ATLANTA – Dr. David Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics and director of the Center for Theology and Public Life at Mercer University, was recognized at the 50th annual Georgia Author of the Year Awards (GAYA) on June 7 at Kennesaw State University's KSU Center.

Dr. Gushee received the award in the Inspirational - Religious category for his book The Sacredness of Human Life: Why an Ancient Biblical Vision Is Key to the World's Future.

"I am grateful to the Georgia Writers Association for this recognition," said Dr. Gushee. "It is my fond hope that the ideas in this book will receive the widest possible exposure, and I am hopeful that this award will help make that happen. And I am grateful to Mercer University for the time, and the freedom, to pursue my calling as a scholar."

The Sacredness of Human Life, published by Eerdmans on Jan. 14, 2013, traces the titular concept from Scripture through church history to the present day. Dr. Gushee argues that viewing human life as sacred is one of the most precious legacies of biblical faith – albeit one that the church has too often failed to uphold. This lengthy scholarly work is also under consideration for the Grawemeyer Award in Religion – the most prestigious award in academic religious publishing – which is given annually by the University of Louisville.

A scholar, activist and churchman, Dr. Gushee has taught for 20 years in full-time and guest capacities and lectured in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia and several other countries in Europe and South America. As Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics, he teaches at McAfee School of Theology and throughout the University. As director of the Center for Theology and Public Life, he organizes events and courses to advance quality conversations about major issues arising at the intersection of theology, ethics and public policy.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts at the College of William and Mary, Master of Divinity at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and both his Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy in Christian ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York.

Dr. Gushee is also a senior columnist at APBNews/Herald and this year serves as theologian-in-residence for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. He serves on the board of directors of Sojourners and as vice-chair of the board of the Public Religion Institute. He recently concluded many years of service on the Ethics, Religion and the Holocaust Committee of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, where he has taught a faculty seminar course.

He has published 18 books, with two more in development, and hundreds of essays, book chapters, articles, reviews and opinion pieces.

The Georgia Writers Association assumed responsibility for the GAYA shortly after the association's founding in 1994. The awards were first given in 1964 by the Dixie Council of Authors and Journalists. Commercially and independently published authors from Georgia are eligible for nomination. This year's GAYA included over 100 nominees among 11 categories.

MACON – The American Bar Association Standing Committee on Professionalism has named Mercer University's Walter F. George School of Law as a recipient of this year's E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Award. The Gambrel Award honors excellence and innovation in professionalism programs.

Mercer Law School was one of two recipients this year, and was selected based on a component of its first-year required professionalism course, taught and developed by Professor Patrick Longan,William Augustus Bootle Chair in Professionalism and Ethics. That component, "Inside the Legal Profession,"is modeled loosely on the Bravo television channel's "Inside the Actor's Studio" program.It consists a series of interviews with lawyers and judges in front of the entire first-year class. Each lasts about 45 minutes, and then the students have time for questions. The purposes of these interviews are to expose the students to different careers in the law and to put before them exemplars of people who live, practice and thrive while they act in accordance with professionalism.  Many of the interviews are available on YouTube.

Mercer previously received the Gambrell Award in 1996 for its Woodruff Curriculum, based on the "depth and excellence" of its commitment to professionalism education. This year's award will be presented during the ABA Annual Meeting in Boston on Aug. 8.

"I am very proud that Mercer Law School's leadership in innovative legal education has once again been recognized by this important group. For a law school to receive this prestigious award once is a high honor. To receive it twice is even better. Once again being a recipient of the Gambrell Award reflects Mercer Law's longstanding and continuing commitment to thoughtful preparation of our students for the realities of law practice," said Daisy Hurst Floyd, dean and University Professor of Law and Ethical Formation. "I am grateful to the ABA Standing Committee, to Professor Longan for his leadership, and to the many members of the law school community who contribute every day to our educational excellence."

A letter announcing this year's award read, "The judges were impressed by the program design's emphasis on transcending standard practitioner testimonials with a deep and thoughtful examination of lawyer professionalism, what it means, and how it manifests itself in the day-to-day lives of working lawyers and judges. The intimate, one-on-one interview format lends itself to a compelling and lasting learning experience, and reflects on Mercer's commitment to each of its students' development as a professional. The Committee considers the program exemplary and worthy of national recognition as a Gambrell Award recipient for 2014."

"We are grateful to the Standing Committee for this recognition, and all of us at the law school are grateful to the many lawyers and judges who have so graciously agreed to be a part of this program and to be role models for our students," said Professor Longan.

Student comments attest to the effectiveness of these interviews.

"Being able to listen to established attorneys discuss their experiences and their practices has helped me understand that despite the many different types of legal careers available, the concept of professionalism is truly universal. The interviews helped me see that being an attorney is truly a vocation and requires commitment to your current and future clients, to your values, to the society that supports you and to the profession in general," said first-year student Elizabeth Lambert.

The Gambrell Professionalism Awards were established in 1991, and are named for the former ABA and American Bar Foundation president from 1955 to 1956. Gambrell founded the Legal Aid Society in Atlanta, where he practiced law from 1922 until his death in 1986. Since 1991, the ABA has selected one to three entities in the United States each year as a recipient of the Gambrell Award. More information on the Gambrell Awards is availablehere.

