Board also approves naming of new Macon School of Medicine campus for Underwood
ATLANTA — Mercer University’s Board of Trustees, meeting on the Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Campus in Atlanta, endorsed the appointment of former President William D. Underwood as chancellor and approved plans to demolish the Connell Student Center to make way for construction of a new student center to serve the Macon campus.
President Dr. Penny L. Elkins, who took office as the University’s 19th president on Jan. 1, recommended to the board that Underwood, who holds the Tommy Malone Distinguished Chair in Trial Advocacy at Mercer Law School, be appointed as chancellor, and the board unanimously endorsed the recommendation.
President Elkins also recommended, and the board unanimously approved, naming former President and Chancellor Dr. R. Kirby Godsey as chancellor emeritus.
She noted that while both positions are honorific, non-executive, and serve at the pleasure of the president, they can be helpful to her, particularly in fundraising.
“I am deeply grateful to both former presidents for their willingness to serve in these capacities,” President Elkins said. “Combined, they led the University for almost 50 years, and their wisdom, experience and relationships with Mercer constituents are an enormous resource to the Office of the President. I look forward to continuing to work with both of them to expand Mercer’s impact.”
In further recognition of Underwood’s contributions as Mercer’s 18th president, the Board of Trustees approved President Elkins’ recommendation that the new School of Medicine campus in Macon be named the William D. Underwood School of Medicine Campus. It will be located on Riverside Drive in downtown Macon. Construction will get underway this summer on the $100 million project, which is part of a larger, $400 million, public-private development that includes loft apartments, offices, retail and a new convention center.
Also, the board approved, at President Elkins’ recommendation, establishment of the Bill and Lesli Underwood Center for Global Impact, which will house the Mercer On Mission program and other international initiatives of the University. It will physically be located on the Macon campus, but its programs will span all of the University’s campuses.
“Among the legacies that Bill and Lesli Underwood have left are an expansion of Mercer’s global impact through programs like Mercer On Mission and a more robust study abroad program, as well as a significant expansion of medical education and access to high-quality health care across the state,” President Elkins said. “The naming of these two important units of the University will appropriately honor their contributions, which will be felt for generations to come.”
“The opportunity and responsibility of serving Mercer has been the highlight of my career,” Underwood said. “I’m grateful for the many talented people I’ve worked with at the University, and I’m thankful to the trustees and President Elkins for their support of Lesli and me. It is deeply humbling.”
The board also approved the demolition of Connell Student Center and the construction of a new student center to better serve the Macon campus community. The building, which was completed in the 1950s, will permanently close on May 15 and will be removed over the summer months. Construction on the new building will begin in early 2027. Titled the Building for BEARS (Belong, Engage, Aspire, Relax and Savor) project, the new center will include a dining facility, gathering and meeting spaces and Student Affairs offices.
Additional information on the Building for BEARS project, including the temporary relocation of food service, offices and meeting spaces, will be shared with the Macon campus in the coming days.
In other action, the board approved a record $337 million operating budget for 2026-27, exclusive of federal research grants. It is a 5.3% increase over the current $320 million operating budget.
Continuing more than a decade of below-market annual tuition increases, trustees voted to limit the tuition increase for Macon undergraduate programs to 3.5% for 2026-27. There will be no tuition increase for M.D. students in the School of Medicine, for Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry students in the School of Theology, for Master of Health Outcomes and M.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences students in the College of Pharmacy and for graduate students in the School of Music. Law students will see a 2.5% increase. Tuition increases for most other programs range from 1% to 3.7%.
