis, Artibus, Religioni (Latin)
Motto in English
"Sciences, Arts, and Religion"
TypePrivate research university
EstablishedJanuary 14, 1833; 190 years ago (January 14, 1833)
AccreditationSACS
Religious affiliation
Historically Georgia Baptist Convention; no specific affiliation, but maintains Baptist traditions[1]
Academic affiliations
Endowment$502 million (2022)[3]
PresidentWilliam D. Underwood
Students9,024
Location
Macon
,
Georgia
,
United States

32°49′45″N 83°38′55″W / 32.82917°N 83.64861°W / 32.82917; -83.64861
CampusMidsize city, 150 acres (0.61 km2)
Other campuses
NewspaperThe Mercer Cluster
ColorsBlack and orange[4]
   
NicknameBears
Sporting affiliations
Mascot
  • Toby
  • Tot
Websitewww.mercer.edu

Mercer has four major campuses: the historic (main) campus in Macon, a graduate and professional campus in Atlanta, and four-year campuses of the School of Medicine in Savannah and Columbus. Mercer also has regional academic centers in Henry County and Douglas County; the Mercer University School of Law on its own campus in Macon; teaching hospitals in Macon, Savannah, and Columbus; a university press and a performing arts center, the Grand Opera House, in Macon; and the Mercer Engineering Research Center in Warner Robins. The Mercer University Health Sciences Center encompasses Mercer's medical, pharmacy, nursing, and health professions programs in Macon, Atlanta, Savannah, and Columbus.[10]

Mercer University alumni include 21 United States Representatives, 12 governors, four United States Senators, two Pulitzer Prize winners, two Rhodes Scholars and a U.S. Attorney General.[11] Mercer has an NCAA Division I athletic program and fields teams in eight men's and ten women's sports; all university-sponsored sports compete in the Southern Conference except women's sand volleyball, which is not sponsored by the SoCon, and thus competes in the ASUN Conference.[12][13]

History Edit

 
Jesse Mercer, first chairman of the board of trustees and namesake of the university

Founding and early years (1833–1959) Edit

 
Woodcut of Mercer University from an 1877 Macon, Georgia city directory.

Mercer University was founded in Penfield, Georgia, as a boys' preparatory school under Billington McCarter 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.[14][15] The school opened as Mercer Institute with 39 students on January 14, 1833.[14] The school was named for Jesse Mercer,[16] a prominent Baptist leader who provided a founding endowment and who served as the first chairman of the board of trustees.[14][17] The Georgia General Assembly granted a university charter in December 1837.[14] Mercer adopted its present name in 1838 and graduated its first university class, of three students, in 1841.[14] In 1871, Mercer moved to Macon,[18] a center of transportation and commerce in Georgia.

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.

During World War II, Mercer was one of 131 colleges and universities in the V-12 Navy College Training Program, which offered military training that prepared students for a commission in the United States Navy.

Expansion (1959–2013) Edit

Mercer expanded to Atlanta in 1959 when the university absorbed the independent Southern School of Pharmacy. The College of Liberal Arts, the 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.[14]

Atlanta Baptist College was founded in 1968 under the leadership of Dr. Monroe F. Swilley, a prominent Baptist educator.[19] 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.[20] 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.[21] The mission of the Atlanta campus changed to graduate and professional education.[20] The Southern School of Pharmacy moved in 1992 from its downtown location to the Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Campus.

Between 1982 and 2013, Mercer established nine additional 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 (renamed Penfield College of Mercer University in 2014), the Townsend School of Music in 2006, and the College of Health Professions in 2013. Mercer opened its second four-year medical school in Savannah in 2008 and the multi-campus Mercer University Health Sciences Center in 2012.

Mercer received a $5 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in 2009 to support continued revitalization of the College Hill Corridor between campus and downtown Macon.[22] The Mercer On Mission service-learning program, launched in 2007, has been recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative as "an exemplary approach to addressing a specific global challenge." It helps students combine research, study abroad and service-learning under faculty direction.

The multi-campus Mercer University Health Sciences Center, which incorporates programs offered by the School of Medicine, the College of Pharmacy, the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, and the new College of Health Professions, opened in 2013. The College of Health Professions, authorized by the board of trustees in 2012, is Mercer's twelfth academic unit. Mercer purchased the former Georgia Music Hall of Fame building in downtown Macon in 2012; the extensively renovated building reopened in 2014 as the home of Mercer Medicine, a multi-specialty physician clinic and a division of the School of Medicine.[23][24]

 
R. Kirby Godsey Administration Building, a university landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Mercer opened a large retail-residential center on the Macon campus in 2011. The center, called Mercer Lofts, houses the Barnes & Noble operated university bookstore, other shops, and student apartments.[25][26] Mercer Lofts II, a mixed-use development adjacent to Phase I, opened in 2012; the facility houses Mercer's Center for Collaborative Journalism, which consists of the university's journalism department and the editorial-professional staffs of the Macon Telegraph and Georgia Public Broadcasting (on the first floor) along with student apartments (on upper floors).[27][28] Also in 2012, the university opened a new admissions and welcome center on the Macon campus; the center is named for Emily Parker Myers, a long-time university administrator, and is the university's first LEED certified building.[29][30] In 2013, Mercer completed Cruz Plaza, a major landscaping project for the Macon campus central quadrangle linking the University Center (Hawkins Arena), Tarver Library, and Connell Student Center.[31]

Desegregation Edit

Mercer University was the first college or university in Georgia to fully desegregate.[32] In April 18, 1963, the board of trustees voted 13 to 5, with 3 abstentions, to ratify the policy that "Mercer University considers all applications based on qualification, without consideration of race, color of skin, creed, or origin.".[33] This policy change allowed Sam Oni, a twenty-two-year-old student from Ghana, to become the first Black student to attend Mercer University.[34] Sam Oni, knowingly and intentionally, in part applied to Mercer for the purpose of helping to end racial segregation in the United States. As Sam Oni phrased it "My role, as we conceived it was by breaking the color bar at Mercer, I would be challenging our Southern Baptist brothers and sisters in America to confront gross contradictions in the Christian witness at home and abroad."[35] Sam Oni succeeded despite pressure from segregationist in both the South and the Southern Baptists to keep Mercer racially segregated, including an airplane flying a banner that read "Keep Mercer Segregated" as the Board of Trustees successfully voted to fully integrate.[35]

Religious affiliation Edit

In 2006, the Georgia Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention) terminated its affiliation with it due to the presence of a gay association on campus and its support of other Baptist organizations.[36][37][38] Before the affiliation ended, Mercer had an independent board of trustees; the convention provided financial support but did not control the university. The lack of control caused friction, with Mercer resisting restraints on social issues while the convention saw Mercer as becoming secularized and not conforming to its values.[39]

2014–present Edit

 
University Center (Hawkins Arena)

On October 31, 2014, Mercer announced an effort to raise $400 million, including $207 million for its endowment, $109 million for capital projects, and $84 million for operations.[40] By its public launch, $90 million in gifts and pledges had been collected. The campaign aims to fund a $15 million medical education facility in Savannah, ground was broken on October 14, 2014;[41] a $25 million undergraduate sciences facility in Macon; a $20 million health sciences building in Atlanta; a $3 million baseball stadium in Macon; additional endowment for faculty positions, academic programs and student scholarships; funding for programs and initiatives such as Mercer On Mission; and additional support throughout the university's 12 schools and colleges, Mercer University Press, the university libraries, athletic department, and other administrative units.

In athletics, Mercer has added programs in men's lacrosse, sand volleyball, and football; constructed a new football and lacrosse complex, named Five Star Stadium (10,200 seats); and changed affiliation to the Southern Conference. In 2014, Mercer set an enrollment record in the fall of 2014 with a university-wide population of 8,557 students.[5] The larger student body reflects expanded academic programs including five new doctoral degrees: Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction, Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice, Doctor of Physical Therapy, and Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Medical Psychology. Mercer opened its second four-year medical school, in Savannah, in 2008.

Mercer opened Mercer Lofts III in 2014; the facility is a large student-housing complex on College Street next to Tattnall Square Park and the university's historic north quadrangle.[42] Also in 2014, Mercer completed an extensive renovation of the historic Amanda Bell House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places; the building houses the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings of the Townsend School of Music and is one of the finest conservatory facilities in the nation.[43] Mercer's television station, WMUB (Mercer University Broadcasting), opened a new studio in Mercer Village in 2014 as a part of the university's Center for Collaborative Journalism.[44]

The M. Diane Owens Garden, named for the first female chair of Mercer's board of trustees, a large environmentally friendly fountain and garden area near Five Star Stadium, was dedicated in 2014.[45] The garden complements Cruz Plaza, completed in 2013, as a major landscaping project beautifying the Macon campus.

Mercer Lofts IV, known as the Lofts at College Hill, opened in 2015; the housing-retail complex is designed for graduate and professional students and is located adjacent to Macon's main post office between College Street and Interstate 75, near the Walter F. George School of Law. Mercer's Tattnall Square Center for the Arts also opened in 2015; the center is the former Tattnall Square Presbyterian Church, near the historic north quadrangle, and now houses the university theater department and is a community performing arts center.

Mercer Lofts V, known as the Lofts at Mercer Landing, opened in 2016 adjacent to Five Star Stadium near the Mercer University Drive exit from Interstate 75; a new campus entrance and a pedestrian bridge connecting the campus and the complex are also complete. The facility provides student housing, university offices, and a large parking garage; retail-food facilities and a second on-campus hotel, operated by Marriott TownePlace Suites, are a part of the complex as well, located directly across Mercer University Drive from the university's Hilton Garden Inn.