About Mercer Law School

Founded in 1873, the Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law is one of the oldest law schools in the United States and the first one in the state of Georgia accredited by the American Bar Association. Mercer Law School's educational philosophy is based on a broadly shared commitment to prepare students for the high-quality, general practice of law in a day-to-day learning environment that is both strongly supportive and consistently professional. Its innovative Woodruff Curriculum – which focuses on ethics and practical skills amid small class sizes – earned the Gambrell Professionalism Award from the ABA for its "depth of excellence." With an enrollment of about 450 students, Mercer Law School is nationally recognized for its exceptional programs in legal writing, moot court, public service, and ethics and professionalism. For more information about Mercer Law School, visitwww.law.mercer.eduor call (478) 301-5000.

MACON – Adam Ragusea, Macon bureau chief for GPB Radio – one of Mercer University's partners in the Center for Collaborative Journalism (CCJ) – and soon-to-be full-time faculty member at the Center, has received a 2014 national Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA).

Ragusea, who has hosted NPR's "Morning Edition" for GPB Macon since 2012, won the award for writing in the large-market radio category. It was GPB's first-ever national Edward R. Murrow Award.

"It speaks to the caliber of work that GPB and the CCJ are doing that a story from Macon, Georgia, received such recognition over competing entries from the biggest broadcasters in the biggest markets across the country," he said. "Everyone who supports GPB should know they helped make this happen, and those high school juniors and seniors who want to study media in college should take note – Mercer is now the place to be."

Ragusea's award-winning story, "All Quiet, One Year After Kroger Shooting," was his Dec. 20, 2013, first-person reflection on the shooting of a man outside a Macon Kroger store by a Macon police officer in December 2012.

Named after the broadcast journalist who rose to prominence with his radio coverage of World War II and was a pioneer of television news broadcasting, the Edward R. Murrow Awards recognize outstanding work produced by radio, television and online news organizations around the world.

The RTDNA, the world's largest professional organization devoted exclusively to electronic journalism, represents local and network journalists in broadcasting, cable and digital media in more than 30 countries. Founded in 1946, the association has been annually presenting the awards since 1971.

This year, the RTDNA awarded 98 national Edward R. Murrow Awards in 13 categories, including overall excellence, breaking news and investigative reporting. The association received more than 4,000 entries during the 2014 awards season.

National awards will be presented in New York City on Oct. 6.

Ragusea, who has mentored Mercer journalism students since his arrival at GPB, will become a full-time clinical faculty member in the CCJ this fall.

About GPB

As one of the largest PBS stations in the nation, Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB Media), has been creating content worth sharing for over 50 years. With nine television stations, 17 radio stations and a multi-faceted web presence, GPB strives to educate, entertain and enrich the lives of our viewers and listeners with programming that includes statewide radio news, current affairs, high school sports, educational resources for teachers and students and enlightening programs about our state like "Georgia Outdoors," "Georgia Traveler" and "On the Story."

About the Center for Collaborative Journalism

The Center for Collaborative Journalism (CCJ) is a unique partnership between Mercer University, The Telegraph and Georgia Public Broadcasting, with generous support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and The Peyton Anderson Foundation. The Center's groundbreaking collaboration has students, faculty and veteran journalists working together in a joint newsroom. Learning in a "teaching hospital" model, students engage the community using the latest digital tools and leave with a strong portfolio of published work.

• C. Lea Bonner, Pharm.D., clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice, who will be among 30 pharmacy faculty members nationally selected to participate in the 2014-2015 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Academic Leadership Fellows Program (ALFP). Dr. Bonner is also director of Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences in the Mercer College of Pharmacy.
• Michell Butler, Pharm.D., clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice, who is among the 2014-15 National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation Faculty Scholars. Dr. Butler is also director of the Community Residency program in the Mercer College of Pharmacy.
• Annesha Lovett, Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacy practice, who will participate in the American College of Clinical Pharmacy(ACCP) Research Institute’s Focused Investigator Training (FIT) program.
• Gina J. Ryan, Pharm.D., CDE, interim associate dean of administration and clinical professor of pharmacy practice, who will attend the Harvard Macy Institute’s Program for Educators in Health Professions at Harvard University. Dr. Ryan is also director of Continuing Pharmacy Education in the Mercer College of Pharmacy.  

MACON – High school students in Macon-Bibb County are doing their part to inspire summer reading through Mercer University's Upward Bound Program.

Local 10th-graders participating in the program collected nearly 300 gently used children's books over the past three months to donate to disadvantaged families who may not have Internet access or transportation to the local library.

Upward Bound and the University have teamed up with United Way of Central Georgia to collect these books for the United Way Day of Action book fair this Saturday, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., at the Buck Melton Community Center. One of the goals of this event is for each child who attends to receive a book for his or her own personal library

"I am proud of the administrative staff and our students. The genuineness of our staff in their efforts to motivate and empower each of the students to be their best and move beyond themselves is remarkable," said Dr. Michelle Currie, director of Mercer's Federal TRIO Programs, which include Upward Bound. "I want to thank Latanya Foster, who led this project, and the students, who listened to their adviser and desired to help serve the community."

Upward Bound is a federally funded program that seeks to support participants in their preparation for postsecondary education. The program serves high school students from low-income families and high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree. For more information, contact Dr. Currie at (478) 301-2686.

