Amanda Rose Sloan, a senior English major in Mercer University's College of Liberal Arts, performed oboe and English horn with the National Wind Ensemble at Carnegie Hall in New York on May 28. The ensemble was developed for young musicians to display their musical talent with other performers from across the nation. The musicians were directed by one of the top directors in the country, H. Robert Reynolds.
Sloan described her experience as "incredible" and "amazing." "The moment I stepped onstage in Carnegie Hall, my breath was taken away from me and tears came to my eyes." Sloan continued, "I never thought that I'd ever have the opportunity to perform there. It felt like all of my hard work finally had paid off."
One of the musical works performed by the ensemble was "American Salute" by Morton Gould. Sloan adds, "I had a very important English horn solo in this piece. In addition, the composer's daughter was there to hear us play.
"This...
Jordan J. Cohen, president and chief executive officer of the Association of American Medical Colleges, gave the commencement address for the the School of Medicine on May 7, at the Macon City Auditorium. Below is Cohen's address:
The class of 2005! Wow! Let me be among the first to congratulate you, not only for your marvelous academic achievement, which we're celebrating today, but also for the choice you made some time ago when your decided to spend your working life as a health care professional.
That choice, and the tangible symbol of academic success you will receive momentarily, have positioned you to contribute your talents to one of the most noble of human causes. Whether as a doctor, or as a public health professional, or as a family therapist, you will be positioned as few others are to advance the cause of human health.
Indeed, you will be armed with more powerful tools for doing your noble work than any generation...
U. S. District Court Judge Beverly B. Martin was the commencement speaker at the Walter F. George School of Law commencement on May 6, which was held at the Macon City Auditorium. Below is her commencement address:
President Godsey, Dr. Fleming, Dean Floyd, distinguished members of the faculty, and members of the graduating class of 2005:
It is a real privilege for me to be here in my hometown with you on this marvelous day. I love Macon, and I have a tremendous affection for Mercer Law School. My great grandfather, my grandfather, and my father each graduated from the Mercer School of Law, and if I have accomplished anything in this profession, I know that it is due, in large part, to the heritage given to me by these three Mercer lawyers.
I am here to honor the graduates, but this is a big day for the families of the graduates as well. There are many mothers, fathers, husbands and wives who have sacrificed so much to make this day...
Gwen Dorminey Sherwood, executive associate dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, was the commencement speaker for the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing. The commencement took place on May 7, at the Sheffield Student Center on the Cecil B. Day Campus. Below is Sherwood's address:
It is our Choice......Living According to Mission and Purpose
President Godsey, Dean Gunby, administrators and faculty, thank you for inviting me here to participate in the Georgia Baptist graduation. Most of all, graduates, I greet you and thank you that I get to be a part of this day.
Today is a day you will always remember. Wherever you are, wherever you go, you will be able to stop and remember this day. Pause for a moment with mindful presence, notice who is sitting next to you. Smell the air, sense the excitement that prevails. Embrace this moment. Recognize the optimism that imamates from your faculty as they bask in a...
ATLANTA - Mercer University awarded the honorary doctor of science degree to Dennis K. Helling, executive director of Kaiser Permanente's pharmacy operations and therapeutics, at the Southern School of Pharmacy commencement on May 7. Mercer University President R. Kirby Godsey made the presentation after Helling gave the commencement address.
Dennis Keith Helling, the executive director of pharmacy operations and therapeutics for Kaiser Permanente, was the commencement speaker for the Southern School of Pharmacy. The commencement took place on May 7, at the Sheffield Student Center on Atlanta's Cecil B. Day Campus. Below is Helling's commencement address:
President Godsey, Executive Vice President Fleming, Dean Matthews, Distinguished Platform party, and Graduates of the Class of 2005. Thank you for this pristine honor to be with you today.
To the Graduates - Today is about excellence; your excellence, your achievements. Today is your day. We are here to celebrate your hard work. But along your journey you were supported and loved by family and friends, so be sure to give them a big hug and let them know of your gratitude. My message today is threefold: congratulations, challenges and commitment.
First, Congratulations!
You are graduating from one of the...
MACON, GA - Mercer University School of Medicine officials announced Gabrielle Tuggle as the recipient of a full scholarship to the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine (NYLF/MED). Tuggle, a senior at Northeast Health Science Magnet High School in Macon, will join more than 350 high school students from around the country at NYLF/MED held on the Emory University campus in July. The award covers her tuition to the forum, transportation, room and board.
MACON - Henry E. Young, Ph.D., was presented the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Faculty Humanism in Medicine Award from Mercer University School of Medicine during commencement May 7 in Macon. Young - the first non-physician to ever receive the award in the School's history - was chosen by the Class of 2005 for his empathetic, sensitive and respective behavior in providing patient care.
MACON- Mercer University awarded the honorary Doctor of Letters to Poet Laureate of the State of Georgia David H. Bottoms, Jr., Ph.D., at the University's Macon commencement at the Macon Coliseum on May 14. Mercer University President R. Kirby Godsey made the presentation after Bottoms gave the commencement address.
Bottoms graduated from Mercer University with a bachelor of arts degree in English in 1971. He completed his master of arts degree in English at West Georgia College in 1973 and received his Ph.D. in American poetry and creative writing from Florida State University in 1982.
Bottoms's writings have been numerous and varied. His poetry chapbook, Jamming with the Band at the VFW (1978), was followed by the widely acclaimed Shooting Rats at the Bibb County Dump, which established Dr. Bottoms as a prominent new voice in American poetry. He continued his prolific poetic output with In a U-Haul North of Damascus (1983) and Under the Vulture-Tree (1987). Shifting genres, Dr....
MACON - Amanda Rose Sloan, a senior English major in Mercer University's College of Liberal Arts, has been selected to perform oboe and English horn with the National Wind Ensemble at Carnegie Hall in New York on May 28. The ensemble was developed for young musicians to display their musical talent with other performers from across the nation. They will be given the opportunity to play in a world-renowned venue and be directed by one of the top directors in the country, H. Robert Reynolds. Sloan studies oboe under Maestro Adrian Gnam, Distinguished Artist-in-Residence at Mercer University and music director and conductor of the Macon Symphony Orchestra.