Mercer's other construction projects in recent years include renovation and expansion of the School of Medicine facility in Savannah (completed 2016), a new undergraduate residence hall in Macon named Legacy Hall (completed 2016), and a renovated and enlarged baseball facility named OrthoGeorgia Park at Claude Smith Field (completed 2017).[46][47][48][49]

Mercer's Board of Trustees on April 20, 2018, approved a new strategic plan that succeeds the 2008 plan, which saw the institution reclassified as a national research university, admitted to the Georgia Research Alliance, granted a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, growth of 41 percent in undergraduate enrollment, a near doubling of research expenditures, investment of more than $200 million in new facilities, and an increase of endowment to more than $300 million. The 2018 strategic plan, titled Inspire: Mercer's Vision for the Decade Ahead, has seven imperatives: be an intimate and diverse community of gifted scholars committed to changing the world; be a place of discovery and innovation; be a global university; be relevant; achieve meaningful outcomes; compete with the best, and be true to its heritage.

 
Mercer Village, location of the university bookstore, other shops, student apartments, and the Center for Collaborative Journalism (newspaper, radio, television)

Mercer has launched second and third medical school campuses (in Savannah and Columbus), started 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 meets criteria established by the Carnegie Foundation for classification as a research-doctoral university; the number of doctoral students has increased from fewer than 35 to more than 250. In addition, annual externally funded research expenditures now exceed $36 million due to increased funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Georgia Research Alliance; plus new funding as eminent cancer scientists by the Georgia Cancer Coalition.[50][51][52]

Mercer students have earned national recognition and prestigious Fulbright, Goldwater, Teach For America and Peace Corps scholarships and appointments; as of 2012, two of the last three recipients of the Gulf South Summit Award for Outstanding Student Contributions to Service-Learning have been Mercer students and Mercer ranks among the top three institutions in the Southeast for placement of Peace Corps volunteers among colleges and universities with fewer than 5,000 undergraduate students.[53][54][55]

The University dedicated in April 2018 the new $44 million Godsey Science Center. The largest academic facility project in the university's history, the science center includes 60 teaching and research labs, three medium classrooms (75 to 100 students each), four small classrooms (32 students each) and 46 offices for Mercer's biology, chemistry, biochemistry, and neuroscience programs.

Mercer began construction on Phase II of the Mercer Landing development in early 2018. The project, located adjacent to the residential loft complex completed in 2016, will provide more student housing and more parking for the complex and for Five Star Stadium, which is located across Mercer University Drive.

Presidents Edit

 
Rev. Billington M. Sanders, Mercer's first President
  • Billington McCarter Sanders (1833–1840)[56]
  • Otis Smith (1840–1844)[57]
  • John Leadley Dagg (1844–1854)[58]
  • Nathaniel Macon Crawford(1854–1856)[59]
  • Shelton Palmer Sanford (acting President; 1856–1858)[60]
  • Nathaniel Macon Crawford (1858–1866)[59]
  • Henry Holcombe Tucker (1866–1871)[61]
  • Archibald John Battle (1872–1889)[62]
  • Gustavus Alonzo Nunnally (1889–1893)[63]
  • Joseph Edgerton Willet (acting President; 1893)[64]
  • James Bruton Gambrell (1893–1896)[65]
  • Pinckney Daniel Pollock (1896–1903)[66]
  • William Heard Kilpatrick (acting President; 1903–1905)[67]
  • Charles Lee Smith (1905–1906)[68]
  • Samuel Young Jameson (1906–1913)[69]
  • James Freeman Sellers (acting President; 1913–1914)[70]
  • William Lowndes Pickard (1914–1918)[71]
  • Rufus Washington Weaver (1918–1927)[72]
  • Andrew Phillip Montague (acting President; 1927–1928)[73]
  • Spright Dowell (1928–1953)[74]
  • George Boyce Connell (1953–1959)[75]
  • Spright Dowell (interim President; 1959–1960)[74]
  • Rufus Carrollton Harris (1960–1979)[76]
  • Raleigh Kirby Godsey (1979–2006)[77]
  • William D. Underwood (2006–present)[78]

Campuses and buildings Edit

Macon campus Edit

 
R. Kirby Godsey Administration Building, on the historic quad north, heart of the Macon campus
 
Louie De Votie Newton Chapel, on the historic quad north

The main campus of Mercer University is in Macon, approximately 75 miles (121 km) south of Atlanta. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Stetson-Hatcher School of Business, the Tift College of Education, the Townsend School of Music, the School of Engineering, the School of Medicine, and programs of the College of Professional Advancement are located on the Macon campus. The R. Kirby Godsey Administration Building, the W. G. Lee Alumni House, and the Emily Parker Myers Admissions and Welcome Center (listed as R. J. Anderson House) are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[29][79] Also listed are the Amanda Bell House (listed as Lassiter House), which houses the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings of the Townsend School of Music, located on College Street one mile (1.6 km) from the main campus, and the Grand Opera House, a county-owned performing arts center operated by Mercer.[80][81][82]

The Macon campus is home to the Office of International Programs, which offers exchange partnerships between Macon and universities in countries such as England, Scotland, Germany, Spain, France, Sweden, Morocco, Argentina, Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea.

Law school campus (Macon) Edit

The Mercer University School of Law 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 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which is used for university special events.[83] The Law School building and the Woodruff House are two of Macon's most recognizable sites.

Atlanta campus Edit

The Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Campus of Mercer University is in the Atlanta metropolitan area, approximately two miles (3.2 km) south of the interchange of Interstate 85 and Interstate 285 in the Northlake area of DeKalb County. The College of Professional Advancement, the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology, the College of Pharmacy, the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, and programs of the Stetson-Hatcher School of Business (BBA, MBA and Executive MBA programs), the Tift College of Education (Master's and PhD 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 Hotels 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.

The current 151,066-square-foot (14,034.5 m2) headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Atlanta Field Office is on the grounds of Mercer Atlanta Campus and opened in 2017.[84]

Savannah campus Edit

Mercer opened a new four-year medical school in Savannah in August 2008. The campus 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 campus is the university's third major campus in addition to those in Macon and Atlanta.

The School of Medicine's new medical education and research facility at Memorial was dedicated in April 2016. The $18 million Savannah campus expansion, which began in October 2014 and was completed in December 2015, includes renovation of approximately 26,500 square feet of classrooms, offices, research labs and library space in the Hoskins Center, as well as construction of 30,000 square feet of new space for additional classrooms, exam rooms and study areas. This expansion allows for a 50-percent increase in M.D. student enrollment – from 160 to 240 students – in Savannah, equaling the number of M.D. students on the Macon campus.

Columbus campus Edit

In February 2012, Mercer announced the establishment of a new campus in Columbus.[85] The campus was the third for the School of Medicine, which has existing campuses in Macon and Savannah. The campus partnered with two regional hospitals, The Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital, and beginning in the summer of 2012, offered clinical rotations for third and fourth year students. On September 3, 2020, the university broke ground for a new School of Medicine campus in Columbus to accommodate the expansion to a full four-year M.D. program.[86] The initial cohort of first-year M.D. students began classes in August 2021 and the new campus was completed in December 2021.

Teaching hospitals Edit

Mercer is affiliated with five teaching hospitals – Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah; Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center and Piedmont Medical Center in Macon; and Piedmont Columbus Regional Hospital and St. Francis Hospital in Columbus.

Regional academic centers Edit

Mercer has regional academic centers in Henry County and Douglas County. The centers offer undergraduate and graduate degrees for working adults.

The Henry County Regional Academic Center opened in 2003. The facility combined programs previously offered at two smaller facilities in Covington and Griffin. The center is located in McDonough.

The Douglas County Regional Academic Center was named in 2007 in honor of Fred and Aileen Borrish, longtime Mercer benefactors and supporters of education in Douglas County. The center is located in Lithia Springs.

Mercer libraries Edit

 
Mercer's Central Quad, location of the Jack Tarver Library (with the clock tower) and Stetson Hall (on the right); Stetson Hall houses the Stetson-Hatcher School of Business and the Tift College of Education

Mercer University has four libraries, which are organized as a separate division alongside the twelve 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 Law, 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.

Academics Edit

 
Willingham Hall, an academic building on the historic quad north

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Edit

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 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.

Stetson-Hatcher School of Business Edit

The Stetson-Hatcher School of Business, founded in 1984, has the highest level of accreditation for business schools from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The school 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.

School of Engineering Edit

Main article: Mercer University School of Engineering
 
Science and Engineering Building

The School of Engineering, founded in 1985, is the only private engineering school in Georgia and one of only five engineering schools in the state; the others are Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Southern University, University of Georgia, and Kennesaw 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 62,000-square-foot (5,800 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.[87]

Tift College of Education Edit

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 Education and is the largest private provider of teachers in Georgia.[88] The college was named in 2001 to honor the legacy of Tift College, a Baptist women's college in Forsyth.[89][90] 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 and at the university's regional academic centers. The college offers three Doctor of Philosophy degrees: P–12 School Leadership, Higher Education Leadership, and Curriculum and Instruction.[91]

Townsend School of Music Edit

 
Townsend School of Music is housed in the Allan and Rosemary McCorkle Music Building

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 McAfee 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 music training. McDuffie is a 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 string students the opportunity to learn with string musicians. Total enrollment is limited to 26 students: 12 violinists, 6 violists, 6 cellists and 2 double bassists.[citation needed]

College of Professional Advancement (Continuing and Professional Studies) Edit

 
Old Mercer Chapel, constructed in 1845 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located on the university's original campus in Penfield, Georgia

The College of Professional Advancement, formerly Penfield College of Mercer University, was founded in 2003 as the College of Continuing and Professional Studies and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees for working adults. Courses are offered on the Macon and Atlanta campuses and at the regional academic centers in Henry County, Douglas County, and Newnan. The college was named on July 1, 2014, to honor the legacy of Mercer's original location in Penfield, Georgia and to better reflect the college's breadth of academic offerings from certificate programs to doctoral-level degrees.[92][93] Mercer maintains a portion of the original Penfield campus including historic Old Mercer Chapel and the gravesite of university founder Jesse Mercer.