In addition to Upward Bound's donation, Mercer faculty, staff and students collected another 450 books for the Day of Action through the placement of donation boxes by the University's United Way Campaign Steering Committee at three locations on campus – Jack Tarver Library, the Walter F. George School of Law lobby and the School of Medicine Library.

"Collaborating on this project with the United Way seemed to embody Mercer's missionto teach, to learn, to create, to discover, to inspire, to empower and to serve," said Rhonda Lidstone, associate vice president for human resources at Mercer and the University's United Way campaign chair. "On behalf of the steering committee, I want to thank the staff within our libraries and across campus that enthusiastically responded to the call to donate books and volunteer at the Day of Action event."

When the donations were dropped off at the Buck Melton Community Center on Wednesday afternoon, AmeriCorps VISTA and Early Learning Network Coordinator Justin Wiggins said the center had received approximately 4,000 books and expected several other large donations prior to Saturday's event.

"We want to get these books into homes," said Wiggins. "Research has shown that children in median-income families have 13 books per household, while among low-income families there is one book per 300 children. This is our way of tackling this literacy issue in Macon-Bibb County."

LANSDOWNE, Va. – Recent Mercer University graduate Steven Hussung has been named one of 41 recipients of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation's 2014 Graduate Scholarships.

Hussung, from New Market, Tennessee, majored in computational science and math and received his bachelor's degree from the College of Liberal Arts in May. He will pursue a graduate degree at Indiana University Bloomington.

The scholarship, offered to high-performing students with financial need who seek to attend the best graduate programs in the United States and abroad, provides up to $50,000 toward graduate study.

"These outstanding Scholars distinguished themselves as undergraduates, academically and through engagement in their institutions and communities," said Emily Froimson, vice president of programs for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. "Our scholarship will enable exceptionally talented and driven students to continue their educational pursuits."

All of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholars were previous recipients of the foundation's undergraduate scholarships. Hussung was also selected for the foundation's Young Scholars Program as an eighth-grader.

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation was established in 2000 through the will of prominent businessman, sportsman and philanthropist Jack Kent Cooke. A self-made billionaire, Cooke overcame financial obstacles to achieve tremendous success. When he died in 1997, he left the bulk of his fortune to establish a foundation dedicated to supporting individuals of exceptional promise – those who work hard, stay focused and defy the stereotype that poverty precludes high achievement. For more information, visitwww.jkcf.org.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Recent Mercer University graduate Elizabeth Knapper has been named one of 79 Woodrow Wilson Ohio Teaching Fellows. The state's fourth class of Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellows was announced Monday at the Ohio Statehouse by the Ohio Board of Regents, the Ohio Department of Education and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.

Knapper, from Fayetteville, Georgia, majored in math and psychology and received her bachelor's degree from the College of Liberal Arts in May.

She will receive a $30,000 stipend while completing the teacher education program at The Ohio State University, which is one of seven participating Ohio universities.

The Woodrow Wilson Ohio Teaching Fellowship recruits top-quality teacher candidates to teach math and science in high-need Ohio schools. The Fellows include both accomplished career changers and outstanding recent college graduates, all with previous science, technology, engineering, math and medicine (STEMM) backgrounds. They complete a rigorous master's program that includes a full year of practical experience in local classrooms, then commit to teach for three years with ongoing mentoring and support.

The 2014 class of teacher candidates brings to 288 the total number of Fellows named in Ohio since the program's 2010 launch. Program administrators project that the Fellows to date will touch the lives of nearly 30,000 students each year.

"These Fellows are really impressive people, and they are going to receive some of thestrongest teaching preparation available," said Arthur Levine, president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. "The campuses and districts working with them are creating new models of teacher education. So not only will this year's Fellows change countless lives, they are also part of an effort to change the way teachers nationwide learn to help their students succeed."

The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, based in Princeton, New Jersey, created the Fellowship and administers the program in five states – Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey and Georgia.

Mercer is a partner institution in the Woodrow Wilson Georgia Teaching Fellowship, which was announced this past March and will begin in fall 2015.

For more on the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowships, visithttp://woodrow.org.

About the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation

The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation of Princeton, New Jersey identifies and develops leaders to meet the nation's most critical challenges. In 1945, the Foundation was created to meet the challenge of preparing a new generation of college professors. Today Woodrow Wilson offers a suite of fellowships to address national needs, including the education of teachers and school leaders.

HILTON HEAD, S.C. – Mercer University School of Medicine faculty member and alumna Dr. Linda I. Walden (MED '92) was installed as the new president of the Georgia State Medical Association (GSMA) at the organization's 121st Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly on June 12 at the Omni Oceanfront Resort.

Dr. Walden, a family physician, is medical director of Cairo Family Medical Center Inc. in Cairo, Georgia. She has been a member of the GSMA for more than 20 years, and will serve a two-year term as its president.

“Dr. Linda Walden is a prime example of a community responsive physician. She represents both the spirit and intent of the Mercer University School of Medicine’s work to educate physicians to meet the needs of rural and underserved Georgia citizens,” said Dean William F. Bina III.

In addition to serving as a faculty member in the Department of Community Medicine, Dr. Walden was appointed by Dean Bina to serve on the School of Medicine Admissions Committee.

