The FALL 2018 A PUBLICATION OF MERCER UNIVERSITY • WWW.MERCER.EDU SPECIAL ISSUE MERCER’S VISION FOR THE DECADE AHEAD Mercer Debate’s Rise to National Prominence Water Treatment Project Receives EPA Grant Bears Sweep SoCon Athlete of the Year Honors THE MERCERIAN, FALL 2018 Join the Office of University MACON | ATLANTA | SAVANNAH Admissions for a seminar Columbus, Douglas County, Henry County, Warner Robins designed for alumni, faculty, staff, and their college-bound CONTENTS VOLUME 28, NO. 2 students in grades 9-12. PRESIDENT William D. Underwood, J.D. Mercer Debate Team CHANCELLOR R. Kirby Godsey, Ph.D. College Bound: Dominates National Stage PROVOST An Inside Look at Admissions 10 D. Scott Davis, Ph.D. EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT FOR Friday, Nov. 2, 2018 Mercer’s 10-Year Strategic Plan ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE James S. Netherton, Ph.D. 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Imperatives for the Next Decade SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR STRATEGIC Connell Student Center 12 INITIATIVES COLLEGE BOUND: Kellie Raiford Appel, J.D. Conference Room 3 SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR MARKETING AN INSIDE LOOK AT ADMISSIONS COMMUNICATIONS AND CHIEF OF STAFF Lunch will be provided. Larry D. Brumley PART OF MERCER UNIVERSITY HOMECOMING 2018 SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT The Admissions staff will provide Penny L. Elkins, Ph.D. information on SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY Planning your trip for Mercer’s Homecoming? ADVANCEMENT • Evaluating colleges and John A. Patterson Don’t miss the opportunity to get an inside SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSEL universities during your search William G. Solomon IV, J.D. • Preparing a competitive look at the college admissions process. EDITOR application Rick Cameron • Mastering college entrance ART DIRECTOR Steve Mosley exams STAFF WRITER • Understanding financial aid Kyle Sears CLA ’09, CONTRIBUTORS • And more David Fox, Jill Kinsella CLA ’85, Mary Beth Kosowski, Allen London, Erin Lones CLA ’00, Will Tharp, Gerrit Van Genderen Your family will have the SPECIAL DESIGN opportunity to Ginger Harper PHOTOGRAPHY COORDINATOR • Meet one-on-one with an Janet Crocker PEN ’09 PHOTOGRAPHY AND ILLUSTRATION admissions counselor John Amis, Moises Castillo, Laura Fong, • Ask your pressing questions Roger Idenden, John Knights, Bekah Clegg, Amy Maddox, Nan Melville, Steve Mosley, about college readiness Matt Odom, Dot Paul, Sarah Pounds, Rod Reilly, • Learn more about Mercer’s Saldivia-Jones Photography, Rebecca Sandifer, Christopher Ian Smith, Matthew Smith, admissions process Judy Stapleton, Jessica Whitley DIGITAL PRODUCTION • Take an optional student-led Matthew Smith, Director; Andrea Honaker, campus tour Rob Saxon, Todd Sayre VIDEO PRODUCTION 2 BEARINGS Bekah Clegg Registration is required for EDITORIAL OFFICE 38 ATHLETICS ROUNDUP The Mercerian, 1501 Mercer University Drive, this free seminar at Macon, GA 31207-0001, (478) 301-4024 40 HEALTH SCIENCES NEWS www.mercer.edu • [email protected] homecoming.mercer.edu TO UPDATE YOUR ADDRESS AND TO SUPPORT Confirmation and details will 41 ALUMNI CLASS NOTES MERCER UNIVERSITY, CALL: be sent via email closer to the 47 ADVANCEMENT UPDATE (478) 301-2715 or 1-800-MERCER-U, x2715 THE MERCERIAN is published by the Office of Marketing event date. Communications at Mercer University. ©2018 Mercer University. The views and opinions presented in this publication are not necessarily those of the editors or the official policies of the University. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE MERCERIAN, OurLens 1501 Mercer University Drive, Macon, GA 31207-0001. InFrom left, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) Dean Dr. Jean Sumner and Mercer President William D. Underwood were among those who participated in a ribbon-cutting for For more information contact Chelsea Flieger, CLA ’12, Mercer Medicine Plains, the first satellite clinic for MUSM’s faculty practice, on Aug. 22 in President Carter’s Become a fan of Mercer on Instagram, Facebook, Assistant Director of Admissions and Campus Visitation hometown. The clinic opened in July and was quickly booked near capacity through October. Watch a video recap follow us on Twitter, and watch our latest videos of the grand opening celebration at tiny.cc/MercerMedicinePlains. (Bekah Clegg photo) on YouTube. mercer.edu/socialmedia (478) 301-2076 or [email protected] BEARINGS BEARINGS overall goal is to provide regulatory officials AWARDS GRANT FOR PROJECT with technical data that can be used to guide DR. LAURA LACKEY NAMED inclusion of on-site graywater treatment and TO TREAT RESIDENTIAL GRAY its re-use for sub-surface landscape irrigation DEAN OF SCHOOL OF into water management strategies. WATER FOR