Hatcher Elected Chair, Bell Named Life Trustee at December Meeting
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Robert F. Hatcher, president and chief executive officer of MidCountry Financial, was elected chair of the Board of Trustees of Mercer University at its Dec. 7 meeting in Macon. A longtime Trustee of the University, Hatcher has served two previous years as chair of the 45-member governing board.
The Board also conferred its highest tribute on the Honorable Griffin B. Bell by unanimously electing him a Life Trustee of Mercer University. Judge Bell has served six terms on the Board and was elected chair in 1991. An advocate of higher education, Judge Bell believes that America and its [more]
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The Georgia Cancer Coalition Funds Two Distinguished Cancer Scholars at Mercer School of Medicine in Savannah
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On Nov. 27, President William D. Underwood announced that the Georgia Cancer Coalition has funded two Distinguished Cancer Scholars for the School of Medicine in Savannah. Distinguished scientists Dr. Shi-Wen Jiang and Dr. Edward Perkins will join the teaching and research faculty in Mercer’s doctor of medicine program early this winter, with joint research appointments in the Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute at Memorial University Medical Center.
Another newly appointed Scholar, Dr. Dominique Broccoli, who leads the Molecular Biology and Genetics Program at Memorial University Medical Center’s Anderson Cancer Institute, also has a Mercer University appointment in the Division... [more]
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Baptists Gather in Atlanta for New Baptist Covenant Celebration
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As many as 20,000 Baptists from across North America will gather at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta Jan. 30 - Feb. 1, 2008, in an unprecedented demonstration of Baptist unity. Mercer University has been at the center of planning efforts for this history-making event, which is being called the "Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant."The New Baptist Covenant grew out of a conversation President Underwood had with prominent Baptist layman Jimmy Carter in Plains in January 2006. That conversation led to a series of meetings at The Carter Center in 2006 and early 2007 involving leaders of more... [more]
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Mercer Again Has High Marks In Engagement Survey
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Mercer continues to score significantly higher than its peers on a major survey of student engagement and learning. The National Survey of Student Engagement results for the University showed Mercer had achieved above its peers in all five benchmark areas of the study.
The survey also confirmed the University’s outstanding performance in overall learning. The first-year and senior-year satisfaction rates of Mercer students were higher than those of Mercer’s peer institutions in rating the entire educational experience. Among undergraduate students at the regional academic centers and on the Macon campus, more than 90 percent of students stated they found their experience... [more]
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Authors Luncheon Draws Record Crowd
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 Noted author Terry Kay signs books at the Mercer Authors Luncheon.
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First Graduating Class of Master of Science in Anesthesia Recognized
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The first graduates of the nurse anesthetist program were recognized Dec. 8 in a ceremony at The Medical Center of Central Georgia. Graduates were awarded the Master of Science degree in anesthesia. Mercer and The Medical Center teamed up to address the severe shortage of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists throughout the country and initiated the program in 2005. [more]
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Physician Assistant Program to Welcome First Class In January
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The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences will welcome the 26 members of its inaugural class of the Physician Assistant Program with a White Coat ceremony at 2 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 11, in the Cecil B. Day Auditorium, on the University’s Atlanta campus. Charles W. Wickliffe, M.D., vice chairman of the Fuqua Heart Center, will be the featured speaker, with Ben Taylor, Ph.D., PA-C, president of the Georgia Association of Physician Assistants, bringing remarks. [more]
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Mercer Reaches Major Milestone, Celebrating 175 Years of Academic Excellence
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Mercer turns 175 on Jan. 14, 2008. A number of events are planned throughout the year, including Founders’ Day, which will be held in Macon on Feb. 13 at 10 a.m. in Willingham Auditorium, with Dr. R. Kirby Godsey, University Chancellor, as the featured speaker. Dr. Godsey will also speak at a Founders’ Day event in Atlanta, though the date is still being determined.
Founder’s Day activities will also include a panel discussion featuring several prominent alumni, tentatively set for 3:30 p.m. in Willingham. Among the confirmed panelists are Sam J. Oni, ’67, the University’s first black student, and Dr.... [more]
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Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams Set for Final Non-Conference Games
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As the first conference games for the men’s and women’s basketball teams approach on Jan. 5 in a double-header at Kennesaw State, both teams are busy preparing for final non-conference opposition.