"We must recommit and strengthen our voice by increasing our membership, for there is power in numbers," said Dr. Walden in her address to the assembly. "When we weaken the voice of GSMA, we weaken the voice of our community."

Of the 35,000 physicians in Georgia, Dr. Walden said only about 1,200 are African Americans, so fostering an interest in medical studies among youth is important. Dr. Walden mentors her pediatric patients and rewards their academic successes with job shadowing opportunities in her office.

"The greatest success in life is not about how much we acquire, but our greatest success is our service to God. God uses each of us to make a difference in the world, and that is my mission in life," added Dr. Walden.

The GSMA, founded in 1893, is the second-largest African American state medical association in the United States, and is the state affiliate of the National Medical Association (NMA).

Members of the GSMA serve on the faculties of all medical schools in the state – Emory University School of Medicine, the Medical College of Georgia, Mercer and Morehouse School of Medicine. The administration office of the association is located on the Morehouse campus in Atlanta. The association meets quarterly in different location throughout the state, and holds its annual convention each June.

About the Mercer University School of Medicine (Macon, Savannah and Columbus):

Mercer University's School of Medicine was established in 1982 to educate physicians and health professionals to meet the primary care and health care needs of rural and medically underserved areas of Georgia. Today, more than 60 percent of graduates currently practice in the state of Georgia, and of those, more than 80 percent are practicing in rural or medically underserved areas of Georgia. Mercer medical students benefit from a problem-based medical education program that provides early patient care experiences. Such an academic environment fosters the early development of clinical problem-solving and instills in each student an awareness of the place of the basic medical sciences in medical practice. The School opened a full four-year campus in Savannah in 2008 at Memorial University Medical Center. In 2012, the School began offering clinical education for third- and fourth-year medical students in Columbus. Following their second year, students participate in core clinical clerkships at the School's primary teaching hospitals: The Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon; Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah; and The Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital in Columbus. The School also offers master's degrees in family therapy, preclinical sciences and biomedical sciences and a Ph.D. in clinical medical psychology.

MACON – Mercer University will celebrate its first weekend of competition in the historic Southern Conference with an evening of fun and music on Black Field, adjacent to the Moye Football and Lacrosse Complex. The Sept. 5 event – dubbed SoConFest – will include a concert headlined by the New Orleans-based rock septet The Revivalists. The concert, which is being presented with production support from Bragg Jam, will be opened by local favorites sunDollars.

Students, Mercer alumni and the community are welcome at the free event, which begins at 7 p.m. and will include a pep rally led by the Mercer spirit squad and band and will feature remarks from head football coach Bobby Lamb and members of the team. The Bears take on Furman the next day at 6 p.m. on Anderson Field in Mercer's first Southern Conference contest.

The Revivalists, formed in 2007, are considered among The Big Easy's best original bands for their combination of danceable rock and soulful songwriting. Highly regarded for the strength of their live performances, the band seeks out revival in the sense of "the tangible electricity that can only be created when enough like minds are crammed under a single roof for a singular purpose… a spiritual spectacle, a carnival of the divine, a whole greater than the sum of its parts." Their sound features the older styles and warmer sounds of the golden age of rock 'n' roll with occasional ventures into electronics and what they call "sleight of studio."

Opening the concert will be Macon indie rock quartetsunDollars. One of the bands at the forefront of a local resurgence in young artists seeking to rebuild a cohesive music scene in this tradition-rich town, sunDollars offer "a lonesome, yet vibrant set of songs that are very much inspired by place." The band was formed in 2011.

Additional details on the various festivities will be announced at a later date.

MACON – Mercer University became one of only 164 All-Steinway Schools nationwide with the delivery of 37 Steinway & Sons pianos to the new Joan Stockstill Godsey Center for Keyboard Studies in the Townsend School of Music on Monday.

A $1.5 million gift by Mercer's chancellor, Dr. R. Kirby Godsey, was announced in April to establish the Godsey Center in honor of his wife, Joan, her many contributions to Mercer and her commitment to and love of music.

In addition to funding the purchase of 37 Steinways and the refurbishment of seven existing Steinways, the gift includes an endowment fund for the perpetual maintenance of the master pianos.

The Joan Stockstill Godsey Center for Keyboard Studies joins the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings and the Townsend-McAfee Institute for Graduate Church Music Studies as signature programs of the Townsend School of Music.

The Godsey Center will host the annual Joan Stockstill Godsey Concert Series, which will feature leading international performing keyboard artists.

One of the most sought-after soloists in his generation of young American musicians, pianist Orion Weiss will return to Fickling Hall on Mercer's campus as the featured artist in the inaugural concert of the series on Sept. 5, 7:30 p.m.

"We are very excited to have Orion Weiss present the inaugural recital in this new series of concerts," said Dr. C. David Keith, dean of the Townsend School of Music. "In addition, representatives from Steinway & Sons in New York will be in attendance to make a presentation to the Townsend School of Music. This promises to be one of the most important events of the year, and I hope that Fickling Hall will be filled to capacity to hear this outstanding performer and to be a part of the festivities."

Dozens of pianos that have been previously used at the Townsend School of Music and professionally maintained on site are being made available to staff, students, alumni and friends of the University substantially below their original price. Pianos are available on a first-come, first-served basis on Friday and Saturday, July 25-26, by appointment, and Sunday, July 27, 12-5 p.m., at a public sale.

