Mercer University

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Mercer University
Established	1833
Type	Private
President	William D. Underwood
Staff	570
Undergraduates	5000
Postgraduates	2300
Location	Macon, Georgia, USA
Campus	Urban
Athletics	Atlantic Sun Conference
Mascot	Toby the Bear
Website	www.mercer.edu

Mercer University is a private, coeducational, independent Baptist, university located in the U.S. state of Georgia.

Mercer is the only university of its size in the United States that offers programs in eleven diversified fields of study: liberal arts, business, education, music, engineering, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, law, theology, and continuing and professional studies. Mercer enrolls more than 2500 undergraduate students, 2300 graduate students, and 2500 extended education students in its eleven colleges and schools. Students come from approximately 40 states and 40 countries; more than 80% are Georgia residents.

Mercer has major campuses in Macon, Georgia and Atlanta, Georgia; regional academic centers for extended education students in Henry County, Georgia, Douglas County, Georgia, and Eastman, Georgia; teaching hospitals in Macon and Savannah, Georgia; a university press in Macon; an engineering research center in Warner Robins, Georgia; and a NCAA Division I athletic program. Mercer's annual economic impact on Georgia exceeds $500 million.

Mercer was affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention until 2005-2006. Mercer is now an independent Baptist university. Mercer's School of Theology is affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Contents 1 History 2 Presidents 3 Location 4 Colleges and Schools 5 Other University Divisions 6 Student Life 7 Athletics 8 In the press 9 Alumni 10 External links

[edit] History

Founding

Mercer University was founded in 1833 in Penfield, Georgia, under the leadership of Baptist minister Adiel Sherwood. The school was named for Jesse Mercer, a prominent Baptist leader who provided a founding endowment and who served as the first chairman of the school's board of trustees. Initially a boys' preparatory school named "Mercer Institute", the Georgia legislature granted a college charter in 1837. The school adopted its present name in 1838 and was one of the few Southern universities and the only college or university in Georgia to remain open throughout the American Civil War. In 1871, the university moved to Macon, which was then becoming a center of transportation and commerce in Georgia. In 1972, the university opened a second campus in Atlanta.

Advancing the Vision Campaign

Mercer University is currently completing Phase III of the $350 million Advancing the Vision Campaign. Phases I and II were completed with more than $208 million received or pledged. For Phase II, Mercer received one of the largest gifts in the history of higher education when it received a large tract of developed real estate in Atlanta. The property, given to Mercer and to LaGrange College jointly, was valued at $124 million with Mercer's share being $62 million. As of November 2006, more than $300 million was received in Phases I, II, and III. The campaign has financed numerous projects including the construction and renovation of facilities and endowed scholarships for students. New facilities on the Macon campus include the University Center, a large multi-purpose facility that houses the university's athletics department, basketball arena, and student services; the Allan and Rosemary McCorkle Music Building that houses the School of Music; a new Science and Engineering Building; and the Greek Village with 18 fraternity and sorority houses. New facilities on the Atlanta campus include academic buildings for the College of Nursing, the College of Education, and the School of Theology and a large student housing complex.

Georgia Baptist Convention

In November 2005, the Georgia Baptist Convention voted to end the 172-year affiliation between Mercer and the convention. Mercer has had an independent board of trustees for many years and was not controlled by the convention. The convention, however, provided financial support used to fund scholarships for Baptist students. Mercer will continue to provide such scholarships. The lack of convention control caused friction in recent years with Mercer exercising its independence to embrace the moderate Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. The convention also saw Mercer as embracing a more moderate Christian way of thought. The relationship came to a head when Mercer allowed a gay-rights group on campus to hold a "Coming Out Day". An article about the Mercer gay rights group, Mercer Triangle Symposium, and their "Coming Out Day" was published two weeks before the annual convention meeting. At the meeting, University President Dr. R. Kirby Godsey asked the group of Georgia Baptists not to break ties with Mercer. He explained that Mercer does not endorse homosexuality, but allows discussion on the topic. The convention voted to break ties with Mercer. In April 2006, Mercer's board of trustees approved changes to the university charter ending Mercer's affiliation with the convention.

