LITHIA SPRINGS – Mercer University will host Douglas County Community and Military Appreciation Day Nov. 10, 10 a.m.-noon, at the University's Regional Academic Center located at 975 Blairs Bridge Road in Lithia Springs.
The event will celebrate local veterans and active military with a formal presentation of a contribution by Mercer to the Douglasville Military Honor Garden. A light breakfast will also be provided, in addition to the opportunity for local community leaders to mingle with Mercer administrators, faculty, staff and students.
“Mercer has had a presence in Douglas County for 30 years, offering programs in the evenings and weekends specifically designed to meet the needs of busy adults in the community,” said Dr. Penny Elkins, senior vice president for enrollment management. “This Community and Military Appreciation Day is the University's way of showing deep appreciation to all of the citizens of this region, and specifically veterans and active military. Understanding that education is a vehicle by which individual lives and communities are transformed, we want the leaders and citizens of this area to know that we are working alongside them to make a positive impact for those living, working and serving in Douglas County.”
Mercer was designated Georgia's first Purple Heart University in April 2015 for the University's commitment to assist military-connected prospective students through the enrollment process for traditional, non-traditional and graduate programs. The University also has been named a Military Friendly School, a designation reserved for the top 15 percent of universities and technical schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace military service members, veterans and family members as students and ensure their success on campus.
Mercer has endorsed and complied with Presidential Executive Order 13607, “Establishing Principles of Excellence for Educational Institutions Servicing Military Members, Veterans, Spouses and Other Family Members.” Additionally, the University formally entered into partnership with “Operation Educate the Educators,” an initiative of the Military Children Education Coalition and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. As a result, Mercer was recognized by Dr. Jill Biden, spouse of Vice President Joe Biden, among the first 100 universities to endorse guiding principles for preparing educators to meet the needs of military-connected students.
The University also participates in the Department of Veterans Affairs Yellow Ribbon Program, which offers significant financial offsets and provides affordable private education to veterans. The University's Office of Enrollment Management is an active participant in Georgia Army National Guard Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) events. YRRP is a Department of Defense effort to assist National Guard and Reserve service members and their families in obtaining personalized information on health care, education, training opportunities, financial services and other entitlements.
Mercer opened the 26,557-square-foot Douglas County Regional Academic Center in 1997. The center offers undergraduate programs in accounting, criminal justice leadership, communication, early childhood/special education, early learning and development, general business, human resource administration and development, human resource management, human services, informatics, liberal studies, middle grades education, organizational leadership, and psychology. It also offers graduate programs in health informatics and criminal justice and public safety leadership, as well as teacher certification and pre-nursing non-degree programs.
For more information on the Douglas County Regional Academic Center and its programs, call (678) 547-6200.