LANDSCAPE “We are very excited that the proposal ENGINEERING submitted by these students was selected IRRIGATION for funding,” said Dr. Philip McCreanor, r. Laura Lackey, professor of environmental engineering, in professor of environmental engineering, March was named dean of the Mercer School of Engineering by he U.S. Environmental major Jin Kim, marketing major Stevie Watson and economics and math double-major director of the Engineering Honors Program Provost Dr. D. Scott Davis. Protection Agency (EPA) Simran Khoja collaborated on the design of a system that uses bio-filtration technology Dr. Lackey, who served as interim dean for the 2017-2018 this spring awarded a and an in-ground detention tank to treat graywater produced in households to be used academic year, succeeded Dr. Wade Shaw, who has moved to EPA full-time faculty status. team of four Mercer for outdoor sub-surface applications such as irrigation. students a People, Graywater is wastewater generated in households or office buildings from DESIGNING A SYSTEM THAT “I am thrilled that Laura Lackey has accepted the deanship Prosperity, and Planet streams without fecal contamination. of the School of Engineering. Dr. (P3) grant for a project Mercer students and faculty have installed several field-scale systems in USES THE GRAYWATER ALREADY DLackey’s unwavering commitment to to treat residential collaboration with Macon Area Habitat for Humanity. The EPA grant will allow for ‘‘ our students is evident in her role as PRODUCED IN DAILY HOUSEHOLD graywater for sub-surface the expansion of field-scale research by upgrading one of the original detention- a pioneer in the Mercer On Mission landscape irrigation. only treatment systems to include a bio-filtration component. ACTIVITIES FOR USE IN program and as a dedicated faculty Environmental Researchers at the University, specifically in the School of Engineering, have member,” Dr. Davis said. “Her love of engineering major Victoria been conducting laboratory and field studies on the treatment of residential IRRIGATION HAS THE CAPABILITY Mercer and commitment to the student Rexhausen, global health graywater for use in sub-surface landscape irrigation for almost 10 years. The TO DECREASE THE DEMAND FOR learning experience is contagious, and I can’t think of a better person to lead TREATED WATER. our School of Engineering.” Since joining the engineering faculty in 1998, Dr. Lackey has taught T and principal investigator for the grant. more than 20 different courses ranging “Designing a system that uses the graywater from freshman-level Introduction to already produced in daily household activities Design to a variety of senior- and for use in irrigation’’ has the capability to graduate-level offerings. Dr. Lackey decrease the demand for treated water. The received the School of Engineering system’s benefits could include reducing Teacher of the Year Award in 2001, domestic water consumption, conserving 2007 and 2015. She also was named to water and energy resources, and decreasing the All-Southern Conference Faculty demand of water from natural reservoirs.” Team in 2016. She served as chair Technical data used to support the of the Environmental Engineering development of the students’ proposal was Department for five years before funded from several sources, including a 2009 transitioning to associate dean in 2013. SEED Grant from the Mercer Provost’s Office, In addition to her teaching, Dr. a 2013 service-learning grant from State Lackey has taken an active interest Farm and a 2016 grant from the University’s in the Mercer On Mission program. Research That Reaches Out Office. She and her students have taken their Nationally, more than $463,000 in funding research to communities globally for 31 Phase I teams was awarded through through efforts in Kenya, Uganda and Ecuador. the P3 grants program. These teams, made up Prior to coming to Mercer, Dr. Lackey spent six years at the Tennessee Valley of college students from across the country, Authority as an environmental/chemical engineer, where she conducted both basic are developing sustainable technologies and applied research with emphasis on the mitigation of organic wastes through to solve current environmental and public bioremediation, and two years as an adjunct professor of environmental engineering health challenges. at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Funding for the P3 competition is divided Dr. Lackey earned her Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Ph.D. in into two phases. Teams selected for Phase chemical engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is a registered I awards receive grants of up to $15,000 to professional engineer and a Board Certified Environmental Engineer. fund the proof of concept for their projects, “I am enormously grateful for the opportunities that were offered to me when