News and Events

2013 Events

August 28: 3 p.m.

“Let Freedom Ring”
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s March on Washington and the “I Have a Dream Speech.” All Campuses

September 17: 6 p.m.

Mercer University Minority Affairs presents Culture Shock, a Celebration of Mercer Diversity.
This event will celebrate diversity through cultural performance, food and fashion.
Hosted by Mike Scott.
Cruz Plaza (rain location – Bear Rock Café)

September 20: 3 p.m.

Mercer University Convocation
Willingham Auditorium, Macon Campus
Keynote speaker: Ambassador Andrew Young
Opening event for the year-long celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Integration at Mercer

September 26

Panel Discussion: “The Case of Trayvon Martin: Legal, Ethical, and Civil Rights Perspectives.”
Sponsored by the Mercer Lyceum – Racial Justice in America: Where Are We Now?

  • Atlanta Campus: Noon – 1:30 p.m., Trustees Dining Room
    Free lunch for first 100 participants.
  • Macon Campus: 7 – 8:30 p.m., Medical School Auditorium

November 24: 6 p.m.

African Students Association Gala – “Educating the African Children”
Tickets are $5 for Mercer students, faculty, staff and $7 for all others. Formal attire is required. This event is a fundraiser to help build a school in Uganda. For more information, email asa.mercer.university@gmail.com.
Connell Student Center, Conference Room 1

2014 Events

January 13: 7:30 p.m.

“MLK, Religion and Race in America: Then and Now”
A conversation co-sponsored by the Mercer Lyceum and the Office of Student Affairs, featuring Dr. Reggie Williams, assistant professor of Christian ethics at McCormick Theological Seminary, and Dr. David Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer. This rather informal event will consider Dr. King in his context with special attention to intersections of race and religion, and then consider the same issues 50 years later.
Medical School Auditorium, Macon Campus

January 14: 10:45 a.m.

“Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus”
A lecture by Dr. Reggie Williams, assistant professor of Christian ethics at McCormick Theological Seminary, focusing on how Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s one year at Union Seminary (NY) on the edge of Harlem opened his eyes to black experience and the black church tradition, which had profound consequences for his theology and ethics when he returned to Germany.
McAfee School of Theology Chapel, Atlanta Campus

January 14: 12 p.m.

“Martin Luther King and the Viral Myth of Race”
A lunch discussion co-sponsored by the Mercer Lyceum and the Atlanta Office of Student Affairs. Dr. Reggie Williams, assistant professor of Christian ethics at McCormick Theological Seminary, will address Dr. King’s effort to confront racist myths with Christian and constitutional values. Free lunch for the first 100 students.
Trustees Dining Room, Atlanta Campus

January 16: 9:30 a.m.

“Table of Brotherhood”
Enjoy breakfast and reflect on the question, “Dr. King, are you proud of me now?”
This event is presented by the Office of Minority Affairs. Please RSVP to (478) 301-2686 by Monday, Jan. 13.
Religious Life Center

January 20

Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Day

January 22: 10 a.m.

“Building a Community of Respect: A Discussion of Student Research Concerning Mercer’s Racial Climate”
Sponsored by the Mercer Lyceum – Racial Justice in America: Where Are We Now?

February 4: 7 p.m.

“Nelson Mandela and His Legacy”
A Symposium in honor of former South African President Nelson Mandela
Medical School Auditorium, Macon Campus

February 5: 10 a.m.

Founders’ Day
Willingham Auditorium, Macon Campus
Speaker TBA

February 8: 9 a.m.

Minority Student Success Conference
The conference, sponsored by Minority Affairs and Student Support Services, will give you an opportunity to meet faculty, staff and student leaders who will help you determine how to assess and enhance your educational experiences at Mercer. Dr. Anthony Harris, professor of education and coordinator of the M.Ed. program in higher educational leadership in the Tift College of Education, will be the keynote speaker. Dr. Harris has authored several books, including “Gifts of Moments: Being Somebody to Somebody,” and most recently, “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ’Round: A Coming of Age Story and Personal Account of the Civil Rights Movement.” Dr. Harris’ presentation on growing up in the Civil Rights Era is in keeping with the yearlong theme of “Looking Back and Moving Forward” in celebration of Mercer’s 50th anniversary of integration.
Connell Student Center, Conference Room 2

February 12: 7 p.m.

“Good White People”
Celebrated Southern novelist, science fiction writer and playwright Jim Grimsley, who is Mercer’s Ferrol A. Sams Jr. Distinguished Writer in Residence for 2014, will offer a presentation from his memoir-in-progress, “Good White People,” about growing up in the racial tension that permeated his small North Carolina hometown. For more information, contact Gordon Johnston at (478) 301-2588.
Medical School Auditorium, Macon Campus

February 18-19

Building the Beloved Community Symposium
Keynote Speaker: Sam Oni, CLA ’67, First Black Student Admitted to Mercer

February 28

Reader’s Theatre: “Combustible/Burn”
The Grand Opera House

March 20: 7 p.m.

“The Bricks Before Brown: Exploring the Multi-Racial Contributions to School Desegregation”
This presentation is a multi-racial comparative historical study of four school desegregation cases and draws from the disciplines of sociology, history and law.
Co-sponsored by the Mercer Lyceum – Racial Justice in America: Where Are We Now?
Science & Engineering Building, Room 110
Speaker: Marisela Cola

May 10: 3:30 p.m.

Macon Campus Commencement Ceremony
Members of the Class of 1964 – the first to graduate after Mercer’s integration – will participate. (Tickets Required)

2013 News

Young ‘Looks Back, Moves Forward’ Toward Global Reconciliation to Open Mercer University’s 50th Anniversary of Integration Commemoration

Ambassador Andrew Young to Keynote Opening Convocation for Mercer University’s 50th Anniversary of Integration Commemoration