President Godsey Retires

Dr. R. Kirby Godsey retired on 30 June 2006 after 27 years as Mercer's President. During Godsey's tenure, Mercer established seven new colleges and schools, growing from four to eleven, expanded its annual budget to more than $175 million, and increased the endowment to almost $200 million with an additional $200+ million pledged in planned gifts. Both houses of the Georgia legislature honored Godsey for his long service and Mercer's historic Administration Building has been named the R. Kirby Godsey Administration Building in honor of his achievements. Godsey will remain at Mercer as University Chancellor, professor, and special advisor to new President, William D. Underwood. Underwood, former interim President, Baylor University, was selected as Godsey's replacement in December 2005. Underwood took office on 1 July 2006.

Academic Freedom

In April 2006, Underwood assisted Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States, in organizing and hosting a gathering of Baptist World Alliance leaders at the Carter Center in Atlanta. Underwood; former Mercer President Godsey; and Walter Shurden, Director of Mercer's Center for Baptist Studies, advocated academic freedom within Baptist higher education and showcased Mercer, recently independent from the Georgia Baptist Convention, as the nation's premier independent Baptist university.

[edit] Presidents

• Billington McCarthy Sanders (1833–1840)
• Otis Smith (1840–1844)
• John Leadley Dagg (1844–1854)
• Nathaniel Macon Crawford(1854–1856)
• Shelton Palmer Sanford (acting President; 1856–1858)
• Nathaniel Macon Crawford (1858–1866)
• Henry Holcombe Tucker (1866–1871)
• Archibald John Battle (1872–1889)
• Gustavus Alonzo Nunnally (1889–1893)
• Joseph Edgerton Willet (acting President; 1893)
• James Bruton Gambrell (1893–1896)
• Pinckney Daniel Pollock (1896–1903)
• Matthew Quinn Wetherington (acting President; 1903–1905)
• Charles Lee Smith (1905–1906)
• Samuel Young Jameson (1906–1913)
• James Freeman Sellers (acting President; 1913–1914)
• William Lowndes Pickard (1914–1918)
• Rufus Washington Weaver (1918–1927)
• Andrew Phillip Montague (acting President; 1927–1928)
• Spright Dowell (1928–1953)
• George Boyce Connell (1953–1959)
• Spright Dowell (interim President; 1959–1960)
• Rufus Carrollton Harris (1960–1979)
• Raleigh Kirby Godsey (1979–2006)
• William D. Underwood (2006– )

[edit] Location

Macon Campus

The historic main campus of Mercer University is in Macon; approximately 75 miles south of Atlanta. The College of Liberal Arts, the Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics, the Tift College of Education, the Townsend School of Music, the School of Engineering, the School of Medicine, and programs of the College of Continuing and Professional Studies are located on the Macon campus. The R. Kirby Godsey Administration Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Law School

The Walter F. George School of Law is located on its own campus in Macon; one mile from the historic 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, also known as Overlook Mansion. The Law School building and the Woodruff House are two of Macon's most recognizable sites.

Atlanta Campus

The Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Campus of Mercer University is in Atlanta. The Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology, the College of Continuing and Professional Studies, and programs of the Tift College of Education (Masters and PhD programs), the Stetson School of Business and Economics (BBA, MBA and Executive MBA programs), and the School of Engineering (Masters program) are located on the Atlanta campus. Mercer's Atlanta campus was formerly the home of Atlanta Baptist College until it merged with Mercer in 1972. In 2004, Mercer enlarged the campus by acquiring the headquarters of the Georgia Baptist Convention, located adjacent to the campus.

Regional Academic Centers

In addition to its campuses in Macon and Atlanta, Mercer has regional academic centers in Henry County, Douglas County, and Eastman, Georgia. The regional academic centers cater to non-traditional extended education students and offer various programs through the university's colleges and schools.

