MACON – Dr. James S. Netherton, who has served as Mercer University’s executive vice president for administration and finance since 2007, has announced his retirement, effective June 30.
Dr. Netherton, who came to Mercer from the presidency of Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, Tennessee, oversees the treasurer’s office, budget and analysis, human resources, compensation and benefits, physical plant, information technology, auxiliary services, Mercer Police, the Mercer Engineering Research Center, intercollegiate athletics, and the University Center.
Under his nearly two decades of leadership, Mercer’s total assets surpassed $1 billion, more than $400 million in new construction and major renovation projects were completed on every Mercer campus, the operating budget doubled from $172 million to more than $350 million, and endowment grew from $200 million to more than $500 million. The University’s bonds also earned A ratings from Moody’s Investor Services and Standard and Poor’s.
“Jim has provided extraordinary service to the University since joining us in 2007. His leadership has ensured financial health for the institution,” said Mercer President William D. Underwood. “We also have transformed our campuses in Macon, Atlanta, Columbus and Savannah under Jim’s leadership. When the next history of Mercer is written, Jim Netherton will certainly be a hero in that story.”
More than 40 major facility projects were undertaken during his tenure, including a transformation of the Macon campus, significant additions to the Atlanta campus, an expansion of the Savannah School of Medicine campus, and construction of the School of Medicine campus in Columbus.
Among the new buildings completed or existing buildings that underwent major renovations since 2007 are:
MACON
- Emily Parker Myers Admissions and Welcome Center
- Mercer Village (Bookstore and Reg Murphy Center for Collaborative Journalism)
- Tony and Nancy Moye Athletic Complex (Five Star Stadium, Anderson Field, Drake Field House and Butler Family Plaza)
- Mercer Landing (University offices)
- Newton Hall
- Willingham Hall
- Willet Science Building
- Mercer Medicine (downtown)
- McEachern Art Center (downtown)
- Mercer Music at Capricorn (downtown)
- Jefferson Building (downtown)
- Bell House (McDuffie Center for Strings)
- Godsey Science Center
- Legacy Hall
- Physical Plant and Central Receiving
- Tattnall Square Center for the Arts
- OrthoGeorgia Park (baseball stadium)
- Griffith Family Outdoor Recreation Complex
- Roberts Academy
- Cantrell Family Baseball Performance Center (under construction)
- Scheck Golf Performance Center and Overstreet Tennis Center (under construction)
ATLANTA
- Moye Pharmacy and Health Sciences Center
- Administration and Conference Center
- Swilley Library
- Mercer Village
In addition to upgraded facilities, Dr. Netherton also oversaw significant investments in landscaping and hardscaping on the Macon campus, including Cruz Plaza, Newton Plaza, Phi Beta Kappa Plaza, Freedom Plaza, College Street Plaza and M. Diane Owens Garden. Those investments in campus aesthetics led U.S. News & World Report in January to name Mercer to its top 25 college campuses list, joining institutions such as Duke, Notre Dame, Princeton and Stanford.
Prior to his seven-year term as president at Carson-Newman, Dr. Netherton served for four years as provost at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1981, Dr. Netherton was appointed executive assistant to the president at Baylor University and joined its faculty, teaching in mathematics and computer science. He subsequently served as vice president for information systems and vice president for executive affairs. He was appointed senior vice president and chief operating officer in January 1988 and served in that capacity until joining Samford in 1996.
“I am extremely grateful to President Underwood for bringing me to Mercer 18 years ago,” Dr. Netherton said. “Of the four universities where I have served as a senior administrator, for me, Mercer has by far been the best. It has been a privilege to serve at Mercer, and I wish the University the very best in the years ahead.”
Dr. Netherton earned his Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the University of Mississippi in 1969, graduating summa cum laude and completing the University Scholars program. He enrolled at the University of Virginia on a National Defense Education Fellowship and earned his Ph.D. in 1973. He began his professional career teaching in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at what is now the Armstrong Campus of Georgia Southern University in Savannah.