For more information, or to register for an appointment on campus, visit http://mercerpiano.org.

About Townsend School of Music

Mercer University's Townsend School of Music, the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, the Townsend-McAfee Institute for Graduate Studies and the Joan Stockstill Godsey Center for Keyboard Studies offer undergraduate and graduate professional music studies in a comprehensive university environment. Townsend is nationally recognized for its outstanding faculty, award-winning students, performance ensembles and state-of-the-art facilities. The McDuffie Center, a special institute within Townsend School of Music, is a highly selective program that prepares string students for success in the real world. Students study with some of America's most renowned string musicians, receiving music instruction of conservatory quality, while earning an academically well-rounded education from a comprehensive, nationally recognized university. For more information and a complete listing of this season's concerts, please visitmercer.edu/musicor call (478) 301-5751.

MACON – Mercer University's Center for Collaborative Journalism (CCJ) and the Sunlight Foundation will host an unconference focused on the issue of urban blight, Aug. 14-15, on the Macon campus. The event is funded by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

From Detroit, Michigan, to Macon, Georgia, many of America's once-proud cities have suffered waves of depopulation and flight to the suburbs, leaving behind empty homes and crumbling streets. Unblight – a national unconference on blight – will bring together community advocates, technologists, journalists, policymakers and students interested to exchange ideas and share lessons about combating blight and repurposing abandoned parts of our communities. It will explore questions such as "How big is the problem?" and "What innovative solutions can take us from a blighted past to a brighter future?"

"Open property and housing data is just one example of how putting more information in the hands of the public can help create real change," said Ellen Miller, executive director at the Sunlight Foundation. "Sunlight Foundation is pleased to be a part of the Unblight unconference, which is bringing together some of the most innovative people, projects and technologies to help to create tangible solutions for the myriad housing challenges around the country."

"The Center for Collaborative Journalism is excited to host this national gathering of experts and those interested in addressing this very real issue," said Tim Regan-Porter, director of CCJ. "In our survey of the Macon community, blight emerged as one of the top concerns of residents. Our conversations with others involved in housing and urban development reveal that Macon is not alone, and we can all benefit by sharing our experience in combatting blight."

An unconference is a more participant-driven take on the traditional format of a conference. The agenda is set by the attendees, as open space is created for peer-to-peer learning, collaboration and creativity.

During Unblight, experts and practitioners will present mapping and visualization projects, examples of successful tactics for foreclosure prevention, tools to help identify blighted and vacant homes, and creative ways to reclaim public space and ways to use technology and data to create more thriving communities.

The unconference is one of three components of the CCJ's latest engagement project, which is focused on the issue of blight. The project also includes an initiative to map blighted homes in Macon-Bibb County and a series of stories in The Telegraph and GPB set for the coming months.

For more information on Unblight, and to register,click here. Registration fees are $25 for students and $55 for others.

About the Sunlight Foundation

The Sunlight Foundation is a nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for open government globally and uses technology to make government more accountable to all by creating tools, open data, policy recommendations, journalism and grant opportunities to dramatically expand access to vital government information to create accountability of our public officials. For more information, visitsunlightfoundation.com.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts, and believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more information, visitwww.knightfoundation.org.

About the Center for Collaborative Journalism

The Center for Collaborative Journalism (CCJ) is a unique partnership between Mercer University, The Telegraph and Georgia Public Broadcasting, with generous support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and The Peyton Anderson Foundation. The Center's groundbreaking collaboration has students, faculty and veteran journalists working together in a joint newsroom. Learning in a "teaching hospital" model, students engage the community using the latest digital tools and leave with a strong portfolio of published work. For more information, visitccj.mercer.edu.

ATLANTA – Mercer University's Georgia Baptist College of Nursing was recently awarded an Advanced Education Nurse Traineeship (AENT) grant by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA). The College will receive $350,000 this fiscal year and an additional $350,000 next year to support students seeking the Master of Science in Nursing degree with a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) specialty.

The Georgia Baptist College of Nursing is among a group of 65 schools from across the country receiving an AENT award. The purpose of the grant program is to increase the number of advanced education nurses trained to practice as primary care providers. Additionally, student recipients are expected to include rural and underserved areas in their FNP clinical experiences.

The traineeship will offer support of up to $11,000 to eligible part-time students in their last 12 months of study prior to graduation. Eligible full-time students may be funded up to $22,000 per academic year. This support will be directed toward payment of tuition and fees.

Dr. Freida Payne, coordinator of the FNP specialty, will serve as project director for the grant. Dr. Payne and Dr. Linda A. Streit, dean of Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, collaborated to submit a competitive grant application to support the FNP students.

"This award is testament to Mercer University's commitment to serve the state of Georgia by providing an outstanding education for our future health care professionals, while also delivering care to citizens in the rural and underserved areas of Georgia," said Dean Streit. "This support is especially important to increase health care provider training in underserved rural communities, where health care providers and services are difficult to obtain."

The College has a strong record of accomplishment in meeting and exceeding the goals of AENT funding. More than 80 percent of Mercer students enrolled in the FNP specialty include clinical practice in federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas.