Teaching Hospitals

Additional off-campus sites include the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, and Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, which serve as the School of Medicine's teaching hospitals.

[edit] Colleges and Schools

Liberal Arts

• The College of Liberal Arts, founded in 1833, is the heart of the university offering undergraduate degrees in the arts, humanities, communications, natural sciences, and social sciences. The college, with more than 100 full-time faculty members, offers dozens of majors, minors, and concentrations, and has a Great Books Program for students who wish to study Western civilization from ancient time to the present by examining major works of literature. The Great Books Program, an eight semester sequence of courses, may be completed in lieu of the college's general education curriculum.

Business

• The Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics, founded in 1984, has the highest level of accreditation for business schools from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The school, named for a Mercer alumnus who was a senior executive for The Coca-Cola Company, the Illinois Central Railroad, and JP Morgan, offers bachelor's degree (BBA) programs in Macon, Atlanta, and Douglas County; Evening MBA programs in Macon and Atlanta; Professional MBA programs in Henry County and Savannah; and an Executive MBA program in Atlanta.

• The Mercer University Executive Forum, Georgia's premier business outreach program, is a part of the school. The program welcomes nationally known speakers who conduct management and leadership seminars in Macon and Atlanta. Speakers have included Lou Dobbs, Bob Dole, Steve Forbes, Lou Holtz, Jesse Jackson, Tom Ridge, George Tenet, George Will, Bob Woodward, and numerous other business, political, and social leaders.

Education

• The Tift College of Education, founded in 1995 as the School of Education, was named in honor of Tift College, a former Baptist women's college in Forsyth, Georgia, in 2001. Tift College, founded in 1847, merged with Mercer in 1986 and was closed. Mercer adopted Tift's alumnae and maintains their records. The Tift College of Education offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs and is the largest private provider of teachers in Georgia.

• The Educational Leadership Program is the college's newest graduate offering; candidates earn a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in P-12 School Leadership (starting fall 2006) or Higher Education Leadership (starting fall 2007). The program is offered on the Macon and Atlanta campuses.

Music

• The Townsend School of Music opened on 1 July 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 and Julie McAfee, 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 2003 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 McAfee School of Theology offering graduate programs in church music that prepare musical artists for the ministry. The institute, located on the Macon campus with the School of Music, is preparing a new hymnal for Baptists and other Christian fellowships. Slated for release in 2009, the 400th anniversary of Baptists, the project demonstrates Mercer’s commitment to its church-related heritage and connects with the university’s namesake, Jesse Mercer, who authored Cluster of Spiritual Songs; a hymnal first published circa 1800 with 11 subsequent editions.

• The Robert McDuffie Center for Strings offers conservatory-quality music training in a comprehensive university setting. Under the leadership of internationally renowned violinist Robert McDuffie, who has served as Distinguished University Professor of Music since 2004, the center will accept up to 12 string students for the 2007-2008 academic year. Total future enrollment will be limited to 26 students: 12 violinists, 6 violists, 6 cellists and 2 double bassists. The focus of the center, housed in the Townsend School of Music on the Macon campus, is to provide highly talented string students the opportunity to learn with some of the nation's renowned string musicians.

Engineering

• The School of Engineering, founded in 1985, is the only private engineering school in Georgia and one of only two engineering schools in the state. 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 academic facility. In 2006, Mercer began construction of a $14 million Science and Engineering Building adjacent to the current school that will expand the school's laboratory and classroom resources. The Mercer Engineering and Research Center, 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. In addition, the school's National Engineering Advisory Board, comprised 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 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 College of Nursing and Piedmont Healthcare of Atlanta.

Medicine

• The 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, US News and World Report ranked the school 17th out of 126 accredited medical schools in the family medicine category. In addition to the Doctor of Medicine, the school offers graduate programs in a number of areas including public health, family therapy, and family services. The School of Medicine's teaching hospitals are the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon and Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah.