After opening the season with possibly Mercer’s biggest win ever – a 96-81 upset over No. 18 Southern Cal – the men’s team is unbeaten in December. The Bears have recorded wins over Charleston Southern, 93-92; Furman, 75-59; and Sewanee, 76-62; and have a chance to even their season record at 5-5 on Dec. 18 when they travel to Auburn University to take on the Tigers of the Southeastern Conference.
On... [more]
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School of Engineering Wins Major Grant to Enhance Entrepreneurship Offerings
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The School of Engineering has received a $50,000 grant to expand and modify course offerings. The School is one of just five in the country to receive the grant this year from the Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network, sponsored by the Kern Family Foundation. The grant will run for two years, with options for renewals thereafter through a competitive process.
The KEEN program is funded through the support of the Kern Family Foundation and offers institutions access to vital resources for building quality entrepreneurship education programs that engage engineering and technical students in hands-on learning. The goal of KEEN is to... [more]
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Mercer Faculty and Student Musicians Perform with Josh Groban on ‘Oprah Winfrey Show’
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Four Townsend School of Music faculty members and three music students were selected to perform in the orchestra that accompanied Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Josh Groban during his special performance on the “Oprah’s Favorite Things 2007” episode of the “Oprah Winfrey Show” that was taped in Macon on Saturday, Nov. 17. Groban performed selections from his new Christmas album “NOEL” with the Atlanta Boys Choir, the Community Choir of Atlanta and an orchestra comprised of Macon musicians.
Mercer faculty and students who performed with the orchestra were Monty Cole, associate professor of music and director of jazz studies, clarinet; Brian Hodges, assistant... [more]
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AAPS Elects Banga as Fellow in Recognition of Research in Drug Delivery
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Mercer was well represented at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists in San Diego, Calif. Pharmacy faculty member and researcher Ajay K. Banga, Ph.D., was honored, and faculty and graduate students made 18 scientific presentations at the national meeting.
Banga, professor and chair of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, has been elected to Fellowship status by the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists. The national association confers the honor of Fellow to recognize individuals for outstanding contributions that elevate the stature of the pharmaceutical sciences and for professional excellence in the field... [more]
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Mercer Dedicates New State-of-the-Art Science and Engineering Building
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Mercer dedicated its new Science and Engineering Building during a ceremony in the Science and Engineering Building on Nov. 26. United States Sen. Saxby Chambliss, U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall and Logistics Center Commander Maj. Gen. Tom Owen spoke at the event.
The School of Engineering, which shares the building with the Department of Physics of the College of Liberal Arts, also celebrated its 22-year educational partnership with the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, a partnership that helped to create the School of Engineering in 1985.“We’re very pleased with the possibilities that this facility provides, and is already providing, in engineering... [more]
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Faculty and Staff Notables
College of Liberal Arts
Dr. Kevin Bucholtz
Dr. Craig Byron
Dr. Jamie Cockfield
Dr. Bruce D. Dod
Dr. Greg Domin
Dr. Nancy Dopke
Dr. John Marson Dunaway
Dr. Chris Grant
Dr. Jeffrey Hugdahl
Dr. Ajaz Karim
Dr. Randall D. Peters
Dr. Caryn S. Seney
Walter F. George School of Law
Sarah L. Gerwig-Moore
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Dr. Laurel Ashworth
Dr. Ajay K. Banga
Dr. Shobhna D. Butler
Dr. Justine S. Gortney
Dr. Michael W. Jann
Dr. Lisa M. Lundquist
Dr. Leisa L. Marshall
Dr. Kathryn M. Momary
Dr. Nader H. Moniri
Dr. Ravi Palaniappan
Dr. Gina J. Ryan
Dr. Karla T. Foster
Dr. Whitney L. Unterwagner
School of Medicine
Dr. Edwin Grimsley
Dr. Ravi Mallavarapu
Anna Krampl
Rita Smith
Dr. Steve Livingston
Dr. Mike U. Smith
Dr. Qian Wang
Dr. Craig Byron
Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics
Dr. Linda L. Brennan
Dr. J. Michael Weber
School of Engineering
Dr. Marjorie T. Davis
Dr. Sinjae Hyun