About the Health Resources and Services Administration

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary federal agency for improving access to health care by strengthening the health care workforce, building healthy communities and achieving health equity. HRSA's programs provide healthcare to people who are geographically isolated, economically or medically vulnerable. For more information, visitwww.hrsa.gov.

About the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing

Founded in 1902 as a school of nursing, the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing is the oldest nursing program in Georgia. Over its 111-year history, the College has graduated more than 7,500 nurses. The College remains dedicated to educating the person, fostering the passion and shaping the future of nursing. The College merged with Mercer University in 2001 and offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a Master of Science in Nursing, a Doctor of Nursing Practice and a Ph.D. in nursing. The College of Nursing is one of four academic units within the Mercer University Health Sciences Center.nursing.mercer.edu

MACON – Mercer University appears in The Princeton Review's annual best colleges guide for the 11th consecutive year. Only about 15 percent of America's 2,500 four-year colleges and only four colleges outside the U.S. are profiled in this year's guide, "The Best 379 Colleges," which went on sale today.

The guide, which has been printed annually since 1992, is based on surveys of 130,000 students about their school's academics, administration, student body and themselves. The Princeton Review does not rank the colleges academically or from No. 1 to No. 379 in any category. Instead, it provides 62 rankings of the top 20 colleges in various categories.

A two-page profile on the University notes that "Mercer is a place that respects its students and knows the enormous potential its students have."

The publication continues, "Students are involved in clubs, sports, and civic groups and with one another… The student body here is diverse, with the tie that binds being that most take part in community service through some venue. Mercer students are bright and intelligent, extremely involved on campus, opinionated but respectful and well-informed but open-minded."

"Mercer offers outstanding academics, which is the chief reason we selected it for the book," said Rob Franek, Princeton Review's senior vice president/publisher and author of "The Best 379 Colleges."

"We base our choices primarily on data we obtain in our annual surveys of administrators at these schools and at hundreds of other colleges. We take into account input we get from our staff, our 27-member National College Counselor Advisory Board, our personal visits to schools, and the sizable amount of feedback we get from our surveys of students attending these schools. We also work to maintain a wide representation of colleges in the book by region, size, selectivity and character."

The Princeton Review's school profiles and ranking lists in "The Best 379 Colleges" are posted atPrincetonReview.com.

About The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review is a leading test preparation and college admission services company. Every year it helps millions of college- and graduate school-bound students achieve their education and career goals through its test preparation, tutoring, and admissions services, its online resources, and its more than 150 print and digital books published by Random House LLC. The Company delivers its services via a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors in the U.S.A. and Canada, and through its international franchises in 14 other countries. The Company also partners directly with school districts and non-governmental organizations to provide students with college readiness services including college selection, test preparation, financial aid advice, and admissions support. The Princeton Review is headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts. For more information, visitwww.princetonreview.com.

ATLANTA/MACON/SAVANNAH – More than 500 graduate students in the four schools and colleges that make up the Mercer University Health Sciences Center will participate in seven ceremonies during the month of August that signal the students' entry into the health professions.

Approximately 175 incoming nursing students will participate in the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing white coat ceremony on Aug. 14, 10 a.m., in the Sheffield Student Center on the Cecil B. Day Campus in Atlanta.

The College of Pharmacy will hold its white coat ceremony on Aug. 15, 1 p.m., in the Sheffield Student Center. Dr. Barry Patel, a 1992 Pharm.D. graduate and president/co-founder of Indegene TTM, will be the keynote speaker. Dr. Susan Miller, chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, and Dr. Ajay Banga, chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, will cloak the 150 new students in their first white coats.

The College of Health Professions will hold a white coat ceremony for its 38 entering Doctor of Physical Therapy students on Aug. 15, 3 p.m., in Day Hall on the Cecil B. Day Campus.

For the first time, the College of Health Professions will also hold pinning ceremonies for its Master of Public Health students on the Atlanta and Macon campuses. The Atlanta ceremony will take place on Aug. 20, 12 p.m., in the Trustees Dining Room, and the Macon ceremony will take place on Aug. 22, 12 p.m., in the Religious Life Center.

First-year medical students will participate in two School of Medicine white coat ceremonies on the Macon and Savannah campuses.

The Savannah ceremony will take place on Aug. 23, 11 a.m., in Mercer Auditorium of the Hoskins Building. Dr. Mark E. Murphy, president of the Georgia Medical Society, will be the keynote speaker. Dr. William F. Bina III, dean of the School of Medicine, and Dr. Samuel D. Murray, associate dean for admissions, will cloak the 45 participants.

The Macon ceremony will take place on Aug. 30, 1 p.m., in Willingham Auditorium. Dr. Bruce Innes, professor emeritus of surgery, will be the keynote speaker, and Dr. Guy Foulkes, assistant professor of surgery, will cloak the 65 participants.

The white coat ceremony was designed by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation as a way to welcome new students into the medical profession and to set clear expectations regarding their primary role as physicians by professing an oath. Today, the ceremony emphasizes the importance of compassionate care as well as scientific proficiency. The first white coat ceremony took place in 1993 at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. Since then, more than half of the nation's medical schools have had some form of white coat ceremony.

