Underwood led Mercer through tremendous growth and development

By
Larry Brumley
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57
Three older men in academic robes stand together, smiling, in a hallway with sports photos on the wall behind them.
A man in a suit speaks at a podium in a formal wood-paneled room, with two men standing behind him.
A man stands next to a bear mascot in an orange jersey with 95 and Bears at a crowded indoor sports event.
Three people stand and converse in an indoor arena with rows of empty orange seats in the background.
A woman wearing a crown and a man in a suit pose together in front of rows of orange stadium seats.
Two men in suits stand indoors, having a serious conversation; one holds documents and listens intently.
Two men in suits stand indoors, having a serious conversation; one holds documents and listens intently.
A man in a suit stands at a podium with a university seal, speaking while another man sits in the background.
A man in a suit stands at a podium with a university seal, speaking while another man sits in the background.
Three men stand indoors, conversing and smiling. Framed art is visible on the wall behind them.
A man with gray hair sits on a boat, looking out over a river with a bridge and traffic in the background.
A man in a suit with a yellow tie stands in a library, resting one hand on a leather chair.
A man in a suit with a yellow tie stands in a library, resting one hand on a leather chair.
A man in a suit and tie smiles while talking to people outside the Grand Opera House.
A man in a suit and tie smiles while talking to people outside the Grand Opera House.
A crowd of fans in orange and black cheer enthusiastically in the stands of an indoor sports arena.
A group of men in suits sit at a conference table with microphones and nameplates during a formal meeting.
A man in a suit stands on a football field near equipment carts as a crowd fills the stadium bleachers behind him.
A man in a suit stands on stage in front of a grand piano and a choir dressed in black concert attire.
A man in a suit stands on stage in front of a grand piano and a choir dressed in black concert attire.
A man in academic regalia reads from a folder near a crowd gathered for an outdoor graduation ceremony at Mercer University.
A group of people pose for a photo outside in front of a large brick building with trees and grass visible.
A man in a suit smiles and talks with two women in a warmly decorated room with stone walls and greenery.
A man in a suit smiles and talks with two women in a warmly decorated room with stone walls and greenery.
A woman and a man in formal attire stand in front of a decorated Christmas tree indoors.
A woman and a man in formal attire stand in front of a decorated Christmas tree indoors.
Two men in suits sit side by side on a stage; one reads a book while the other looks ahead and smiles.
Two men in academic regalia shake hands and smile outside a building with brick walls and large windows.
Two men in suits, one speaking at a podium with a Mercer University seal, stand by a decorated Christmas tree.
Man in a pinstripe suit and orange tie smiling, seated indoors with people standing in the background.
Man in a pinstripe suit and orange tie smiling, seated indoors with people standing in the background.
Mercer President William D. Underwood speaks at a podium in front of an orange Mercer University backdrop.
Two men in suits stand in front of a wall display labeled Spearman C. Godsey Science Center with gift information.
Man in a suit sits in an office chair beside a desk, with a lit table lamp and bookshelves in the background.
A man in a suit speaks at a podium labeled Mercer University in a room with arched windows and wall sconces.
A man in a suit speaks at a podium with the Mercer University logo at an outdoor event with shovels in front.
A man in a suit speaks at a podium with the Mercer University logo at an outdoor event with shovels in front.
Graduates in caps and gowns stand in a hallway with a faculty member, holding awards and smiling at the camera.
Three people, including a bear mascot, stand by a sign showing $130,368 raised for United Way, exceeding the goal.
A middle-aged man in a dark pinstripe suit and blue tie poses for a formal portrait against a gray background.
A middle-aged man in a dark pinstripe suit and blue tie poses for a formal portrait against a gray background.
Person in graduation attire holds a Mercer University diploma on stage with three applauding officials in academic robes.
Man in a suit holding a Mercer football helmet, standing in front of a Mercer-branded backdrop.
Man in a suit holding a Mercer football helmet, standing in front of a Mercer-branded backdrop.
Two men stand near a podium outside; one is speaking while the other looks on. An orange truck is parked behind them.
A man in a gray suit and a woman in a blue floral dress pose together and smile in a hallway with wood floors.
A man in a gray suit and a woman in a blue floral dress pose together and smile in a hallway with wood floors.
A group of people, some in white coats, pose indoors in front of a colorful, geometric stained glass mural.
A man examines another mans prosthetic leg while seated indoors on patterned tile flooring.
Man in a suit sits in an office chair, smiling, with a portrait and chandelier in the background.
Man in a suit sits in an office chair, smiling, with a portrait and chandelier in the background.
A group of people in formal attire pose together indoors in front of stained glass artwork, some wearing honor cords or stoles.
A man speaks at a podium in front of a group of people near a fountain, with Love engraved in the pavement.
Two men in suits review and sign documents near a large Mercer University seal on a table.
Two men in suits review and sign documents near a large Mercer University seal on a table.