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.

The college's graduate-level programs include master's degrees in public safety, organizational leadership, school counseling, and clinical mental health counseling as well as an Educational Specialist degree in school counseling and a Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision.[94] In 2013, the college began offering graduate programs in human services and rehabilitation counseling.

School of Law Edit

Main article: Mercer University School of Law
 
Mercer University School of Law

The Mercer University School of Law, founded in 1873, is one of the oldest law schools in the United States. The school was formerly named Walter F. George School of Law after Walter F. George, Mercer Law Class of 1901, who was a long-time United States Senator and was President pro tempore of the Senate. The School of Law offers the Juris Doctor (JD) degree and a joint Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration (JD/MBA) in conjunction with the university's Stetson-Hatcher School of Business.

James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology Edit

The James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology, founded in 1994, offers graduate theological programs and is affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. 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.[95] 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.[95]

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.[96] The ABHS moved to Atlanta in 2008 from Valley Forge, Pennsylvania and Rochester, New York.[97] The organization is housed in the Mercer University Administration and Conference 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.[98] 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.[98] 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.

School of Medicine Edit

Main articles: Mercer University School of Medicine and Mercer University Health Sciences Center
 
Medical Education Building – Macon

The Mercer University School of Medicine, founded in 1982, is partially state funded and accepts only Georgia residents into the Doctor of Medicine 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, U.S. News & 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 family therapy. The School of Medicine's teaching hospitals are the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, The Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital in Columbus.[99]

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 and Graduated its first M.D.'s in 2012. 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.

 
Medical Education Building – Savannah

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.[100]

In February 2012, Mercer announced the establishment of a third School of Medicine campus.[85] The campus, in Columbus, joined existing locations in Macon and Savannah. The new campus partnered with two regional hospitals, The Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital, and offered clinical rotations for up to 80 third and fourth year students.

College of Pharmacy Edit

Main article: Mercer University Health Sciences Center

The College of Pharmacy, founded in 1903, was an independent school in Atlanta until it merged with Mercer in 1959.[101][102] The college, ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the top five private pharmacy schools in the country, moved from its downtown location to Mercer's Atlanta campus in 1992.[102] In 1981, the college became the first in the southeast and the fifth in the nation to offer the Doctor of Pharmacy, the highest level of pharmacy education, as its sole professional degree.[102]

The college was named the Southern School of Pharmacy until 2006 when it was renamed the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences; the name change reflected new physician assistant and physical therapy programs.[101][103] The college received its current name in 2013 when the physician assistant and physical therapy programs were shifted to the new College of Health Professions.

Mercer's football stadium (10,200 seats, completion 2013) – the Tony and Nancy Moye Football and Lacrosse Complex – is named for William Anthony (Tony) Moye, Pharmacy Class of 1973. Moye is a member of the university's board of trustees and is a major donor towards the stadium.

Georgia Baptist College of Nursing Edit

Main article: Mercer University Health Sciences Center

The Georgia Baptist College of Nursing was founded in 1901 as the Baptist Tabernacle Infirmary, an independent institution in Atlanta.[104][105] The college was renamed the Baptist Tabernacle Infirmary and Training School for Nurses when nursing education began in 1902.[104][105] 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.[104][105] 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.[106][107] Both programs are a part of Mercer's strategic plan to expand the university's doctoral programs.

College of Health Professions Edit

Main article: Mercer University Health Sciences Center

The College of Health Professions opened on July 1, 2013.[6] Mercer's twelfth academic unit offers the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree along with master's-level physician assistant and public health programs previously offered by the College of Pharmacy and the School of Medicine. The new college allows for the addition of future health sciences programs, such as occupational therapy, as well as expansion of existing programs on multiple Mercer campuses.

Research Edit

Mercer Engineering Research Center (MERC) Edit

The Mercer Engineering Research Center (MERC) is located in a state-of-the-art research facility in Warner Robins, Georgia.[108] 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.

 
WMUM-FM, located in Mercer Village, an academic-residential-retail area on the Macon campus

Student life Edit

Opera House Edit

Main article: Grand Opera House (Macon, Georgia)

The Grand Opera House is a county-owned performing arts center operated by Mercer. 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.[79] 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.

University Press Edit

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, Southern 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.[109] Bailey was one of the first African-American female students at Mercer.

Radio station Edit

Main article: WMUM-FM

Mercer established its first radio station as a physics class project in 1922.[110] 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.[14][111] 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.[112]

Mercer and Georgia Public Broadcasting partnered in 2006 to create WMUM-FM, formerly WDCO-FM.[14] 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.

Student newspaper Edit

The Mercer Cluster, commonly referred to as The Cluster, is a student-run, editorially-independent news organization for Mercer's main Macon campus. The organization began as a newspaper in 1920 and was named after a book of songs penned by the university's founder Jesse Mercer in 1810.[113] The Cluster's website went live in 2011, and both print and digital publication were maintained until 2022, when the news publication announced it would be transitioning to digital-only. [114] Today, The Cluster's website publishes consistently throughout the academic year.

Debating Societies Edit

Founded in 1897, Mercer's debating society is the oldest organization on Mercer's campus as well as the oldest debating society in the entire state of Georgia. In 1898, Mercer's champion orator, John Roach Straton, won the first Intercollegiate Oratorical Championships in Atlanta. Debate continued to be a significant intercollegiate sport for many years after that, with Walter F. George, namesake of Mercer's law school, leading a team to victory over the University of Georgia at the Mercer-Athens Debate in 1899.

In March 2018, the student team of Jazmine Buckley and Kyle Bligen became the first all-African-American duo to win the National Parliamentary Debate championship at the nation's largest parliamentary debate tournament. Buckley as a freshman in 2015 became the first freshman and the first African-American to be named top speaker at the NPDA tournament. Buckley outranked 320 other debaters representing top programs such as the University of California, Berkeley, Wheaton, Rice and Whitman to receive the James "Al" Johnson Top Speaker Award.[115] That same year, Lindsey Hancock and Hunter Pilkinton competed at the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence (NPTE) at William Jewell College in Missouri. The duo from Mercer was the first team from the university and the state of Georgia to attend the NPTE, the most prestigious parliamentary debate tournament in the nation.[115] Also in 2015, the Hancock-Pilkinton duo became the first Mercer team to win the Georgia Parliamentary Debate Association State Championships, with Hancock being the first woman to win the state title.

Athletics Edit

Main article: Mercer Bears

Mercer fields eighteen (18) teams, known as the Bears, on the NCAA Division I level (FCS, formerly I-AA, for football); all teams compete in the Southern Conference except women's sand volleyball, which is not sponsored by the SoCon, and thus competes in the ASUN Conference.[12][13] Men's teams include baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, and tennis. Women's teams include basketball, cross-country, golf, lacrosse, sand volleyball, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

Mercer was a charter member of the ASUN Conference, originally called the Trans American Athletic Conference, from 1978–2014. Mercer teams won 21 Atlantic Sun championships: five baseball, six men's basketball, two women's basketball, five men's soccer, and one each in women's soccer, men's lacrosse, and men's golf. The men's basketball team won the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament and in 2014 defeated Duke in the first round of the NCAA tournament.[116]

Facilities Edit

 
Homer and Ruth Drake Field House, a component of the Tony and Nancy Moye Football and Lacrosse Complex

Mercer opened the University Center on the Macon campus in 2004. The $40 million 230,000-square-foot (21,000 m2) center houses Mercer's athletics department, a 3,500-seat basketball arena, an indoor pool, work-out facilities, intramural basketball courts, 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 and football-lacrosse complex. The basketball arena was named Hawkins Arena in 2012; the naming honors J. B. Hawkins, former high school athletic director and basketball coach in Crawford County, Georgia.[117][118]

Mercer opened the Tony and Nancy Moye Football and Lacrosse Complex (10,200 seats) in 2013. The stadium is adjacent to the University Center and Mercer's other athletic facilities. On February 26, 2015, the stadium portion of the complex was named Five Star Stadium in recognition of a multimillion-dollar financial commitment to Mercer athletics by Five Star Automotive Group, which owns dealerships in Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina.[119]

Hilton Garden Inn operates a 101-room hotel on university-owned land adjacent to the University Center and the Moye Complex.

Mercer's facilities are located next to Interstate 75. Large parking lots are available for visitors-spectators arriving via the Mercer University Drive exit.

Men's basketball Edit

Main article: Mercer Bears men's basketball

Mercer received national attention in 2014 when the men's basketball team defeated Duke University in the second round of the NCAA Tournament; the team was defeated by the University of Tennessee in the third round. The team finished the season with a 27–9 record, Mercer's third straight with more than 20 victories. In honor of its win over Duke, Mercer received the 2014 Espy Award for Best Upset.[120][121]

Football Edit

Main article: Mercer Bears football
 
Tony and Nancy Moye Football and Lacrosse Complex (under construction, view from the Homer and Ruth Drake Field House)

On November 19, 2010, Mercer announced the reinstatement of intercollegiate football beginning in the fall of 2013.[122] The university competed as an NCAA Division I, non-scholarship program in the Pioneer Football League in 2013, and is now a scholarship program in the Southern Conference.[123] Reinstatement came after a 70-year hiatus; Mercer suspended football during World War II and did not revive it.[124] The final game was in 1941.[125]

Mercer played its first game in 72 years on August 31, 2013; the team defeated Reinhardt University before an overflow crowd (12,172 spectators) at the Tony and Nancy Moye Football and Lacrosse Complex.[126] Mercer finished the 2013 season undefeated at home with a 10–2 win–loss record (the two road losses were to the University of San Diego and Marist College) setting an NCAA Division I record for wins (10) by a start-up football program; Mercer had eight home wins, also an NCAA Division I record tied the same year (2013) by Auburn University, the FBS national runner-up, and Sam Houston State University who achieved its eighth victory in the FCS post-season.

