Mercer welcomes over 1,100 new students for Opening Days and Bear Beginnings 2026

By
Jennifer Falk
-
22

Mercer University rolled out the orange carpet for its newest Bears as it welcomed more than 1,000 freshmen and over 100 transfer students to the Macon campus for Opening Days and Bear Beginnings.

On Aug. 14 and 15, Mercer Movers — a group of more than 100 volunteer upperclassmen, faculty and staff — helped new students unload their cars and carry their belongings into their residence hall rooms.

A person in a Mercer University shirt labels an item outdoors while people unload cars in the background.
Group of people unloading boxes and bags from a car outside a building on a sunny day.
Smiling person carrying a box near a Bear Legacy Hall Move-In sign on a sunny day.
Person carrying a mini fridge from a car, with a group of people standing and watching outside.
A person folds clothes in a room with beige walls, a bed, and clothes piled on the bed and nearby furniture.
Two people carry bins and bags down a hallway lined with boxes and items, possibly moving into a dorm or apartment.
Two people sit on separate beds in a neatly decorated dorm room, with a microwave and fridge between them.
Two teenage girls unload items from an SUV trunk while talking to a woman in a parking lot on a sunny day.
A young woman unpacks a box in a hallway, surrounded by moving boxes and furniture.
Photos by Jessica Gratigny

As part of Opening Days, news students and their families were invited to take part in a number of special activities, including POP-a-Palooza, where students and their families enjoyed their favorite “pops” (popcorn, popsicles, soda pop), followed by a Macon Pops concert in Hawkins Arena.

Two people in orange shirts shake hands outdoors, while another person in similar attire smiles in the background.
A group of people in orange shirts stand by a table while one person hands a can to another at an outdoor event.
Three smiling people in orange shirts pose and point at the camera at an outdoor event with others in the background.
A group of people, many in orange shirts, gather outdoors near tables with drinks and snacks on a sunny day.
People interact at an outdoor event table with snacks and drinks, wearing orange shirts, on a campus walkway.
Two musicians perform on stage, one singing into a microphone and playing guitar, both under green stage lighting.
Large crowd seated and standing at tables in a gymnasium, watching a live band perform on a stage with bright lights.
Musicians play string instruments on stage under pink lights, with a Macon Pops sign visible in the background.
Musicians play violins at a Macon Pops event, with a digital scoreboard visible in the background.
Photos by Jessica Gratigny

On Aug. 16 and 17, students participated in Bear Beginnings, a program designed to help new students transition both academically and socially to life at Mercer.

A group of students in matching shirts and shorts perform a synchronized dance routine in a gymnasium.
A diverse group of people sit in orange stadium seats, smiling and waving toward the camera.
Four students wearing Mercer Bears shirts stand together on a lawn during an outdoor campus event.
A group of students in orange Mercer Bears shirts pose and smile on a campus lawn in front of a brick building.
Students form a large MU on a campus lawn, with historic university buildings and trees in the background on a sunny day.
A woman in an orange shirt selects a cookie from a table at an outdoor event with other people in the background.
Two students wearing Mercer University shirts pose and smile on a grassy campus lawn with a clock tower in the background.
Four young men greet each other outdoors on a sunny day; one carries an orange drawstring backpack.
A young man tosses a bean bag while playing cornhole at an outdoor event with other people and tents in the background.
Photos by Jessica Gratigny

The program concluded with fall Convocation and Bear Fair, where students explored various activities offered to them at Mercer.

A large group of students lines up outside on Mercer's Macon campus, surrounded by trees and grassy areas.
Mercer professors in academic regalia applaud students as they process through the University Center to Hawkins Arena for convocation.
Two Mercer students smiling and holding maces in Hawkins Arena.
Large audience seated in Hawkins Arena bleachers, watching convocation and applauding, with many people visible.
Wearing academic regalia, Mercer President Penny L. Elkins, Ph.D., speaks at a podium during convocation in Hawkins Arena.
Convcation ceremony with faculty on stage, audience seated facing forward, and flags displayed on each side of the stage.
Four people stand at a table with pamphlets at Bear Fair.
Students gather around club tables with posters at Bear Fair.
A student speaks with freshmen at a Society of Women Engineers booth during Bear Fair.
Convocation photos by Jessica Gratigny
Bear Fair photos by Leah Yetter

 

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Jennifer Falk
Jennifer Falk
Jennifer Falk is director of digital communications at Mercer. She edits and writes feature stories for The Den and examines web data and analytics to drive content decisions. She also creates and supervises the creation of content for primary University web pages and e-newsletters.

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