Nursing

• The Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, founded in 1901, was initially an independent school in Atlanta. The college merged with Mercer in 2001 and moved from its downtown location to Mercer's Atlanta campus in 2002. The college offers undergraduate and graduate programs and provides clinical experiences at numerous Atlanta-area hospitals and at other community facilities.

• The Center for Health and Learning is an educational partnership between the College of Nursing 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.

Pharmacy

• The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, founded in 1903, was initially an independent school in Atlanta. The college merged with Mercer in 1959 and moved from its downtown location to Mercer's Atlanta campus in 1991. 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. The college, formerly named the Southern School of Pharmacy, adopted its current name on 1 July 2006. The name change reflects additional health science programs, including a physician assistant program, offered by the college.

Law

• The Walter F. George School of Law, founded in 1873, is one of the oldest law schools in the United States. The school is named for a Mercer alumnus; former United States Senator Walter F. George. Additional information is available on the school's Wikipedia entry.

Theology

• 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. The designation, which grants the highest level of CBF funding, is held by four theology schools; the McAfee School of Theology, the Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University, the Divinity School at Campbell University, and the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond.

• The American Baptist Historical Society, with the largest and most diverse collection of Baptist historical materials and archives in the world, has announced it will relocate to the Atlanta campus; announced in 2006, the ABHS will occupy the former Georgia Baptist Convention headquarters building. The ABHS, consolidating from facilities in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania and Rochester, New York, provides tremendous research opportunities for Baptist scholars and positions Mercer University and the McAfee School of Theology as a national center of Baptist scholarship.

• The Baptist History and Heritage Society, founded in 1938 as the Southern Baptist Historical Society, announced in 2007 that it will relocate from Brentwood, Tennessee to the Atlanta campus. The BHS, an independent organization with historic ties to the Southern Baptist Convention, will occupy the former Georgia Baptist Convention headquarters building along with the American Baptist Historical Society; the two societies will complement each other by providing resources on the American Baptist tradition and the Southern Baptist tradition. The move enhances Mercer's position as a national center of Baptist scholarship.

Continuing and Professional Studies

• The School of Continuing and Professional Studies offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and lifelong learning opportunities for adults and non-traditional students. Courses are offered at the Regional Academic Centers in Henry County, Douglas County, and Eastman.

• The Public Safety Leadership Institute on the Atlanta campus offers educational programs for professional law enforcement and other public safety officials. The curriculum focuses on processes for decision-making, human behavior, and management of human resources within governmental organizations in the rapidly changing post 9/11 world. The institute has been endorsed by numerous law enforcement organizations.

[edit] Other University Divisions

Mercer Libraries

• Mercer University has four libraries, which are organized as a separate division alongside the eleven colleges and schools. The Jack Tarver Library, located on the Macon campus, is the largest. The Medical Library and Peyton T. Anderson Resources Center, located in the School of Medicine, and the Furman Smith Law Library, located in the Walter F. George School of 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.

Opera House

• The Grand Opera House is Mercer's Performing Arts Center. Located in downtown Macon and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Grand opened in 1884 with the largest stage in the southeastern United States. The Grand has hosted vaudeville performances, Broadway touring companies, community theatre, concerts, movies, and numerous other events. Mercer has operated the Grand since 1995 through a lease agreement with Bibb County. The Grand has undergone extensive renovation and regularly hosts special events that are open to the community.

University Press

• The Mercer University Press (MUP), established in 1979, is the only Baptist-related university press in the nation. MUP has published more than 1,000 books generally in the areas of theology, religion, 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 is among MUP's published authors.

Engineering Research Center

• The Mercer Engineering and Research Center (MERC) is in Warner Robins, Georgia. 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.

Radio Station

• WMUM-FM, formerly WDCO-FM, is a partnership, established in 2006, between Mercer University and Georgia Public Broadcasting. The station provides local content to central Georgia public radio listeners from its broadcast studio on the Macon campus. The station's call letters were changed to WMUM-FM (Mercer University Macon) to identify the partnership with Mercer. The studio, constructed in 2006, offers various media-related educational opportunities for Mercer students.