Mercer won its first Southern Conference game on September 27, 2014; the team defeated Virginia Military Institute on the road in Lexington, Virginia. Mercer finished the season with an overall 6–6 win–loss record (1–5 in the conference) with only half the team on scholarship due to start-up restrictions.

Rankings Edit

U.S. News & World Report placed Mercer in its National Universities category, with the university ranked No. 160 nationally and joining Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, and the University of Georgia as the only universities in Georgia in the top tier.[131] The Princeton Review, in its 2018 "Best 382 Colleges" guide, ranks Mercer in the top 10% of all colleges and universities nationwide.[132] The 2007 edition ranked Mercer as one of the top five most beautiful campus in the entire nation.[133] In addition, in its most recent "America's Best Value Colleges" guide, 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".[134]

U.S. News & 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. In the 2013 edition of its law school rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranks Mercer 105th among the nation's top 145 law schools.[135] The same edition ranks Mercer's legal writing program third in the nation. The legal writing program has been ranked in the top three since U.S. News & World Report began the speciality ranking in 2006.[136][137]

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".[138] The program was ranked first in 2008 and third in 2009.[139] The Princeton Review also includes the Walter F. George School of Law in its "Best 174 Law Schools: 2010 Edition".[138]

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.[140][141] In 2005, Mercer was one of 81 institutions of higher education named a "College with a Conscience" by the Princeton Review and College Compact.[142][143] 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.[144][145]

Mercer applied for and received national recognition in 2008 from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for the university's commitment to community engagement.[146][147] 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.

People Edit

Main article: List of Mercer University people

Mercer alumni include former Governor of Georgia Nathan Deal, the Chief Justice of Georgia, three members of the Georgia Court of Appeals including the Chief Judge, the Mayor of Macon, and the President of the State Bar of Georgia.

See also Edit

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External links Edit

  • Official website
  • Mercer University Athletics website
  • "Old Mercer" historical marker

