Sharon Lim Harle came to Mercer University’s Atlanta campus as an international student in 1982 and never left. As assistant vice president for the Office of Alumni Engagement and University Special Events, she is proud to be part of Mercerians’ journeys from students to alumni.
Harle grew up in Malaysia, and her parents’ connections as American Peace Corps volunteers led her to Mercer for her college education. She came in as a pianist majoring in music but quickly realized the long practice hours were not for her.
“I spoke to some business folks and fell in love with business,” she said. “I found the world of business exciting, especially marketing. We had a lot of international students at that time in the early ’80s here on the Atlanta campus, and I think that interaction grew into something more than just community.”
After completing her Bachelor of Business Administration in 1986, she pursued a Master of Business Administration while also working in the bursar’s office. Before long, she became the assistant registrar and was in charge of commencement. She joined the alumni services office in 1995, and her job has continually evolved since then.
Harle assists all seven schools on the Atlanta campus with special academic events, including commencements, hoodings, white coat ceremonies, honors luncheons, and admissions, alumni and donor programs.
Harle said “being a part of the lives of dreamers and world-changers” has made her stay at Mercer for more than 40 years. She meets students at the beginning of their Mercer journey as they attend admissions events with their parents and is there to celebrate them during events like white coat ceremonies and commencements.
“All of a sudden, the same faces you saw just a few years ago have matured into these beings that are going to make a difference in the world, in the world of the sick, in the world of the needy, and I’m a part of it,” she said. “Then, I call out their names at commencement. I have the absolute privilege to see them come in and see them go out, and after they go out and we have alumni events, I get to see them out in their fields. I go home feeling that I have made a little change in this world.”
Harle said her job requires a lot of relationship-building with alumni and donors. Because she has been at Mercer for many years, she has the opportunity to watch second generations of families go through the Mercer journey too.
Seeing alumni return to Mercer is one of the most rewarding parts of Harle’s work. She said the Half Century Club and Golden Anniversary Homecoming events, honoring alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago, are her “pride and joy.” She loves hearing stories from their time at Mercer and seeing their amazement at how the campus has changed. As the point person for these programs, she has seen these events have significant growth and impact.
“I love our traditions, both undergraduate and graduate,” she said. “I love setting the momentum, setting a platform to create traditions because, after all, things change and evolve, and those things that change and evolve always maintain a little part of our legacy.”
Outside of Mercer, Harle stays active in her community. One of her biggest commitments is to her church, Second Ponce de Leon Baptist, which has a long-standing legacy of Mercer connections. She became the church’s first Asian deacon when she was ordained in 2000, and she currently chairs the church’s pastoral search committee, making her the first woman and Asian to serve on the committee.
She also attends and serves as a consultant for many special events for the international community in Atlanta. Harle was a board member for the inaugural organizing committee for the Atlanta Asian Film Festival, and she has represented Mercer in several international programs. In 1996, she was chosen by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games to serve as a “Dedicated Hostess” to Malaysian athletes and dignitaries who were in town for three weeks.
Harle was named to Global Atlanta’s 2007 list of “Who’s Who in Asian American Communities” and to Georgia Asian Times’ 2023 list of the “25 most influential Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders” in the state. She has also served on the development board for Day1 Media, an Atlanta-based ecumenical nonprofit media ministry.
“I enjoy doing the international aspect work, and I enjoy being a part of the global community, especially in Atlanta,” she said.
Harle said she has been impacted and inspired by great leaders at Mercer, and she encourages others to lead with a sense of pride.
“Lead like you have been led,” she said. “Lead with conscience, lead with kindness and lead with integrity. If you have pride in what you do and believe in the mission of your career, you come out OK. Mercer gives you the opportunity to lead. There’s no better place to work.”