[edit] Student Life

Mercer University has over 100 undergraduate student organizations that provide learning experiences outside the classroom. Students may choose from academic, pre-professional, religious, special-interest, and social organizations including a campus newspaper, a student-operated internet radio station, the Baptist Student Union (now called Baptist Collegiate Ministries), among many more. Greek social organizations include:

Fraternities:

• Alpha Tau Omega, Alpha Zeta chapter
• Kappa Alpha Order, Kappa chapter
• Kappa Sigma, Alpha Beta chapter
• Lambda Chi Alpha, Zeta Omega chapter
• Phi Delta Theta, Georgia Gamma chapter
• Pi Kappa Phi, Alpha Alpha chapter
• Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Georgia Psi chapter
• Sigma Nu, Eta chapter

Sororities:

• Alpha Delta Pi, Beta Sigma chapter
• Alpha Gamma Delta, Gamma Iota chapter
• Chi Omega, Psi Gamma chapter
• Phi Mu, Alpha Iota chapter

Traditional African-American Greek organizations:

• Alpha Kappa Alpha, Iota Eta chapter
• Alpha Phi Alpha, Iota Eta chapter
• Delta Sigma Theta, Iota Sigma chapter (Macon campus)
• Delta Sigma Theta, Tau Omicron chapter (Atlanta campus)
• Kappa Alpha Psi, Theta Pi chapter
• Zeta Phi Beta, Omega Mu chapter

Mercer's graduate and professional schools sponsor numerous student organizations as well including Phi Alpha Delta, a fraternity for law students.

The Computer Science Programming Team earned an Honorable Mention in the 2007 ACM World Finals Programming Competition held in Tokyo, Japan. Mercer was one of 88 teams out of more than 6,000 teams from 75 countries that advanced to the championship round. Mercer qualified for their very first appearance in the event after finishing second in the Southeast regional competition.

[edit] Athletics

The Mercer University Bears are part of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Sun Conference. Men's sports include air rifle (co-ed), baseball, basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, and tennis. Women's sports include basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball. Mercer teams have won 13 Atlantic Sun Conference championships: three baseball, three men's basketball, two women's basketball, and five men's soccer.

In 2004, Mercer opened the University Center on the Macon campus. The $40 million 230,000 square foot center houses Mercer's athletics department, a 3500-seat basketball arena, an indoor pool, work-out facilities, intramural basketball courts, an air rifle range, offices, a food court, and numerous meeting facilities. Mercer's baseball, softball, and intramural fields are next to the center along with the university's tennis complex. In 2006, Mercer began construction of a 101-room hotel adjacent to the University Center.

Mark Slonaker, men's basketball head coach, was the 2002-03 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year after leading Mercer to the best one season turnaround in NCAA history, improving from 6-23 to 23-6. The team won the Atlantic Sun regular season championship with a 14-2 conference record and made school history for number of wins (23); Mercer won 22 games in 1923-24 and 1984-85. The season ended with a loss in the Atlantic Sun tournament. Slonaker was the first National Coach of the Year to receive the award after it was named in honor of Jim Phelan. The four other finalists were Lute Olson (Arizona), Skip Prosser (Wake Forest), Bo Ryan (Wisconsin), and Tubby Smith (Kentucky).

Will Emerson, a forward on the men's basketball team, was the 2004-05 and 2005-06 Atlantic Sun Conference Male Student Athlete of the Year, only the third person to be selected twice for the award. Emerson was also named to ESPN the Magazine's Academic All-American first team in 2005 and 2006.