September 05, 2023
mercer, university, private, research, university, with, main, campus, macon, georgia, founded, 1833, mercer, institute, gaining, university, status, 1837, oldest, private, university, state, enrolls, more, than, students, colleges, schools, mercer, member, ge. Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon Georgia Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837 it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9 000 students in 12 colleges and schools 5 6 Mercer is a member of the Georgia Research Alliance 7 8 It is classified as a R2 Doctoral Universities High research activity 9 Mercer UniversityLatin Merceriensis UniversitasFormer nameMercer Institute 1833 1837 Southern School of Pharmacy 1903 1959 Atlanta Baptist College 1964 1972 MottoScientiis Artibus Religioni Latin Motto in English Sciences Arts and Religion TypePrivate research universityEstablishedJanuary 14 1833 190 years ago January 14 1833 AccreditationSACSReligious affiliationHistorically Georgia Baptist Convention no specific affiliation but maintains Baptist traditions 1 Academic affiliationsGRANAICU 2 ORAUSpace grantEndowment 502 million 2022 3 PresidentWilliam D UnderwoodStudents9 024LocationMacon Georgia United States32 49 45 N 83 38 55 W 32 82917 N 83 64861 W 32 82917 83 64861CampusMidsize city 150 acres 0 61 km2 Other campusesAtlantaColumbusLithia SpringsMcDonoughSavannahWarner RobinsNewspaperThe Mercer ClusterColorsBlack and orange 4 NicknameBearsSporting affiliationsNCAA Division I FCS SoConASUNSBCMascotTobyTotWebsitewww wbr mercer wbr eduMercer has four major campuses the historic main campus in Macon a graduate and professional campus in Atlanta and four year campuses of the School of Medicine in Savannah and Columbus Mercer also has regional academic centers in Henry County and Douglas County the Mercer University School of Law on its own campus in Macon teaching hospitals in Macon Savannah and Columbus a university press and a performing arts center the Grand Opera House in Macon and the Mercer Engineering Research Center in Warner Robins The Mercer University Health Sciences Center encompasses Mercer s medical pharmacy nursing and health professions programs in Macon Atlanta Savannah and Columbus 10 Mercer University alumni include 21 United States Representatives 12 governors four United States Senators two Pulitzer Prize winners two Rhodes Scholars and a U S Attorney General 11 Mercer has an NCAA Division I athletic program and fields teams in eight men s and ten women s sports all university sponsored sports compete in the Southern Conference except women s sand volleyball which is not sponsored by the SoCon and thus competes in the ASUN Conference 12 13 Contents 1 History 1 1 Founding and early years 1833 1959 1 2 Expansion 1959 2013 1 2 1 Desegregation 1 2 2 Religious affiliation 1 3 2014 present 1 4 Presidents 2 Campuses and buildings 2 1 Macon campus 2 2 Law school campus Macon 2 3 Atlanta campus 2 4 Savannah campus 2 5 Columbus campus 2 6 Teaching hospitals 2 7 Regional academic centers 2 8 Mercer libraries 3 Academics 3 1 College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 3 2 Stetson Hatcher School of Business 3 3 School of Engineering 3 4 Tift College of Education 3 5 Townsend School of Music 3 6 College of Professional Advancement Continuing and Professional Studies 3 7 School of Law 3 8 James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology 3 9 School of Medicine 3 10 College of Pharmacy 3 11 Georgia Baptist College of Nursing 3 12 College of Health Professions 4 Research 4 1 Mercer Engineering Research Center MERC 5 Student life 5 1 Opera House 5 2 University Press 5 3 Radio station 5 4 Student newspaper 5 5 Debating Societies 6 Athletics 6 1 Facilities 6 2 Men s basketball 6 3 Football 7 Rankings 8 People 9 See also 10 References 11 External linksHistory Edit nbsp Jesse Mercer first chairman of the board of trustees and namesake of the universityFounding and early years 1833 1959 Edit nbsp Woodcut of Mercer University from an 1877 Macon Georgia city directory Mercer University was founded in Penfield Georgia as a boys preparatory school under Billington McCarter 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 14 15 The school opened as Mercer Institute with 39 students on January 14 1833 14 The school was named for Jesse Mercer 16 a prominent Baptist leader who provided a founding endowment and who served as the first chairman of the board of trustees 14 17 The Georgia General Assembly granted a university charter in December 1837 14 Mercer adopted its present name in 1838 and graduated its first university class of three students in 1841 14 In 1871 Mercer moved to Macon 18 a center of transportation and commerce in Georgia 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 During World War II Mercer was one of 131 colleges and universities in the V 12 Navy College Training Program which offered military training that prepared students for a commission in the United States Navy Expansion 1959 2013 Edit Mercer expanded to Atlanta in 1959 when the university absorbed the independent Southern School of Pharmacy The College of Liberal Arts the 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 14 Atlanta Baptist College was founded in 1968 under the leadership of Dr Monroe F Swilley a prominent Baptist educator 19 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 20 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 21 The mission of the Atlanta campus changed to graduate and professional education 20 The Southern School of Pharmacy moved in 1992 from its downtown location to the Cecil B Day Graduate and Professional Campus Between 1982 and 2013 Mercer established nine additional 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 renamed Penfield College of Mercer University in 2014 the Townsend School of Music in 2006 and the College of Health Professions in 2013 Mercer opened its second four year medical school in Savannah in 2008 and the multi campus Mercer University Health Sciences Center in 2012 Mercer received a 5 million grant from the John S and James L Knight Foundation in 2009 to support continued revitalization of the College Hill Corridor between campus and downtown Macon 22 The Mercer On Mission service learning program launched in 2007 has been recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative as an exemplary approach to addressing a specific global challenge It helps students combine research study abroad and service learning under faculty direction The multi campus Mercer University Health Sciences Center which incorporates programs offered by the School of Medicine the College of Pharmacy the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing and the new College of Health Professions opened in 2013 The College of Health Professions authorized by the board of trustees in 2012 is Mercer s twelfth academic unit Mercer purchased the former Georgia Music Hall of Fame building in downtown Macon in 2012 the extensively renovated building reopened in 2014 as the home of Mercer Medicine a multi specialty physician clinic and a division of the School of Medicine 23 24 nbsp R Kirby Godsey Administration Building a university landmark listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesMercer opened a large retail residential center on the Macon campus in 2011 The center called Mercer Lofts houses the Barnes amp Noble operated university bookstore other shops and student apartments 25 26 Mercer Lofts II a mixed use development adjacent to Phase I opened in 2012 the facility houses Mercer s Center for Collaborative Journalism which consists of the university s journalism department and the editorial professional staffs of the Macon Telegraph and Georgia Public Broadcasting on the first floor along with student apartments on upper floors 27 28 Also in 2012 the university opened a new admissions and welcome center on the Macon campus the center is named for Emily Parker Myers a long time university administrator and is the university s first LEED certified building 29 30 In 2013 Mercer completed Cruz Plaza a major landscaping project for the Macon campus central quadrangle linking the University Center Hawkins Arena Tarver Library and Connell Student Center 31 Desegregation Edit Mercer University was the first college or university in Georgia to fully desegregate 32 In April 18 1963 the board of trustees voted 13 to 5 with 3 abstentions to ratify the policy that Mercer University considers all applications based on qualification without consideration of race color of skin creed or origin 33 This policy change allowed Sam Oni a twenty two year old student from Ghana to become the first Black student to attend Mercer University 34 Sam Oni knowingly and intentionally in part applied to Mercer for the purpose of helping to end racial segregation in the United States As Sam Oni phrased it My role as we conceived it was by breaking the color bar at Mercer I would be challenging our Southern Baptist brothers and sisters in America to confront gross contradictions in the Christian witness at home and abroad 35 Sam Oni succeeded despite pressure from segregationist in both the South and the Southern Baptists to keep Mercer racially segregated including an airplane flying a banner that read Keep Mercer Segregated as the Board of Trustees successfully voted to fully integrate 35 Religious affiliation Edit In 2006 the Georgia Baptist Convention Southern Baptist Convention terminated its affiliation with it due to the presence of a gay association on campus and its support of other Baptist organizations 36 37 38 Before the affiliation ended Mercer had an independent board of trustees the convention provided financial support but did not control the university The lack of control caused friction with Mercer resisting restraints on social issues while the convention saw Mercer as becoming secularized and not conforming to its values 39 2014 present Edit nbsp University Center Hawkins Arena On October 31 2014 Mercer announced an effort to raise 400 million including 207 million for its endowment 109 million for capital projects and 84 million for operations 40 By its public launch 90 million in gifts and pledges had been collected The campaign aims to fund a 15 million medical education facility in Savannah ground was broken on October 14 2014 41 a 25 million undergraduate sciences facility in Macon a 20 million health sciences building in Atlanta a 3 million baseball stadium in Macon additional endowment for faculty positions academic programs and student scholarships funding for programs and initiatives such as Mercer On Mission and additional support throughout the university s 12 schools and colleges Mercer University Press the university libraries athletic department and other administrative units In athletics Mercer has added programs in men s lacrosse sand volleyball and football constructed a new football and lacrosse complex named Five Star Stadium 10 200 seats and changed affiliation to the Southern Conference In 2014 Mercer set an enrollment record in the fall of 2014 with a university wide population of 8 557 students 5 The larger student body reflects expanded academic programs including five new doctoral degrees Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Doctor of Nursing Practice Doctor of Physical Therapy and Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Medical Psychology Mercer opened its second four year medical school in Savannah in 2008 Mercer opened Mercer Lofts III in 2014 the facility is a large student housing complex on College Street next to Tattnall Square Park and the university s historic north quadrangle 42 Also in 2014 Mercer completed an extensive renovation of the historic Amanda Bell House listed on the National Register of Historic Places the building houses the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings of the Townsend School of Music and is one of the finest conservatory facilities in the nation 43 Mercer s television station WMUB Mercer University Broadcasting opened a new studio in Mercer Village in 2014 as a part of the university s Center for Collaborative Journalism 44 The M Diane Owens Garden named for the first female chair of Mercer s board of trustees a large environmentally friendly fountain and garden area near Five Star Stadium was dedicated in 2014 45 The garden complements Cruz Plaza completed in 2013 as a major landscaping project beautifying the Macon campus Mercer Lofts IV known as the Lofts at College Hill opened in 2015 the housing retail complex is designed for graduate and professional students and is located adjacent to Macon s main post office between College Street and Interstate 75 near the Walter F George School of Law Mercer s Tattnall Square Center for the Arts also opened in 2015 the center is the former Tattnall Square Presbyterian Church near the historic north quadrangle and now houses the university theater department and is a community performing arts center Mercer Lofts V known as the Lofts at Mercer Landing opened in 2016 adjacent to Five Star Stadium near the Mercer University Drive exit from Interstate 75 a new campus entrance and a pedestrian bridge connecting the campus and the complex are also complete The facility provides student housing university offices and a large parking garage retail food facilities and a second on campus hotel operated by Marriott TownePlace Suites are a part of the complex as well located directly across Mercer University Drive from the university s Hilton Garden Inn Mercer s other construction projects in recent years include renovation and expansion of the School of Medicine facility in Savannah completed 2016 a new undergraduate residence hall in Macon named Legacy Hall completed 2016 and a renovated and enlarged baseball facility named OrthoGeorgia Park at Claude Smith Field completed 2017 46 47 48 49 Mercer s Board of Trustees on April 20 2018 approved a new strategic plan that succeeds the 2008 plan which saw the institution reclassified as a national research university admitted to the Georgia Research Alliance granted a Phi Beta Kappa chapter growth of 41 percent in undergraduate