About the Mercer University Health Sciences Center

The Mercer Health Sciences Center became operational on July 1, 2012, and includes four academic colleges – medicine, pharmacy, nursing, and health professions. The Center enrolls more than 1,700 students, employs more than 400 full-time faculty and staff, and graduates more than 500 physicians, nurses and nurse educators, physician assistants, pharmacists, physical therapists, family therapists, public health professionals, and biomedical scientists each year. The Center's commitment is to integrate professional education among its future health science professionals by eliminating the traditional silos that have divided them. The Center believes this team-based and patient-centered approach to training health care professionals best serves the needs of patients and ultimately saves money, time and lives. For more information about the Center, please visithsc.mercer.edu.

ATLANTA – Professors from the Department of Liberal Studies of Mercer University's Penfield College are working with a group of 33 South Korean teachers as part of a cultural exchange program established by the Georgia Department of Education and the Republic of Korea.

The program, organized and administered by ITTI Global Foundation, under the leadership of Ho Jin Yoon, includes special lectures on Mercer's Cecil B. Day Campus in Atlanta from July 29-Aug. 8, as visiting Korean teachers of English improve their English in addition to learning American teaching techniques and learning outcomes. They will also participate in several cultural experiences. At the conclusion of the program this Friday at 10 a.m., Mercer will present certificates of completion to the Korean teachers.

"I am pleased that our liberal studies faculty in English and communication have the opportunity to help these teachers learn principles of discussion and debate that they can incorporate into their K-12 classrooms and teach their students in Korea," said Dr. Priscilla Danheiser, dean of Penfield College of Mercer University.

"In addition to solid linguistically-based instruction and practice in the English language, the students are learning public speaking skills and the principles of debate at the request of ITTI and the Georgia Department of Education. Highly interactive, the sessions feature the presentation of mini teaching units, storytelling and public speeches by the South Korean teachers," said Dr. Margaret Eskew, professor of English and project director. "The Korean teachers and Mercer staff have forged lasting friendships and developed greater cultural awareness."

Along with Dr. Eskew, Dr. J. Thompson Biggers, associate professor of communication, and Mary Lou Beale, adjunct professor, served as instructors for the program.

The exchange program was announced in March 2013 by State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge and ITTI, a leading public education service provider in the United States and the designated institution for international training by both the Georgia Department of Education and the Korean Ministry of Education.

"We are excited by the prospect of Georgia schools sharing our education best practices with our Korean guests and of our teachers learning Korean best practices as well," said Superintendent Barge.

About Penfield College of Mercer University

Penfield College of Mercer University, established as the College of Continuing and Professional Studies in 2003, is committed to serving non-traditional learners and currently enrolls more than 1,300 students. Undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs are offered to working adult learners seeking professional advancement into leadership roles in and beyond their communities. Educational programs provide students with distinctive, multidisciplinary programs that integrate theory and practice. The College offers general education and elective courses for various colleges and schools at Mercer. Another initiative called the Bridge program transitions students enrolled in Mercer's English Language Institute and other international students to undergraduate programs throughout the University. Areas of study include organizational leadership, counseling, school counseling, human services, human resources, informatics, public safety leadership, nursing preparation, liberal studies, psychology and communication. Programs are offered on Mercer's campuses in Atlanta and Macon, as well as multiple regional academic centers in Douglas County, Henry County, Newnan and Eastman. To learn more, visit penfield.mercer.edu.

MACON – Studios of the Warner Robins-based television station donated to Mercer University in April by former State Sen. Cecil P. Staton Jr. and Macon neurosurgeon Dr. Joe Sam Robinson have completed their relocation to the University's Macon campus. With the move, the station – formerly known as WRWR – has changed its call letters to WMUB – Mercer University Broadcasting – and settled into its new quarters in Mercer Village as part of the Center for Collaborative Journalism.

The station also has announced its affiliation with the American Sports Network, which produces live NCAA sports and is operated by SinclairNetworks, a division of television station owner Sinclair Broadcast Group.

As part of the sports network, WMUB this fall will air 33 live NCAA football games featuring teams from the Southern Conference, Conference USA, the Big South Conference, and the Colonial Athletic Association. Included in the broadcast package is Mercer's Oct. 25 road game against UT-Chattanooga. A full schedule of games that will air on WMUB is available at wmub.tv/live-sports.

In addition to its affiliation with the American Sports Network, WMUB isan affiliate of MHz Networks, a national U.S. channel presenting international news and entertainment in English.

"We are very pleased to bring to Central Georgia sports fans a fall lineup of live NCAA football games that is unique to this market," said Brad Bostwick, director of operations and programming at WMUB. "In addition to NCAA football, we will carry a number of Southern Conference basketball games this year as part of the American Sports Network."

WMUB's facilities also serve as home base for production of Mercer athletic events that are streamed live on ESPN3. Mercer is the only Southern Conference member with in-house ESPN3 production capabilities and is believed to be the only NCAA Division I university in the country to self-produce its live football broadcasts for national distribution. All men's and women's home basketball games and a number of other Mercer sporting events will be carried live on ESPN3 this year as well.

"With the acquisition and relocation of WMUB, the Center for Collaborative Journalism continues its focus on training students by immersing them in real-world production," said Tim Regan-Porter, director of the Center for Collaborative Journalism. "With our athletics programming, students will get experience that surpasses that offered by even the largest schools, where they outsource their broadcast operations. This is just the start of the locally produced news and public affairs programming that WMUB will bring to Central Georgia."