Two people in academic regalia stand on stage; one presents a framed honorary degree from Mercer University to the other.
Two people in academic regalia stand on stage; one presents a framed honorary degree from Mercer University to the other.
A man in a suit speaks at a podium in front of a banner for Mercer University’s Capricorn Sound Studios event.
Man in a suit sitting on a bench outdoors, smiling and petting a black dog standing beside him.
Man in a suit sitting on a bench outdoors, smiling and petting a black dog standing beside him.
From left, President Underwood, former U.S. President and trustee Jimmy Carter, and Allman Brothers Band founding member Gregg Allman pause for a photo prior to the 2016 Macon commencement where Allman was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree.
President Underwood addresses the Georgia House of Representatives in Atlanta in 2012.
President Underwood and Toby celebrate Opening Day 2018 in Hawkins Arena. Photo by Christopher Ian Smith
President Underwood talks with student-athletes in Hawkins Arena in 2009.
President Underwood poses with 2016 Miss America and Mercer student Betty Cantrell in Hawkins Arena prior to her singing the national anthem at the 2016 men’s basketball game against Wofford.
President Underwood, left, speaks with then-President R. Kirby Godsey after a Dec. 2, 2005, meeting during which the Board of Trustees selected Underwood as the University's 18th president. Photo by Beau Cabell, The Telegraph
President Underwood speaks at a Dec. 2, 2005, news conference after being introduced as Mercer’s 18th president. Sitting behind President Underwood is Mercer trustee and former U.S. Attorney General Griffin B. Bell. Photo by Beau Cabell, The Telegraph
President Underwood speaks with a prospective student and parent in the University Center.
President Underwood traveled to Vietnam with Mercer On Mission in 2013.
President Underwood in 2009.
President Underwood is pictured outside The Piedmont Grand Opera House in 2007.
President Underwood celebrates with the University community in Hawkins Arena on Selection Sunday when it was announced on CBS that the Bears would face Duke in the 2014 NCAA tournament. The Bears shocked the college basketball world with a 78-71 upset of the Blue Devils. Photo by Jan Crocker
From right, President Underwood participates in a New Baptist Covenant planning meeting with former U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton in January 2007 at the Carter Center in Atlanta.
President Underwood cheers on the Bears at a Homecoming football game. Photo by Christopher Ian Smith
President Underwood welcomes the audience prior to the School of Music’s performance at New York City’s Carnegie Hall on Feb. 17, 2025.
President Underwood goes over his remarks prior to the 2013 commencement ceremony on the Atlanta campus. Photo by Stephen Saldivia Jones
President Underwood gathers with students on the historic quad in 2014.
President Underwood and his wife, Lesli, left, visit with Mercer supporters following a Dec. 2, 2005, news conference where he was introduced as the 18th president of Mercer University.
President and Mrs. Lesli Underwood in 2007.
President Underwood, right, with former U.S. President and Mercer trustee Jimmy Carter at the Presidential Lecture Series in 2008.
President Underwood with then-Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal prior to the 2014 Macon commencement.
President Underwood, left, laughs as Mercer Board of Trustees Chair David Hudson speaks during a Dec. 2, 2005, news conference introducing him as the University’s 18th president. Photo by Beau Cabell, The Telegraph
President Underwood in 2017.
President Underwood announces in 2013 that Mercer will be joining the Southern Conference.
Chancellor Dr. R. Kirby Godsey, left, and President Underwood celebrate the dedication of the Spearman C. Godsey Science Center in 2018. The Godsey Science Center is named for the chancellor's father. Photo by Christopher Ian Smith
President Underwood gives his first media interview as president while seated in his new office on July 3, 2006.
William D. Underwood speaks at a news conference in the R. Kirby Godsey Administration Building on his first day as Mercer University president on July 1, 2006.
President Underwood speaks at the Nov. 11, 2011, groundbreaking ceremony for the Homer and Ruth Drake Field House.
President Underwood pauses for a picture with students in the University Center before the 2015 Macon commencement. Photo by Stephen Saldivia Jones
President Underwood, center, shows his pride in the University's continued support of United Way of Central Georgia, emphasizing the campaign's alignment with Mercer's longstanding commitment to service. He's pictured with Toby and Mercer United Way campaign co-chair Rob Saxon at the 2022 closing ceremony in the University Center.
President Underwood.