enrollment a near doubling of research expenditures investment of more than 200 million in new facilities and an increase of endowment to more than 300 million The 2018 strategic plan titled Inspire Mercer s Vision for the Decade Ahead has seven imperatives be an intimate and diverse community of gifted scholars committed to changing the world be a place of discovery and innovation be a global university be relevant achieve meaningful outcomes compete with the best and be true to its heritage nbsp Mercer Village location of the university bookstore other shops student apartments and the Center for Collaborative Journalism newspaper radio television Mercer has launched second and third medical school campuses in Savannah and Columbus started 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 meets criteria established by the Carnegie Foundation for classification as a research doctoral university the number of doctoral students has increased from fewer than 35 to more than 250 In addition annual externally funded research expenditures now exceed 36 million due to increased funding from the National Institutes of Health the National Science Foundation and the Georgia Research Alliance plus new funding as eminent cancer scientists by the Georgia Cancer Coalition 50 51 52 Mercer students have earned national recognition and prestigious Fulbright Goldwater Teach For America and Peace Corps scholarships and appointments as of 2012 update two of the last three recipients of the Gulf South Summit Award for Outstanding Student Contributions to Service Learning have been Mercer students and Mercer ranks among the top three institutions in the Southeast for placement of Peace Corps volunteers among colleges and universities with fewer than 5 000 undergraduate students 53 54 55 The University dedicated in April 2018 the new 44 million Godsey Science Center The largest academic facility project in the university s history the science center includes 60 teaching and research labs three medium classrooms 75 to 100 students each four small classrooms 32 students each and 46 offices for Mercer s biology chemistry biochemistry and neuroscience programs Mercer began construction on Phase II of the Mercer Landing development in early 2018 The project located adjacent to the residential loft complex completed in 2016 will provide more student housing and more parking for the complex and for Five Star Stadium which is located across Mercer University Drive Presidents Edit nbsp Rev Billington M Sanders Mercer s first PresidentBillington McCarter Sanders 1833 1840 56 Otis Smith 1840 1844 57 John Leadley Dagg 1844 1854 58 Nathaniel Macon Crawford 1854 1856 59 Shelton Palmer Sanford acting President 1856 1858 60 Nathaniel Macon Crawford 1858 1866 59 Henry Holcombe Tucker 1866 1871 61 Archibald John Battle 1872 1889 62 Gustavus Alonzo Nunnally 1889 1893 63 Joseph Edgerton Willet acting President 1893 64 James Bruton Gambrell 1893 1896 65 Pinckney Daniel Pollock 1896 1903 66 William Heard Kilpatrick acting President 1903 1905 67 Charles Lee Smith 1905 1906 68 Samuel Young Jameson 1906 1913 69 James Freeman Sellers acting President 1913 1914 70 William Lowndes Pickard 1914 1918 71 Rufus Washington Weaver 1918 1927 72 Andrew Phillip Montague acting President 1927 1928 73 Spright Dowell 1928 1953 74 George Boyce Connell 1953 1959 75 Spright Dowell interim President 1959 1960 74 Rufus Carrollton Harris 1960 1979 76 Raleigh Kirby Godsey 1979 2006 77 William D Underwood 2006 present 78 Campuses and buildings EditMacon campus Edit nbsp R Kirby Godsey Administration Building on the historic quad north heart of the Macon campus nbsp Louie De Votie Newton Chapel on the historic quad northThe main campus of Mercer University is in Macon approximately 75 miles 121 km south of Atlanta The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences the Stetson Hatcher School of Business the Tift College of Education the Townsend School of Music the School of Engineering the School of Medicine and programs of the College of Professional Advancement are located on the Macon campus The R Kirby Godsey Administration Building the W G Lee Alumni House and the Emily Parker Myers Admissions and Welcome Center listed as R J Anderson House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places 29 79 Also listed are the Amanda Bell House listed as Lassiter House which houses the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings of the Townsend School of Music located on College Street one mile 1 6 km from the main campus and the Grand Opera House a county owned performing arts center operated by Mercer 80 81 82 The Macon campus is home to the Office of International Programs which offers exchange partnerships between Macon and universities in countries such as England Scotland Germany Spain France Sweden Morocco Argentina Japan Hong Kong and South Korea Law school campus Macon Edit The Mercer University School of Law 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 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places which is used for university special events 83 The Law School building and the Woodruff House are two of Macon s most recognizable sites Atlanta campus Edit The Cecil B Day Graduate and Professional Campus of Mercer University is in the Atlanta metropolitan area approximately two miles 3 2 km south of the interchange of Interstate 85 and Interstate 285 in the Northlake area of DeKalb County The College of Professional Advancement the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology the College of Pharmacy the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing and programs of the Stetson Hatcher School of Business BBA MBA and Executive MBA programs the Tift College of Education Master s and PhD 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 Hotels 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 The current 151 066 square foot 14 034 5 m2 headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Atlanta Field Office is on the grounds of Mercer Atlanta Campus and opened in 2017 84 Savannah campus Edit Mercer opened a new four year medical school in Savannah in August 2008 The campus 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 campus is the university s third major campus in addition to those in Macon and Atlanta The School of Medicine s new medical education and research facility at Memorial was dedicated in April 2016 The 18 million Savannah campus expansion which began in October 2014 and was completed in December 2015 includes renovation of approximately 26 500 square feet of classrooms offices research labs and library space in the Hoskins Center as well as construction of 30 000 square feet of new space for additional classrooms exam rooms and study areas This expansion allows for a 50 percent increase in M D student enrollment from 160 to 240 students in Savannah equaling the number of M D students on the Macon campus Columbus campus Edit In February 2012 Mercer announced the establishment of a new campus in Columbus 85 The campus was the third for the School of Medicine which has existing campuses in Macon and Savannah The campus partnered with two regional hospitals The Medical Center and St Francis Hospital and beginning in the summer of 2012 offered clinical rotations for third and fourth year students On September 3 2020 the university broke ground for a new School of Medicine campus in Columbus to accommodate the expansion to a full four year M D program 86 The initial cohort of first year M D students began classes in August 2021 and the new campus was completed in December 2021 Teaching hospitals Edit Mercer is affiliated with five teaching hospitals Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center and Piedmont Medical Center in Macon and Piedmont Columbus Regional Hospital and St Francis Hospital in Columbus Regional academic centers Edit Mercer has regional academic centers in Henry County and Douglas County The centers offer undergraduate and graduate degrees for working adults The Henry County Regional Academic Center opened in 2003 The facility combined programs previously offered at two smaller facilities in Covington and Griffin The center is located in McDonough The Douglas County Regional Academic Center was named in 2007 in honor of Fred and Aileen Borrish longtime Mercer benefactors and supporters of education in Douglas County The center is located in Lithia Springs Mercer libraries Edit nbsp Mercer s Central Quad location of the Jack Tarver Library with the clock tower and Stetson Hall on the right Stetson Hall houses the Stetson Hatcher School of Business and the Tift College of EducationMercer University has four libraries which are organized as a separate division alongside the twelve 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 Law 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 Academics Edit nbsp Willingham Hall an academic building on the historic quad northCollege of Liberal Arts and Sciences Edit The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 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 Stetson Hatcher School of Business Edit The Stetson Hatcher School of Business founded in 1984 has the highest level of accreditation for business schools from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business The school 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 School of Engineering Edit Main article Mercer University School of Engineering nbsp Science and Engineering BuildingThe School of Engineering founded in 1985 is the only private engineering school in Georgia and one of only five engineering schools in the state the others are Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Southern University University of Georgia and Kennesaw 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 62 000 square foot 5 800 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 87 Tift College of Education Edit 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 Education and is the largest private provider of teachers in Georgia 88 The college was named in 2001 to honor the legacy of Tift College a Baptist women s college in Forsyth 89 90 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 and at the university s regional academic centers The college offers three Doctor of Philosophy degrees P 12 School Leadership Higher Education Leadership and Curriculum and Instruction 91 Townsend School of Music Edit nbsp Townsend School of Music is housed in the Allan and Rosemary McCorkle Music BuildingThe 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 McAfee 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 music training McDuffie is a 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 string students the opportunity to learn with string musicians Total enrollment is limited to 26 students 12 violinists 6 violists 6 cellists and 2 double bassists citation needed College of Professional Advancement Continuing and Professional Studies Edit nbsp Old Mercer Chapel constructed in 1845 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places is located on the university s original campus in Penfield GeorgiaThe College of Professional Advancement formerly Penfield College of Mercer University was founded in 2003 as the College of Continuing and Professional Studies and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees for working adults Courses are offered on the Macon and Atlanta campuses and at the regional academic centers in Henry County Douglas County and Newnan The college was named on July 1 2014 to honor the legacy of Mercer s original location in Penfield Georgia and to better reflect the college s breadth of academic offerings from certificate programs to doctoral level degrees 92 93 Mercer maintains a portion of the original Penfield campus including historic Old Mercer Chapel and the gravesite of university founder Jesse Mercer 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 The college s graduate level programs include master s degrees in public safety organizational leadership school counseling and clinical mental health counseling as well as an Educational Specialist degree in school counseling and a Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision 94 In 2013 the college began offering graduate programs in human services and rehabilitation counseling School of Law Edit Main article Mercer University School of Law nbsp Mercer University School of LawThe Mercer University School of Law founded in 1873 is one of the oldest law schools in the United States The school was formerly named Walter F George School of Law after Walter F George Mercer Law Class of 1901 who was a long time United States Senator and was President pro tempore of the Senate The School of Law offers the Juris Doctor JD degree and a joint Juris Doctor Master of Business Administration JD MBA in conjunction with the university s Stetson Hatcher School of Business James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology Edit The James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology founded in 1994 offers graduate theological programs and is affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship 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 95 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 95 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 96 The ABHS moved to Atlanta in 2008 from Valley Forge Pennsylvania and Rochester New York 97 The organization is housed in the Mercer University Administration and Conference 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 98 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 98 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 School of Medicine Edit Main articles Mercer University School of Medicine and Mercer University Health Sciences Center nbsp Medical Education Building MaconThe Mercer University School of Medicine founded in 1982 is partially state funded and accepts only Georgia residents into the Doctor of Medicine 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 U S News amp 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 family therapy The School of Medicine s teaching hospitals are