Through shadowing, reflection and campus dialogue, Mercer’s five inaugural Presidential Fellows are helping shape a new conversation around purposeful leadership at the University.
Meredith Hendrix, Justin Jones, Aleem Patni, Chloe Paulk and Harris Wallace were selected from a pool of 100 applicants for the fellowship, which launched Feb. 4. The program is sponsored by the Center for Leadership, Ethics and Service and the Office of the President and supported by a Capacity Building Grant that the Center received from Wake Forest University’s Educating Character Initiative in August 2025.
“I am profoundly proud of the Presidential Fellows program and, especially, of these five remarkable students,” President Dr. Penny L. Elkins said. “The purpose of this program is both clear and compelling: to equip and inspire them to become transformational servant leaders — individuals who will carry forward Mercer’s mission and, in doing so, change the world for the better.”
Grounded in the three pillars of “listen, lead and serve,” the program advances the University’s goal of “developing purposeful leaders” by rooting leadership development in character formation, said Dr. Juanita Forrester, director of the Center for Leadership, Ethics and Service and leader of the Presidential Fellowship initiative.
“This is an exciting opportunity for students to learn during a historic moment for the University while helping shape the kind of leadership culture they want to build across campus,” she said. “We’re leaning into Mercer’s motto, ‘At Mercer, everyone majors in changing the world,’ and inviting students to explore what it means to do so for good and live that out in their daily lives. That’s where purpose turns into action.”
The fellows spend about five hours a week shadowing Dr. Elkins and other executive leaders at University engagements, which have included cabinet and Board of Trustees meetings, meetings with University deans and program directors, accreditation meetings, alumni mixers, athletic stakeholder events, and outreach events.
“Dr. Elkins has been a leader that I’ve respected and looked up to since I arrived on campus, someone who is working hard to ensure the experience at Mercer is the best it can be for students,” said Wallace, a junior philosophy, politics and economics major. “I felt that, in this moment of transition, with this amazing new president, that there was so much to learn and so much that I could have the chance to take in and gain from. I felt it was a big Mercer moment that I wanted to be a part of.”
Paulk, a senior entrepreneurship and marketing double-major, saw the fellowship as an opportunity to learn critical skills for her future.
“I see myself in a leadership position one day, and the way to learn how to do that is to be in the room and learn from great leaders,” she said. “Every event that we’re able to attend we’re learning something very valuable as it applies to leadership or how the institution operates. We speak in some capacity at almost every event, and (Dr. Elkins) makes sure that we know that we have a seat at the table. This is such a genuine experience. It really has been so incredible.”
The students observe during their shadowing events, giving them a front-row seat to the University’s strategic priorities, and also have the opportunity to share their perspectives and personal experiences, Dr. Forrester said.
“At almost every event, (Dr. Elkins) gets us to share something with the audience, which has been nerve wracking but also empowering that she’s trusting us to represent the University in that way,” said Hendrix, a junior management and supply chain management double-major.
The fellows meet weekly with Dr. Forrester to reflect, learn from one another, and become more intentional about the kind of leaders they are becoming, Dr. Forrester said. They are also leading University-level listening and research projects, interviewing students to better understand their experiences and needs.
With their new insights, the fellows developed a two-part program to inspire and equip student leadership across campus. Titled “Leading Together for Good,” it was held at the Mercer Innovation Center on April 8. The evening opened with an invitation-only summit for current and emerging student leaders, where participants reflected on purpose-driven leadership, shared challenges and hopes for campus life, and explored opportunities for collaborative service and impact. That evening, a dinner and conversation with former Mercer President and current Chancellor Dr. R. Kirby Godsey was open to the community.
Jones, a second-year pharmacy student, was tasked with brainstorming ways to strengthen the relationship between the Atlanta and Macon campuses and recruiting Atlanta student leaders.
“I’ve learned that I have more capacity to lead on the Atlanta campus than I thought. I think sometimes we put ourselves into a box that we’re just students. But my desire to connect with different students and try to pull us together shows … that I really can make a difference,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the future of President Elkins. She really is an electric leader. There is so much to learn by seeing more experienced leaders.”
Patni, a junior history major on the pre-medicine track, said he was always hesitant to apply for leadership positions, believing these roles to be too far removed from service. But through his experiences as MerServe executive director and a Presidential Fellow, he’s gained a new perspective.
“I started seeing that when you are in leadership, you have the ability to connect with more people and have an impact. That’s what I want to do in my career as a physician, help as many people as I can. I really wanted to get a front row seat to see President Elkins work as a servant leader and see how I can apply that to my career,” he said. “The most important and valuable skill a leader can have is listening. Dr. Elkins demonstrates that every time she walks into a room.”
For Pantni, one of the most impactful experiences was meeting former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy during a private Mercer event. Harris found the accreditation meetings to be especially interesting.
“(Dr. Elkins) gives us a lot of access to her. She’s been really kind with her time,” Patni said. “After every event, she’ll take the time to debrief with us, talk with us and give us little tidbits and lessons about how to be a leader.”
By shadowing Dr. Elkins, Wallace has learned how to engage with people and make them feel seen and heard. He has seen how little things like bringing in other perspectives and seeking input from everyone can make a huge difference.
“The number one thing (I’ve learned) is just understanding how central the mission of the University is to everything we’re doing,” he said. “The goal of impact and helping our students to have an impact on the world is so central. Everything we do as fellows and that the president does is in some way driving toward that.”
Paulk said it’s also been a lesson in how to take care of “your people.”
“I’ve been able to shadow (Dr. Elkins) at events in different capacities with different groups of people, but the same thing holds true — she knows how to take care of the people in the room and makes sure they know their value,” Paulk said. “She exemplifies servant-leadership in one of the best ways that I’ve seen. She truly is doing everything for the students. You can tell the (Mercer) mission is to her core, and it naturally beams out of her. She just believes it so deeply.”
Hendrix said the wide range of experiences through the program has allowed her to understand Mercer on a deeper level and given her a more institutional perspective of leadership.
“The most wonderful (thing) has been that Dr. Elkins is the exact same person whether she’s talking to 200 people or five people,” she said. “Her character and her servant-leadership, the way she conducts herself, she’s a deeply caring person and obviously invested in leading the University well, which has been amazing to see up close.”
