The fall semester will offer two outstanding events for students and alumni. Former United States President Jimmy Carter will be the featured speaker of the 2008 President’s Lecture Series at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 23,on the Macon campus. Homecoming Week will move from winter to fall and feature numerous events, including a men’s basketball game on Saturday, Nov. 22, with the Bears facing off with a national basketball powerhouse in the University Center Arena.

In his address, President Carter will cover themes from his best-selling book Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis.  The program is tentatively scheduled to be held in Willingham Auditorium More details will be released early fall semester.

The President’s Lecture Series brings leading thinkers to Mercer whose ideas and viewpoints intersect with the University’s mission as a faith-based institution of higher learning. The programs are designed to promote Mercer’s core principles of religious and intellectual freedom and respect for religious diversity while generating reflection and conversation on issues of importance.
 
The lecture series was inaugurated in April 2007 with an address by Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health and author of the best-selling book The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief.

Homecoming Week will be held Nov. 16-23. The celebration, with the overall theme being “Mercer Then and Now,” will offer numerous events for students, alumni, faculty and staff. Among the planned activities will be the Athletic Hall of Fame luncheon, where alumni will be honored for their outstanding contributions to the University’s athletic program. The honorees will be recognized during the half-time program of the basketball game, which will be web-streamed on A-Sun TV.

Mark your calendar for both this exciting programs and watch for more information over the summer and fall.