[edit] In the press

US News and World Report, in its college and university rankings, consistently ranks Mercer among the best universities in the United States; the 2007 edition ranks Mercer ninth in the Southern "Best Universities-Master's" category, marking the university's seventeenth consecutive year among the top 15 and eighth consecutive year in the top 10. Mercer is the only university in Georgia ranked in the top 40 in the Master's category. The 2007 edition also ranks Mercer among the "Great Schools, Great Prices" as the sixth best value in the South. In addition, the Princeton Review ranks Mercer in the top ten percent of all colleges and universities nationwide, and in 2006, ranked Mercer's campus the fifth most beautiful in the nation.

Mercer's professional programs are ranked favorably as well; US News and World Report ranks the School of Medicine in the top 20 of the nation's 126 accredited medical schools in the family medicine category, the school's primary focus, and ranks the Walter F. George School of Law among the nation's top 100 law schools. The law school's legal writing program was ranked best in the nation in 2006 and second in 2007.

In 2007, Mercer was one of 141 colleges and universities in the nation selected for the first President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll; the honor roll is sponsored by several agencies including the United States Department of Education and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to recognize support for community service. In 2005, Mercer was one of 81 institutions of higher education named a “College with a Conscience” by the Princeton Review and College Compact, and in 2006, Mercer was ranked thirteenth in the nation in the first “Saviors of Our Cities” ranking by Evan Dobelle, president and CEO of the New England Board of Higher Education.

[edit] Alumni

Mercer has more than 60,000 alumni who live in all 50 states and in more than 70 countries. Notable Mercer alumni include:

Arts, Media, and Industry

• J. Buford Boone - Pulitzer Prize winning author (1957); recognized for editorials against segregation
• David H. Bottoms, Jr. - Georgia Poet Laureate
• Harry Stillwell Edwards - former editor, Macon Telegraph; author of 19 books including the Southern classic Eneas Africanus
• Nancy Grace - anchor for Court TV, legal commentator, and guest host for Larry King Live; hosts her own show, "Nancy Grace Live" on CNN
• John Hogan - founding president, Radio and Television News Directors Association, the world's largest organization devoted to broadcast journalism
• Malcolm Johnson - Pulitzer Prize winning author (1949); his reports were the basis for On the Waterfront, which starred Marlon Brando
• J. Thomas McAfee - chairman and president, Hallmark Systems, an Atlanta health care corporation; the McAfee family provided founding endowments for the university's McAfee School of Theology and Townsend School of Music
• Reg Murphy - former president and vice chairman, National Geographic Society; publisher, Baltimore Sun; editor and publisher, San Francisco Examiner; and editor, Atlanta Journal-Constitution; author of Uncommon Sense: The Achievement of Griffin Bell
• George P. Oslin - former Western Union executive; invented the singing telegram in 1933
• Lyman Ray Patterson - noted law professor and copyright scholar; former dean, Emory University School of Law
• James Rachels - moral philosopher, university professor, and author; best known for his writing on euthanasia
• Ferrol Sams, Jr. - widely read Southern author noted for Run with the Horsemen and Whisper of the River among other works
• Neil Skene - president and publisher, Congressional Quarterly, 1990-1997
• Jack Tarver - publisher, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1958-1976; chairman, Associated Press, 1977-1983, namesake of the Jack Tarver Library on the Macon campus
• Ellis Paul Torrance - educator known for pioneering research in creativity; namesake of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development
• Phil Walden - music pioneer and founder of Capricorn Records; represented Otis Redding and The Allman Brothers