the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah The Medical Center and St Francis Hospital in Columbus 99 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 and Graduated its first M D s in 2012 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 nbsp Medical Education Building SavannahThe 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 100 In February 2012 Mercer announced the establishment of a third School of Medicine campus 85 The campus in Columbus joined existing locations in Macon and Savannah The new campus partnered with two regional hospitals The Medical Center and St Francis Hospital and offered clinical rotations for up to 80 third and fourth year students College of Pharmacy Edit Main article Mercer University Health Sciences Center The College of Pharmacy founded in 1903 was an independent school in Atlanta until it merged with Mercer in 1959 101 102 The college ranked by U S News amp World Report among the top five private pharmacy schools in the country moved from its downtown location to Mercer s Atlanta campus in 1992 102 In 1981 the college became the first in the southeast and the fifth in the nation to offer the Doctor of Pharmacy the highest level of pharmacy education as its sole professional degree 102 The college was named the Southern School of Pharmacy until 2006 when it was renamed the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences the name change reflected new physician assistant and physical therapy programs 101 103 The college received its current name in 2013 when the physician assistant and physical therapy programs were shifted to the new College of Health Professions Mercer s football stadium 10 200 seats completion 2013 the Tony and Nancy Moye Football and Lacrosse Complex is named for William Anthony Tony Moye Pharmacy Class of 1973 Moye is a member of the university s board of trustees and is a major donor towards the stadium Georgia Baptist College of Nursing Edit Main article Mercer University Health Sciences Center The Georgia Baptist College of Nursing was founded in 1901 as the Baptist Tabernacle Infirmary an independent institution in Atlanta 104 105 The college was renamed the Baptist Tabernacle Infirmary and Training School for Nurses when nursing education began in 1902 104 105 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 104 105 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 106 107 Both programs are a part of Mercer s strategic plan to expand the university s doctoral programs College of Health Professions Edit Main article Mercer University Health Sciences Center The College of Health Professions opened on July 1 2013 6 Mercer s twelfth academic unit offers the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree along with master s level physician assistant and public health programs previously offered by the College of Pharmacy and the School of Medicine The new college allows for the addition of future health sciences programs such as occupational therapy as well as expansion of existing programs on multiple Mercer campuses Research EditMercer Engineering Research Center MERC Edit The Mercer Engineering Research Center MERC is located in a state of the art research facility in Warner Robins Georgia 108 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 nbsp WMUM FM located in Mercer Village an academic residential retail area on the Macon campusStudent life EditOpera House Edit Main article Grand Opera House Macon Georgia The Grand Opera House is a county owned performing arts center operated by Mercer 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 79 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 University Press Edit 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 Southern 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 109 Bailey was one of the first African American female students at Mercer Radio station Edit Main article WMUM FM Mercer established its first radio station as a physics class project in 1922 110 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 14 111 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 13 112 Mercer and Georgia Public Broadcasting partnered in 2006 to create WMUM FM formerly WDCO FM 14 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 Student newspaper Edit The Mercer Cluster commonly referred to as The Cluster is a student run editorially independent news organization for Mercer s main Macon campus The organization began as a newspaper in 1920 and was named after a book of songs penned by the university s founder Jesse Mercer in 1810 113 The Cluster s website went live in 2011 and both print and digital publication were maintained until 2022 when the news publication announced it would be transitioning to digital only 114 Today The Cluster s website publishes consistently throughout the academic year Debating Societies Edit Founded in 1897 Mercer s debating society is the oldest organization on Mercer s campus as well as the oldest debating society in the entire state of Georgia In 1898 Mercer s champion orator John Roach Straton won the first Intercollegiate Oratorical Championships in Atlanta Debate continued to be a significant intercollegiate sport for many years after that with Walter F George namesake of Mercer s law school leading a team to victory over the University of Georgia at the Mercer Athens Debate in 1899 In March 2018 the student team of Jazmine Buckley and Kyle Bligen became the first all African American duo to win the National Parliamentary Debate championship at the nation s largest parliamentary debate tournament Buckley as a freshman in 2015 became the first freshman and the first African American to be named top speaker at the NPDA tournament Buckley outranked 320 other debaters representing top programs such as the University of California Berkeley Wheaton Rice and Whitman to receive the James Al Johnson Top Speaker Award 115 That same year Lindsey Hancock and Hunter Pilkinton competed at the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence NPTE at William Jewell College in Missouri The duo from Mercer was the first team from the university and the state of Georgia to attend the NPTE the most prestigious parliamentary debate tournament in the nation 115 Also in 2015 the Hancock Pilkinton duo became the first Mercer team to win the Georgia Parliamentary Debate Association State Championships with Hancock being the first woman to win the state title Athletics EditMain article Mercer Bears Mercer fields eighteen 18 teams known as the Bears on the NCAA Division I level FCS formerly I AA for football all teams compete in the Southern Conference except women s sand volleyball which is not sponsored by the SoCon and thus competes in the ASUN Conference 12 13 Men s teams include baseball basketball cross country football golf lacrosse soccer and tennis Women s teams include basketball cross country golf lacrosse sand volleyball soccer softball tennis track and field and volleyball Mercer was a charter member of the ASUN Conference originally called the Trans American Athletic Conference from 1978 2014 Mercer teams won 21 Atlantic Sun championships five baseball six men s basketball two women s basketball five men s soccer and one each in women s soccer men s lacrosse and men s golf The men s basketball team won the 2012 CollegeInsider com Postseason Tournament and in 2014 defeated Duke in the first round of the NCAA tournament 116 Facilities Edit nbsp Homer and Ruth Drake Field House a component of the Tony and Nancy Moye Football and Lacrosse ComplexMercer opened the University Center on the Macon campus in 2004 The 40 million 230 000 square foot 21 000 m2 center houses Mercer s athletics department a 3 500 seat basketball arena an indoor pool work out facilities intramural basketball courts 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 and football lacrosse complex The basketball arena was named Hawkins Arena in 2012 the naming honors J B Hawkins former high school athletic director and basketball coach in Crawford County Georgia 117 118 Mercer opened the Tony and Nancy Moye Football and Lacrosse Complex 10 200 seats in 2013 The stadium is adjacent to the University Center and Mercer s other athletic facilities On February 26 2015 the stadium portion of the complex was named Five Star Stadium in recognition of a multimillion dollar financial commitment to Mercer athletics by Five Star Automotive Group which owns dealerships in Georgia Tennessee and South Carolina 119 Hilton Garden Inn operates a 101 room hotel on university owned land adjacent to the University Center and the Moye Complex Mercer s facilities are located next to Interstate 75 Large parking lots are available for visitors spectators arriving via the Mercer University Drive exit Men s basketball Edit Main article Mercer Bears men s basketball Mercer received national attention in 2014 when the men s basketball team defeated Duke University in the second round of the NCAA Tournament the team was defeated by the University of Tennessee in the third round The team finished the season with a 27 9 record Mercer s third straight with more than 20 victories In honor of its win over Duke Mercer received the 2014 Espy Award for Best Upset 120 121 Football Edit Main article Mercer Bears football nbsp Tony and Nancy Moye Football and Lacrosse Complex under construction view from the Homer and Ruth Drake Field House On November 19 2010 Mercer announced the reinstatement of intercollegiate football beginning in the fall of 2013 122 The university competed as an NCAA Division I non scholarship program in the Pioneer Football League in 2013 and is now a scholarship program in the Southern Conference 123 Reinstatement came after a 70 year hiatus Mercer suspended football during World War II and did not revive it 124 The final game was in 1941 125 Mercer played its first game in 72 years on August 31 2013 the team defeated Reinhardt University before an overflow crowd 12 172 spectators at the Tony and Nancy Moye Football and Lacrosse Complex 126 Mercer finished the 2013 season undefeated at home with a 10 2 win loss record the two road losses were to the University of San Diego and Marist College setting an NCAA Division I record for wins 10 by a start up football program Mercer had eight home wins also an NCAA Division I record tied the same year 2013 by Auburn University the FBS national runner up and Sam Houston State University who achieved its eighth victory in the FCS post season Mercer won its first Southern Conference game on September 27 2014 the team defeated Virginia Military Institute on the road in Lexington Virginia Mercer finished the season with an overall 6 6 win loss record 1 5 in the conference with only half the team on scholarship due to start up restrictions Rankings EditAcademic rankingsNationalForbes 127 476THE WSJ 128 194U S News amp World Report 129 160Washington Monthly 130 173U S News amp World Report placed Mercer in its National Universities category with the university ranked No 160 nationally and joining Emory University Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia State University and the University of Georgia as the only universities in Georgia in the top tier 131 The Princeton Review in its 2018 Best 382 Colleges guide ranks Mercer in the top 10 of all colleges and universities nationwide 132 The 2007 edition ranked Mercer as one of the top five most beautiful campus in the entire nation 133 In addition in its most recent America s Best Value Colleges guide 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 134 U S News amp 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 In the 2013 edition of its law school rankings U S News amp World Report ranks Mercer 105th among the nation s top 145 law schools 135 The same edition ranks Mercer s legal writing program third in the nation The legal writing program has been ranked in the top three since U S News amp World Report began the speciality ranking in 2006 136 137 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 138 The program was ranked first in 2008 and third in 2009 139 The Princeton Review also includes the Walter F George School of Law in its Best 174 Law Schools 2010 Edition 138 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 140 141 In 2005 Mercer was one of 81 institutions of higher education named a College with a Conscience by the Princeton Review and College Compact 142 143 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 144 145 Mercer applied for and received national recognition in 2008 from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for the university s commitment to community engagement 146 147 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 People EditMain article List of Mercer University people Mercer alumni include former Governor of Georgia Nathan Deal the Chief Justice of Georgia three members of the Georgia Court of Appeals including the Chief Judge the Mayor of Macon and the President of the State Bar of Georgia nbsp Nathan Deal 66 elected in 2010 is the former Governor of Georgia 2011 2019 nbsp Griffin Bell 48 Attorney General of the United States 1977 1979 nbsp Walter F George 01 United States Senator 1922 1957 President pro tempore 1955 1957 namesake of Mercer Law School nbsp Thomas W Hardwick 18 92 United States Senator 1914 1919 Governor of Georgia 1921 1923 nbsp Carl Vinson 02 United States Representative 1914 1965 the first person to serve more than 50 years in the House of Representatives and namesake of the USS Carl Vinson a nuclear powered aircraft carrier nbsp William S West 18 76 United States Senator 1914 instrumental in the founding of Valdosta State University See also EditClaude Smith Field List of colleges and universities in metropolitan AtlantaReferences Edit Georgia Baptist Convention Finalizes Split with Mercer University NAICU Member Directory Archived November 9 2015 at the Wayback Machine Mercer University endowment surpasses half billion dollar mark The Den Colors and Typography Retrieved August 14 2022 a b Mercer University Sets Fall Enrollment Record News mercer edu November 5 2014 Archived from the original on December 1 2017 Retrieved July 18 2015 a b News