Atlanta Campus Catalog 2009-2010 - Mercer University

In 1979, the University established the Executive Forum business enrichment program
and Mercer University Press. In 1982, it opened the School of Medicine with the
mission of improving the supply and distribution of primary care and other needed specialty
physicians in rural and underserved areas of Georgia. In 1984, the business and
economics programs were separated from the College of Liberal Arts, and the Eugene W.
Stetson School of Business and Economics was created.
A year later, Mercer established the School of Engineering, the second engineering
school in the state. Building on the expertise within the new engineering school, the
University established the Mercer Engineering Research Center in Warner Robins in
1987 to serve the engineering needs of Robins Air Force Base and other government and
commercial clients.
In 1995, all teacher education and some social science programs were joined to create
a new school which, by a Board of Trustees vote in 2001, was named the Tift College
of Education. The action reflected the University’s continuing commitment to carrying on
the educational legacy of Tift College, an all- women’s Baptist college that merged with
Mercer in 1986.
In 1996, Jesse Mercer’s founding vision of providing students with a classical and theological
education came full circle with the founding of the James and Carolyn McAfee
School of Theology.
Georgia Baptist College of Nursing merged with Mercer on January 1, 2001. Founded
in 1902, the College of Nursing became part of the University through an agreement with
the Georgia Baptist Convention.
The College of Continuing and Professional Studies, established in 2003, offers
undergraduate degrees in major career fields on the Mercer campuses and at Mercer’s
regional academic centers. Master’s degrees in community counseling and public safety
leadership are offered on the Atlanta Campus. The College also provides non-credit programs
for professional development and community enrichment.
Under Dr. Godsey’s leadership, Mercer grew from 3,800 students to more than 7,300.
Recognized by Georgia Trend magazine as one of Georgia’s most influential leaders, Dr.
Godsey also led the University to increase its endowment from $16.5 million in 1979 to
more than $200 million in 2006, with another $300 million in planned gifts.
On July 1, 2006, legal scholar William D. Underwood succeeded Dr. Godsey as Mercer’s
18th president. Mr. Underwood had served as interim president at Baylor University from
April 2005 until January 2006. Dr. Godsey became chancellor of Mercer.
In 2006, Tift College of Education’s Eduational Leadership Program began offering the
University’s second Doctor of Philosophy degree Program.
The 103-year-old Southern School of Pharmacy changed its name to the College of
Pharmacy and Health Sciences on July 1, 2006. The name change reflects the college’s
additional health science programs, including a physician assistant program.
The Department of Music in the College of Liberal Arts became the Townsend School
of Music on July 11, 2006. The school, which offers undergraduate and graduate programs,
was made possible through a gift from Carolyn Townsend McAfee and her son and
daughter-in-law, J. Thomas and Julie Crangle McAfee, which was announced at the April
2006 meeting of the Board of Trustees.
The American Baptist Historical Society, with the largest and most diverse collection of
Baptist historical materials and archives in the world, announced it will relocate to Mercer’s
Atlanta campus, positioning Mercer and the McAfee School of Theology to become a
national center of Baptist scholarship.
Radio station WMUM-FM (Mercer University Macon), formerly WDCO-FM, began
broadcasting from Mercer’s Macon campus. A partnership between Mercer and Georgia
THE UNIVERSITY / 13