Law

• A. Harris Adams - Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals
• Griffin B. Bell - Federal Appeals Court Judge, 1962-1976; 72nd Attorney General of the United States, 1977-1979
• John S. Bell - Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals, 1960-1979; Chief Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals, 1969-1979
• Reason C. Bell - Chief Justice, Georgia Supreme Court, 1943-1946; Associate Justice, 1932-1943 and 1946-1949; Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals, 1922-1932
• William Augustus Bootle - Federal District Judge, 1954-2005; ordered the first admission of an African-American to the University of Georgia in 1961
• Thomas Hoyt Davis - Senior Judge, Federal District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, 1945-1969
• Beverly D. Evans, Jr. - Georgia Supreme Court Justice, 1904-1917; Federal District Judge for the Southern District of Georgia, 1917-1922
• M. Yvette Miller - Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals; the first African-American woman to serve on the court
• Carlton Mobley - Chief Justice, Georgia Supreme Court, 1972-1974; Associate Justice, 1954-1972; United States Representative, Georgia's 6th Congressional district, 1932-1933
• W. Louis Sands - Chief Judge, Federal District Court for the Middle District of Georgia; the first African-American to serve on the court
• Jay Sekulow - chief counsel, American Center for Law and Justice
• Evett Simmons - former president, National Bar Association
• Hugh Thompson - Georgia Supreme Court Justice
• Additional Walter F. George School of Law alumni are listed on the school's Wikipedia entry

Politics

• Doug Barnard - United States Representative, Georgia's 10th Congressional district, 1977-1993
• Allen D. Candler - Governor of Georgia, 1898-1902; United States Representative, Georgia's 9th Congressional district, 1883-1891; namesake of Candler County, Georgia
• Cathy Cox - Georgia Secretary of State, 1999-2007; first woman elected to this position
• Edward Eugene Cox - United States Representative, Georgia's 2nd Congressional district, 1925-1952
• Nathan Deal - United States Representative, Georgia's 10th Congressional district
• Walter F. George - United States Senator from Georgia, 1922-1957, served as President pro tempore, 1955-1957; namesake of Mercer's Law School
• Robert W. Everett - United States Representative, Georgia's 7th Congressional district, 1891-1893
• Thomas W. Hardwick - United States Senator from Georgia, 1915-1919; Governor of Georgia, 1921-1923; as Governor, appointed Rebecca L. Felton as the first female United States Senator
• Richard B. Hubbard - Governor of Texas, 1876-1879; US Ambassador to Japan, 1885-1889
• William D. Jelks - Governor of Alabama, 1901-1907
• Thomas G. Lawson - United States Representative, Georgia's 8th Congressional district, 1891-1897
• Rufus E. Lester - United States Representative, Georgia's 1st Congressional district, 1889-1906
• Henry Dickerson McDaniel - Governor of Georgia, 1883-1886
• Charles L. Moses - United States Representative, Georgia's 4th Congressional district, 1891-1897
• William J. Northen - Governor of Georgia, 1890-1894; served as a Mercer University trustee for over 40 years, 1869-1913
• John Oxendine - Georgia Insurance Commissioner
• Homer C. Parker - United States Representative, Georgia's 1st Congressional district, 1931-1935
• John Peyton - Mayor, Jacksonville, Florida, the most populous city in Florida and the thirteenth most populous in the United States
• Dwight L. Rogers - United States Representative, Florida's 6th Congressional district, 1945-1954
• William J. Sears - United States Representative, Florida's 4th Congressional district, 1915-1929; United States Representative, an at-large Florida district, 1933-1937
• Chauncey Sparks - Governor of Alabama, 1943-1947
• Malcolm C. Tarver - United States Representative, Georgia's 7th Congressional district, 1927-1947
• Carl Vinson - United States Representative for over 50 years, 1914-1965; long-time Chairman, House Armed Services Committee; has been called the "patriarch of the armed services" and the "father of the two-ocean navy"; namesake of the USS Carl Vinson
• William S. West - United States Senator from Georgia, 1914-1914
• J. Mark Wilcox - United States Representative, Florida's 4th Congressional district, 1933-1939
• John S. Woods - United States Representative, Georgia's 9th Congressional district, 1931-1935 and 1945-1953; Chairman, House Un-American Activities Committee, 1949-1953
• Ten Mercerians have served as governors - of the states of Alabama, Georgia, New Hampshire, and Texas and of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
• Additional Walter F. George School of Law alumni are listed on the school's Wikipedia entry