Dr. Kenneth Harper
Dr. Hodge Jenkins
Dr. Scott Schultz
James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology
Dr. Loyd Allen
Thomas B. Slater
Tift College of Education
Sharon Murphy Augustine
Dr. William Lacefield
Dr. Linda Adams
Dr. Dana H. Lilly
Dr. Peter Ross
Dr. Wynnetta Scott-Simmons
Georgia Baptist College of Nursing
Dr. Dare Domico
Dr. Susan Sweat Gunby
Ann Keeley
Dr. Linda A. Streit
Dr. JoEllen Dattilo
College of Continuing and Professional Studies
Dr. Kevin Wickes
Townsend School of Music
Adrian Gnam
Dr. Douglas Hill
Dr. Stanley Roberts
Dr. John Simons
Amy Schwartz Moretti
Jo Nardolillo
McDuffie Center String Orchestra of Mercer University
Staff and Administration
Sharon Lim Harle
Marc A. Jolley
Faculty and Staff
Macon Campus
Mary L. Brown, library assistant, Jack Tarver Library; Tonia L. Evans, dispatcher, Mercer Police; Barbara Gilbert-Jones, administrative secretary, Academic and Advising Services; Jennifer L. Greer, assistant director of compliance/internal affairs, Athletics; Whitney S. McArthur, library assistant, Jack Tarver Library; James Patrick McGouirk, system adminstrator, Systems and Networks; Debbie Sue Palmer, enrollment associate, Admissions; Paul Persad, assistant professor of internal medicine, School of Medicine; James J. Wolfenden, Help Desk representative, Help Desk.
Atlanta Campus
Gregory S. Brown, clinical research coordinator of pharmacy practice, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences; Dianne M. Burrows, administrative secretary for pharmacy practice, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences; Joy Schwab Johnson, administrative clerk for pharmacy practice, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences; Diane R. Scott, library assistant, Swilley Library; Nicole C. Turner, administrative secretary, Dean’s Office-Stetson School of Business and Economics.
Regional Academic Centers and Other Mercer Locations
Anthony Hickman, senior software engineer, MERC; Lentrell R. Hill, junior mechanical engineer, MERC.
Promotions and Transfers
Macon Campus
Andre J. Butler, previously assistant professor of mechanical and environmental engineering in the School of Engineering, now associate professor; Grady Carter, previously academic assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at the School of Medicine, now academic associate professor; Jonathan Glance, previously director of FYS and associate professor of English at the College of Liberal Arts, now director of FYS and professor; Wayne Glasgow, previously academic associate professor of basic medical science at the School of Medicine, now academic professor; Mary Kot, previously chair and associate professor of biology at the College of Liberal Arts, now chair and professor; Karen Kovach, previously academic assistant professor of family medicine, now academic associate professor; Martha Malone, previously associate professor of music at Townsend School of Music, now professor; Margaret R. Morris, previously associate professor of early childcare education at Tift College of Education, now professor; Scott Nash, associate professor of Christianity at the College of Liberal Arts, now professor; Janet Piskurich, previously academic assistant professor of basic sciences at School of Medicine, now academic associate professor; Anna Walker, previously academic associate professor of pathology at School of Medicine, now academic professor; Carolyn Yackel, assistant professor of mathematics at the College of Liberal Arts, now associate professor.
Atlanta Campus
Jordan Blanke, previously professor of computer information systems and law at Stetson School of Business and Economics, now professor of computer information systems and law and director of undergraduate programs; Laura A. Ellison, previously admissions counselor at Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, now associate director of admissions; James N. (Dock) Hollingsworth, previously director of admissions at McAfee School of Theology, now assistant dean and instructor of supervised ministry; Gina Miller, previously professor of marketing and assistant dean at Stetson School of Business and Economics, now professor of marketing and associate dean; Gina Ryan, previously clinical assistant professor of clinical and administrative sciences at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, now clinical associate professor; Faye Sisk, previously associate professor of management at Stetson School of Business and Economics, now associate professor of management and director of graduate programs; J. Michael Weber, previously visiting associate professor of marketing at Stetson School of Business and Economics, now associate professor of marketing.
Regional Academic Centers and Other Mercer Locations
Virgil K. Hollingsworth, previously senior technician at MERC, now logistician.
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