ATLANTA – Jordan (Jody) Blanke, professor of computer information systems and law and Ernest L. Baskin Jr. Distinguished Chair in Mercer University's Stetson School of Business and Economics, was recently elected secretary-treasurer of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business (ALSB).

Blanke begins a five-year term on the ALSB Executive Committee, and will serve as vice president next year, president-elect in 2016-17, president in 2017-18 and past president in 2018-19. His fellow officers represent institutions such as the University of Florida, University of Michigan, Penn State University and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Blanke, who has been a member of the Mercer faculty since 1985 and the Stetson School of Business and Economics since 1990, was elected as the ALSB's new secretary-treasurer during the Academy's 89^th annual conference, Aug. 4-7 in Seattle, Washington.

"I am very honored to be elected by my friends and colleagues at the Academy of Legal Studies in Business, and I will try to provide the same kind of leadership exhibited by those who came before me who have made the ALSB what it is today," Blanke said. He went on to describe the Academy as providing "a warm and supportive environment for lawyers who teach at business schools."

Blanke's current research focuses on the areas of privacy, copyright law and the legal and ethical implications of big data. He earned his bachelor's degree in computer science and psychology and his master's degree in computer science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He went on to earn his law degree from Emory University School of Law in 1980. Prior to joining the faculty at Mercer, he served as an associate in the New York-based law firm of Otterbourg, Houston, Steindler & Rosen and as a law clerk to New York Supreme Court Justice Joseph Cohen.

Founded in 1924, the ALSB is an international association of teachers and scholars in the fields of business law, legal environment, and law-related courses outside of professional law schools. The Academy has nearly 1,000 members who teach primarily in schools of business in colleges and universities, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Members come from all 50 states, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, England and a number of other nations.

The ALSB provides a forum for the exchange of ideas, and encourages support and cooperation among those who teach and conduct research in the field of legal studies. The Academy publishes two top-tier journals: the American Business Law Journal(ABLJ) and theJournal of Legal Studies Education(JLSE).

About the Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics

Established in 1984, Mercer University's Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics is named for Eugene W. Stetson, a 1901 Mercer graduate and business pioneer who leveraged the first major buyout in corporate history. Over the past 80 years, Mercer has granted over 12,000 business degrees, and many of its graduates hold senior leadership positions in companies around the world. Mercer's business school delivers career-focused business education programs and develops entrepreneurial leaders and responsible global citizens. It holds accreditation from the prestigious Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), which places it among the top five percent of all top business schools worldwide. Mercer's business school has been recognized by the Princeton Review as No. 3 for "Greatest Opportunity for Women" and one of its "Best Business Schools." In addition, it has been recognized among the "Top 15 Schools in the Nation for Marketing and Accounting."

The School offers the following programs: Atlanta (Evening BBA, Full-Time MBA, Flexible MBA, Executive MBA and Virtual Professional MBA), Macon (Traditional BBA and Flexible MBA), Savannah (Virtual PMBA), Douglas County and Henry County (Evening BBA).www.mercer.edu/business

Collaborative Effort Improves Safety for Pedestrians, Bicycles and Vehicles

MACON – On Friday, Aug. 15 at 11 a.m., College Street between Oglethorpe Street and Coleman Avenue will officially reopen. A celebration will be held at the corner of College and Oglethorpe streets by the newly completed roundabout, and guests will include Macon-Bibb County Mayor Robert Reichert, Mercer University President Bill Underwood, Bibb County Superintendent Dr. Steve Smith, Commissioners Virgil Watkins and Rabbi Larry Schlesinger, and SPLOST Advisory Chairman Jeffery Monroe. Following the comments, the roundabout and roads leading to it will be reopened, and the president, mayor, superintendent and chairman will take the first laps around the roundabout.

The improvements include new sidewalks along Tattnall Square Park, road improvements, the roundabout at College and Oglethorpe streets, utility relocation, crosswalks, a new pedestrian crossing system near Alexander II Magnet School, new lighting and tree planting. This extensive road and safety improvement project is part of a larger effort by many organizations and people to improve the entire area, including the planting of trees, new tennis courts, new sidewalks in the park, a rain garden, new entrances into the park and more.

Follow these embedded links for a flier and video about safely driving through a roundabout, information about the new pedestrian HAWK system, as well as a map of the Alexander II Magnet School traffic pattern.

This project along College Street is a collaborative effort between Mercer University, Macon-Bibb County, Georgia Power, Cox Communications, the Macon Water Authority and AT&T. Primary funding for this project came from a Georgia Department of Transportation TE Grant, the Macon-Bibb Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, Mercer University and the Knight Foundation. Other partners are helping with the relocation of utilities.

Alexander II Magnet School Traffic Pattern

Traffic for drop off and dismissal at Alexander II Magnet School following the opening of the street and intersection will remain the same as it has been this school year. Cars will enter off of College Street and exit the parking lot by turning right onto Oglethorpe Street.

For parents who park and walk up to the school, they can use the parking lot in Tattnall Square Park along Oglethorpe Street. The Bibb County School District is encouraging parents who use this method to cross College Street at the tennis courts where the crossing guard will be stationed. This will provide for a safer crossing.