Military

• Ross W. Crossley, Brigadier General, US Army (ret) - Commanding General, V Corps Artillery, 1983-1985; Chief of Staff, V Corps, 1985-1988
• Benjamin S. Griffin, General, US Army - Commanding General, U.S. Army Materiel Command
• Richard E. Hawes, Rear Admiral, US Navy (ret) - commanded several vessals during World War II; recipient of the Navy Cross; namesake of the USS Hawes
• Claude M. Kicklighter, Lieutenant General, US Army (ret) - Commanding General, US Army Pacific, 1989-1991; after military retirement, served in senior civilian positions in the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs; Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning, Department of Veterans Affairs, 2001-2005
• C. Stewart Rodeheaver, Brigadier General, US Army - Deputy Commanding General, First United States Army
• William T. Thielemann, Brigadier General, US Army (ret) - Commander, 48th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized), Georgia Army National Guard, 1995-1997
• Perry L. Wiggins, Brigadier General, US Army - Deputy Director for Operations, National Military Command, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
• Blanton Winship, Major General, US Army (ret) - The Judge Advocate General (TJAG), 1931-1933; Governor of Puerto Rico, 1934-1939

Other Public Service

• John Birch - missionary and spy in China during World War II; namesake of the John Birch Society
• Walter C. Dowling - US Ambassador to South Korea, 1956-1959; US Ambassador to Germany, 1959-1963
• Charles Kelsey Dozier - missionary and founder of Seinan Gakuin University in Japan
• Charles "Jack" Pritchard - president, Korea Economic Institute; US Ambassador and Special Envoy for Negotiations to North Korea, 2001-2003
• Steadman V. Sanford - former chancellor, University System of Georgia; namesake of Sanford Stadium at the University of Georgia

Athletics

• Wally Butts - head football coach, University of Georgia, 1939-1960; athletic director, 1939-1963; member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame
• Andrea Congreaves - women's basketball player in the WNBA and in Europe
• Wesley Duke - former tight end for the Denver Broncos, 2005 AFC West Champions
• Sam Mitchell - head coach, Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association
• Bill Yoast - high school football coach made famous in the film Remember the Titans
• Ten Mercerians have been Major League Baseball players

[edit] External links

• Mercer University Website
• Mercer University Athletics
• Mercer University Student Government Association
• Mercer Admissions
• Mercer University Press
• Mercer University - New Georgia Encyclopedia entry
• Jesse Mercer - New Georgia Encyclopedia entry
• Adiel Sherwood - New Georgia Encyclopedia entry

Atlantic Sun Conference
Belmont • Campbell (Campbell Fighting Camels) • ETSU • Florida Gulf Coast* • Gardner–Webb • Jacksonville Kennesaw State • Lipscomb • Mercer • North Florida • South Carolina Upstate* • Stetson * Future member effective 2007-2008 academic year

Georgia private colleges and universities

Agnes Scott College • American Intercontinental University • Andrew College • Argosy University • Art Institute of Atlanta • Atlanta Christian College • Atlanta College of Art • Bauder College • Berry College • Brenau University • Brewton-Parker College • Clark Atlanta University • Columbia Theological Seminary • Covenant College • Emmanuel College • Emory University • Georgia Military College • Interdenominational Theological Center • LaGrange College • Life University • Mercer University • Morehouse College • Morehouse School of Medicine • Morris Brown College • Oglethorpe University • Oxford College of Emory University • Paine College • Piedmont College • Reinhardt College • Savannah College of Art and Design • Shorter College • South University • Spelman College • Thomas University • Toccoa Falls College • Truett-McConnell College • Wesleyan College • Westwood College • Young Harris College

Educational Institutions in Macon, Georgia

Colleges and Universities Central Georgia Technical College • Georgia College and State University • Macon State College • Mercer University • Wesleyan College High schools Central High School • First Presbyterian Day School • Gilead Christian Academy • Hutchings High School • Mount de Sales Academy • Northeast Magnet High School • Rutland High School • Southwest Magnet High School • Stratford Academy • Tattnall Square Academy • Westside High School • Windsor Academy