Macon native and famed musician Richard "Little Richard" Wayne Penniman, center, receives an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree during the 2013 Macon commencement ceremony. He is pictured with, from left, President Underwood; Dr. James Netherton, executive vice president for administration and finance; and Provost Dr. Scott Davis. Photo by Roger Idenden
President Underwood shows off a prototype Mercer football helmet at the 2010 news conference where the University announced the return of intercollegiate football at Mercer following a 72-year hiatus. Photo by Roger Idenden
President Underwood with Mercer trustee A.V. Elliott, left, speaks during the 2013 naming of the Elliott Bell Tower at Five Star Stadium. Photo by Roger Idenden
President and Mrs. Underwood at the Board of Trustees meeting on April 24, 2025, in Atlanta. Photo by Jamie Tucker
President Underwood with the first class of students in the School of Medicine’s Nathan Deal Scholars program. Photo by John Knight
President Underwood traveled to Vietnam with Mercer On Mission in 2013. During this visit, he witnessed firsthand the transformative work of the University’s prosthetics program, which has fitted more than 20,000 amputees with low-cost, durable prosthetic limbs.
President Underwood.
President Underwood in the University Center with new members of Phi Beta Kappa following the March 22, 2024, induction ceremony. Mercer is one of only 293 institutions in the United States — and one of only six in Georgia — to shelter a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, underscoring the University’s strong commitment to academic rigor and intellectual inquiry in the liberal arts. Photo by Leah Yetter
President Underwood speaks at an event celebrating the restoration of the Tattnall Square Park fountain across from the Macon campus on Dec. 3, 2015. Photo by Amy Maddox
President Underwood, left, reviews documents with Mercer Board of Trustees Chair David Hudson on Dec. 2, 2005, following his introduction as the University’s 18th president. Photo by Beau Cabell, The Telegraph
President Underwood, left, presents REM founding member and Macon native Mike Mills with an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree at the 2022 Macon commencement. Photo by Christopher Ian Smith
President Underwood announces in September 2019 that the historic Capricorn Sound Studios will be restored as part of a major downtown Macon development. Photo by Christopher Ian Smith
President Underwood, who is frequently seen on campus with his dog, Cricket, in the historic quad with Mercer’s unofficial campus mascot in 2018. Photo by Christopher Ian Smith
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Since his appointment as Mercer’s 18th president in 2006, President William D. Underwood has led the 192-year-old University through a tremendous period of growth and development. Here are representative highlights:

Related: President Underwood announces plans to return to full-time teaching
  • Overall enrollment increased by more than 30%, from 7,000 students in 2006 to more than 9,200 students in 2024. Residential undergraduate enrollment on the Macon campus grew more than 40%, from 2,300 to more than 3,300.
  • New doctoral programs in physical therapy, clinical psychology, nursing, counseling, community medicine, biomedical sciences, educational leadership, and curriculum and instruction were launched.
  • Mercer was reclassified as a Doctoral University with High Research Activity (R2), the second-highest level in the Carnegie Classification.
  • The University was admitted to the Georgia Research Alliance and approached $50 million in annual research expenditures.
  • Mercer was awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society in the liberal arts, becoming one of only six chapters in Georgia.
  • Mercer On Mission has become a signature program at Mercer, with more than 2,600 students and faculty participating in 177 high-impact projects worldwide since 2007.
  • The Mercer Health Sciences Center and the University’s 12th academic unit — the College of Health Professions — were established.
  • The School of Medicine expanded its Savannah campus to a full four-year campus, opened a new four-year campus in Columbus, and added a third- and fourth-year clinical campus in Valdosta. Plans to construct a new 120,000-square-foot educational and research facility for the flagship campus of the School of Medicine in downtown Macon were announced in February 2025.
  • Mercer Medicine opened six rural clinics in Plains, Clay County, Harris County, Putnam County, Jekyll Island and Taylor County.
  • Football was reinstated in 2013 after a 72-year hiatus, and the Bears won their first Southern Conference championship in 2024.
  • In 2014, Mercer was admitted to the prestigious Southern Conference, one of the oldest and most highly regarded collegiate athletic leagues in the country.
  • Mercer athletic teams have won 44 regular season and tournament conference championships.
  • More than $400 million in new construction and major renovation projects were completed on every Mercer campus.
  • More than 1,000 beds of student housing have been added to the Macon and Atlanta campuses.
  • In 2024, Roberts Academy at Mercer University, a transitional school for children with dyslexia, opened in Macon, the only school of its kind in Georgia outside of metro Atlanta.
  • Mercer has become a leading producer of Fulbright, Goldwater, and Gilman Scholars, as well one of the five highest producers among Peace Corps prep sites.
  • The University’s financial strength has never been greater:
    • Total assets exceed $1 billion.
    • Operating budget has doubled from $172 million to more than $350 million, and every fiscal year has ended with a budget surplus.
    • The recently completed Aspire capital campaign raised more than $500 million for facilities, endowment and operating support.
    • Endowment has more than doubled, from $200 million to more than $500 million.
    • Quasi-endowment has grown from $15 million to more than $100 million.
    • Long-term debt has remained constant at $188 million.
    • The University achieved A-grade bond ratings from Moody’s Investor Services and Standard and Poor’s.
  • Georgia Trend magazine has named President Underwood to its 100 Most Influential Georgians list for 13 consecutive years.

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