amp Features Mercer Trustees Approve Record Operating Budget Establishment of Health Sciences Center mercer edu April 20 2012 Archived from the original on May 1 2012 Retrieved July 11 2012 Research Alliance adds Morehouse Mercer Bizjournals com Retrieved November 24 2016 David Schick October 9 2015 Mercer approved for Phi Beta Kappa chapter The Telegraph Macon com Retrieved November 24 2016 Carnegie Classifications Institution Lookup carnegieclassifications iu edu Center for Postsecondary Education Retrieved September 12 2020 Mercer University News mercer edu Archived from the original on July 22 2014 Retrieved July 18 2015 476 Mercer University Forbes a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b Mercer University Accepts Invitation to Join the Southern Conference Retrieved September 19 2014 a b Dawn of a New Era Mercer Joins Southern Conference Retrieved September 19 2014 a b c d e f g h Bryant J C September 15 2008 Mercer University The New Georgia Encyclopedia Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press Archived from the original on February 1 2013 Retrieved March 24 2010 Eastman Jarrett Burch September 1 2005 Adiel Sherwood 1791 1879 The New Georgia Encyclopedia Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press Archived from the original on October 9 2012 Retrieved March 24 2010 The University of Texas at Austin dissertation entitled Jesse Mercer A Study in Frontier Religion was completed in 1950 by the historian Robert W Mondy Jones William Brent March 26 2005 Jesse Mercer 1769 1841 The New Georgia Encyclopedia Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press Retrieved March 24 2010 Bryant James C 2005 From Penfield to Macon Mercer University s Problematic Move Georgia Historical Quarterly 89 4 462 484 Retrieved February 15 2018 Swilley Library Special Collections Swilley mercer edu Archived from the original on August 21 2003 Retrieved July 23 2010 a b Mercer History Mercer edu Retrieved July 23 2010 EDUCATION Hard Work As Closing Of Classes Approaches The New York Times February 7 1990 Biographical Information Retrieved September 19 2014 Mercer University School of Medicine Hosts Ribbon Cutting and Open House for New Mercer Medicine Location in Downtown Macon Mercermedicine com July 28 2016 Archived from the original on January 19 2017 Retrieved November 24 2016 News from Macon and Warner Robins GA and beyond The Telegraph Retrieved September 19 2014 News amp Features The Lofts Mercer Village mercer edu December 4 2009 Retrieved July 11 2012 News amp Features Lofts at Mercer Village Announces Retailers mercer edu April 22 2010 Retrieved July 11 2012 Mercer University News mercer edu Retrieved July 18 2015 Mercer University News mercer edu Archived from the original on July 22 2014 Retrieved July 18 2015 a b Mercer University News mercer edu Archived from the original on July 22 2014 Retrieved July 18 2015 Mercer Admissions and Visitors Center Trident Sustainability Group Tridentsustainability com Retrieved July 11 2012 Mercer University News mercer edu Archived from the original on July 22 2014 Retrieved July 18 2015 The New York Times Machine subscription required The New York Times Machine subscription required Desegregation of Higher Education New Georgia Encyclopedia a b Willis Alan Scot 1996 A Baptist Dilemma Christianity Discrimination and the Desegregation of Mercer University The Georgia Historical Quarterly 80 3 595 615 JSTOR 40583492 ABPNEWS Mercer Georgia Baptist Convention come to terms on ending relationship baptistnews com USA December 14 2005 About I Mercer University Retrieved September 19 2014 Georgia Baptist Convention finalizes split with Mercer University AccessNorthGa Archived from the original on November 29 2014 Retrieved September 19 2014 Georgia Baptists vote to end relationship with Mercer University after 172 years Christianindex org November 24 2005 Archived from the original on June 1 2010 Retrieved July 23 2010 Mercer University announces launch of 400 million capital campaign Archived November 12 2014 at the Wayback Machine Macon com Retrieved November 12 2014 Memorial Mercer break ground on medical school expansion Businessinsavannah com Retrieved November 12 2014 http www macon com 2013 03 11 2391381 mercer lofts third phase approved hml dead link Sneak Peek A Musical Legacy Restored Garden and Gun February 2 2015 Retrieved July 18 2015 Mercer University TV Station Changes Call Letters Completes Move from Warner Robins Announces Affiliation with American Sports Network News mercer edu August 12 2014 Retrieved July 18 2015 Mercer University to Dedicate M Diane Owens Garden News mercer edu October 28 2014 Retrieved November 24 2016 Mercer University and Memorial University Medical Center Break Ground on 18 Million Expansion of Savannah Campus News mercer edu October 14 2014 Retrieved July 18 2015 Mercer University Launches 400 Million Aspire Capital Campaign at Homecoming News mercer edu October 31 2014 Retrieved July 18 2015 Choate Selected for Mercer University College of Pharmacy Choate Retrieved September 19 2014 Spearman C Godsey Science Center construction mercer edu Biographical Information President mercer edu May 13 2015 Retrieved July 18 2015 Mercer University Admitted to Georgia Research Alliance News mercer edu October 6 2014 Retrieved July 18 2015 Facts amp Figures Research mercer edu May 13 2015 Retrieved July 18 2015 Mercer University News mercer edu Retrieved July 18 2015 Sophomore Earns Mercer s Third Goldwater Scholarship in Three Years News mercer edu April 1 2015 Retrieved July 18 2015 Mercer University News mercer edu Retrieved July 18 2015 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 a b Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 a b Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Jack Tarver Library Mercer University Presidents Tarver mercer edu Archived from the original on March 22 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 a b National Register of Historical Places GEORGIA GA Bibb County Nationalregisterofhistoricplaces com Retrieved July 23 2010 National Register of Historical Places GEORGIA GA Bibb County Nationalregisterofhistoricplaces com Retrieved July 18 2015 Mercer University mercer edu Archived from the original on May 26 2011 Retrieved July 18 2015 Knight Foundation Knightarts org Archived from the original on January 29 2015 Retrieved November 24 2016 Woodruff House The New Georgia Encyclopedia Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press Retrieved March 25 2010 FBI Atlanta Hosts Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Its New Mercer Atlanta Location Federal Bureau of Investigation October 12 2017 Retrieved September 23 2018 a b News amp Features Mercer Partners With Columbus Hospitals To Establish Third Medical School Campus mercer edu February 10 2012 Retrieved July 11 2012 Sears Kyle September 8 2020 Columbus medical school campus is one step closer after groundbreaking The Den Retrieved October 27 2021 Vanderhoek Mark February 16 2009 Clinton Global Initiative University Highlights Mercer On Mission Project News amp Features Mercer University Retrieved March 25 2010 News amp Features 5 7 08 Tift College of Education Earns National Accreditation mercer edu May 7 2008 Retrieved July 23 2010 Tift College Historical Marker Georgiainfo galileo usg edu Retrieved July 23 2010 Mercer Trustees Change the Name of School of Education Mercer edu April 19 2001 Retrieved July 23 2010 Graduate Programs Archived from the original on October 10 2014 Retrieved September 19 2014 College of Continuing and Professional Studies To Be Renamed Penfield College of Mercer University on July 1 Retrieved September 19 2014 College of Continuing and Professional Studies to Be Renamed Penfield College of Mercer University on July 1 May 7 2014 Retrieved September 19 2014 Graduate amp Professional Retrieved September 19 2014 a b Associated Baptist Press CBF council picks four schools as identity partners reports shortfall Abpnews com October 16 2006 Archived from the original on July 19 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Associated Baptist Press American Baptist history archives reunited at Mercer University Abpnews com September 30 2008 Archived from the original on July 7 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 Associated Baptist Press American Baptists will move historical collections to Atlanta Abpnews com September 25 2006 Archived from the original on July 19 2011 Retrieved July 23 2010 a b Associated Baptist Press Former Southern Baptist history group to join American Baptists at Mercer Abpnews com February 26 2007 Archived from the original on February 24 2009 Retrieved July 23 2010 Primary Teaching Hospitals mercer edu December 13 2012 Retrieved December 13 2012 News amp Features Mercer Trustees Approve Operating Budget New Ph D Program mercer edu April 15 2011 Retrieved July 11 2012 a b College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Mercer University Cophs mercer edu July 1 2006 Archived from the original on June 9 2010 Retrieved July 23 2010 a b c Historical Timeline Swilley mercer edu Archived from the original on September 14 2000 Retrieved July 23 2010 News amp Features 5 8 06 Mercer to Introduce Physician Assistant Program mercer edu May 9 2006 Retrieved July 23 2010 a b c Swilley Library Special Collections Swilley mercer edu Archived from the original on August 31 2003 Retrieved July 23 2010 a b c 100 Years of nursing education at Mercer s Georgia Baptist College of Nursing Georgia Nursing 2002 http www macon com 139 story 546952 html dead link News amp Features New Doctor of Nursing Practice mercer edu December 8 2009 Retrieved July 23 2010 Mercer Engineering Research Center Merc mercer org Retrieved November 24 2016 Sean Kennedy Alden Moore Megan Rutherford Remembering the Civil Rights Movement Retrieved September 25 2012 Macon WMAZ TV Gannett com September 27 1953 Archived from the original on March 28 2006 Retrieved July 23 2010 WMAC AM History www wmac am com Archived from the original on March 6 2009 Fun Facts Our College Town LLC Go Bears Ourcollegetown net Archived from the original on February 21 2009 Retrieved July 23 2010 About Mercer Cluster Retrieved November 24 2016 Hall Mary Helene December 5 2022 Letter from the Editor Closing the door on The Cluster s print edition www mercercluster com Retrieved February 13 2023 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b Freshman Makes History as Top Speaker at National Parliamentary Debate Association Tournament News mercer edu April 10 2015 Retrieved November 24 2016 CIT Retrieved September 19 2014 News amp Features Mercer Receives 1 Million Commitment for Basketball Program mercer edu April 23 2012 Retrieved July 11 2012 http www macon com 2012 04 23 2000592 mercer basketball facility renamed html dead link Daniel Shirley Mercer football lacrosse stadium renamed following major donation Archived February 27 2015 at the Wayback Machine The Telegraph February 26 2015 Dauster Rob July 16 2014 Doug McDermott Breanna Stewart and Mercer men s basketball among ESPY honorees Collegebasketballtalk nbcsports com Retrieved November 24 2016 ESPY Awards 2014 winners and top moments CBS News July 17 2014 Retrieved November 24 2016 News amp Features Mercer to Reinstate Football mercer edu November 19 2010 Retrieved July 11 2012 Football Returns Mercer edu Archived from the original on January 18 2012 Retrieved July 11 2012 News Conference Mercer edu Archived from the original on May 24 2012 Retrieved July 11 2012 Robert E Wilder Gridiron Glory Days Football at Mercer 1892 1942 Macon Mercer University Press 1982 ISBN 0 86554 052 7 p 202 Mercer Unveils 2014 Schedule for Inaugural SoCon Season Mercer Archived from the original on July 24 2014 Retrieved September 19 2014 Forbes America s Top Colleges List 2022 Forbes Retrieved September 13 2022 Wall Street Journal Times Higher Education College Rankings 2022 The Wall Street Journal Times Higher Education Retrieved July 26 2022 2022 2023 Best National Universities U S News amp World Report Retrieved September 13 2022 2022 National University Rankings Washington Monthly Retrieved September 13 2022 Mercer University Profile Rankings and Data US News Best Colleges March 10 2016 Retrieved August 1 2023 Mercer Makes Best Colleges Guide Retrieved September 19 2014 News amp Features 8 24 2005 The Princeton Review mercer edu August 24 2005 Retrieved July 23 2010 News amp Features 4 24 07 Mercer Named Best Value mercer edu April 24 2007 Retrieved July 23 2010 Mercer University George Best Law School US News Retrieved September 19 2014 Mercer University News Mercer edu Retrieved November 24 2016 Best Legal Writing Programs Top Law Schools US News Best Graduate Schools Archived from the original on July 22 2010 Retrieved September 19 2014 a b http www2 mercer edu News Articles 2009 091009Rankings htm dead link News amp Features 10 11 07 Best 290 Business Schools mercer edu October 11 2007 Retrieved July 23 2010 News amp Features 3 9 2007 Mercer Recognized mercer edu March 9 2007 Retrieved July 23 2010 Corporation for National and Community Service PDF Archived from the original PDF on March 1 2013 Retrieved September 19 2014 News amp Features 3 17 05 The Princeton Review Names Mercer National Leader for Public Service mercer edu March 17 2005 Retrieved July 23 2010 http www compact org news press release 342 dead link News amp Features 8 25 06 Mercer Ranked No 13 in Nation on Saviors of Our Cities List mercer edu August 25 2006 Retrieved July 23 2010 The Netter Center s website has moved The Netter Center August 5 2012 Archived from the original on August 5 2012 News amp Features 12 18 08 Carnegie Designation mercer edu December 18 2008 Retrieved July 23 2010 Carnegie Selects Colleges and Universities for 2008 Community Engagement Classification www carnegiefoundation org Archived from the original on July 15 2009 External links EditOfficial website Mercer University Athletics website Old Mercer historical marker Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mercer University amp oldid 1173195037, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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