The Mercerian: Why Place Matters
Mercerians are a special kind of people.
They learn how to serve others and solve problems as students, go out into the world as graduates eager to make their mark, and become community leaders and changemakers as alumni.
Behind these accomplished graduates is a place that served as their home away from home as well as a source of inspiration during their journey. In addition to its academic facilities, Mercer has continually invested in outdoor spaces on its campuses because they are a vital component to creating community.
“Having spaces that are designed to bring people together and build community enhances that experience in a way almost nothing else can.”
- Mercer University President William D. Underwood
Over the past few decades, the beauty of the Macon and Atlanta campuses has been enhanced through landscaping and hardscaping projects, and that will continue to be a focus because the setting where Mercerians find themselves and their greatness matters.
“You want college to be a great experience for people,” President William D. Underwood said. “Having spaces that are designed to bring people together and build community enhances that experience in a way almost nothing else can.”
He said the Macon campus was already beautiful when he arrived as Mercer’s 18th president in 2006. Surrounded by long-standing buildings like the R. Kirby Godsey Administration Building and Willingham Hall, the Historic Quad communicated Mercer’s stability, depth, quality and tradition, all of which make people want to be a part of the University community.
That’s why Mercer has held on to its historic buildings, renovating them as necessary, and why new academic facilities have been built to stand the test of time, Underwood said. The state-of-the-art Godsey Science Center is one of the newest additions to the Macon campus and the Moye Pharmacy and Health Sciences Center to the Atlanta campus.
“When [students] leave, we want them to have a lifelong affinity for the place,” he said. “We want them to be able to come back and see places that are familiar, that bring back great memories in their collegiate experience.”
Upon beginning his presidency, Underwood also saw opportunities to make the campus more inviting and leave a better first impression.
“When they come to visit Mercer, especially for the first time, people are excited about seeing the place that they’ve heard about,” he said. “We want there to be a wow factor when people arrive at Mercer, and we think that communicates something about the quality of the institution.”
In Macon, the Mercer University Drive entrance was redesigned to accomplish that and, more recently, a new entrance at the intersection of College Street and Coleman Avenue. An additional entry point on the Atlanta campus was built through the new Mercer Village. All three entrances were designed by Atlanta landscape architecture firm HGOR, which began its work with the University in 2013 with Cruz Plaza.
“Mercer is so nimble at how they approach the implementation of their vision. … It has to be done right. It has to work to improve the pedestrian experience.”
- Todd Fuller, HGOR
This was the most transformative project for the Macon campus, turning an unattractive area with an abandoned street into a vibrant gathering spot for students, Underwood said. The green space created cohesion and completely changed the campus’s look and feel.
“We were so impressed with HGOR that we retained them to do lots of other projects,” said Dr. James Netherton, executive vice president for administration and finance. “Everything they’ve done has helped make the campus more beautiful.”
HGOR’s unique philosophy considers the social, economic and environmental aspects of a design, said Todd Fuller, principal architect. The firm aims to create outside spaces that support community, sustainability and stewardship, while also keeping in mind the fiscal decisions and challenges that institutions face.
“Mercer is so nimble at how they approach the implementation of their vision,” Fuller said. “We know from working with Mercer over the series of 12 years that there are important values and missions that our designs have to fulfill. It has to be done right. It has to work to improve the pedestrian experience.”
Since it started working with Mercer, HGOR’s designs have removed 3,000 linear feet — or roughly 2/3 of a mile — of roadway on the Macon campus, which is a testament to the University’s commitment to the pedestrian experience, Fuller said. Open outdoor spaces facilitate shared experiences with others and end up being the most memorable locations when people reflect back on their college years.
“When you’re inside a building, that building can be anywhere in the world,” Fuller said. “When you’re outside, the ecosystem, the weather, the unique topography of the land, the views you have really define what is truly unique in that sense of place. It’s the unique opportunity to set the placemaking aspects of being on a college campus and at Mercer University apart, versus the interior construction projects or the buildings.”
Hardscape and landscape projects help tie together the different architectural elements of a campus and smooth out the rough edges, Fuller said. The funds in these projects often have an outsized impact.
“It’s a lot more cost-effective in terms of an investment to transform a campus, and I think some of the things we’ve done on campus have helped to create a cohesive sense of place,” Fuller said. “There’s a lot of great aspects of investing in a hardscape landscape project that can really kind of be a multiplier for other things that are happening on campus otherwise.”
Another major transformation on the Macon campus came with the construction of College Street Plaza, an area with green space and brick pavers in front of Connell Student Center, Dr. Netherton said. This plaza, completed in spring 2024, eliminated College Street parking and created a second large gathering spot on campus.
Small changes can also have a big impact on the functionality and flow of a college campus, Dr. Netherton said. As part of the renovations at Wiggs Hall, the building’s front porch was extended, creating a more attractive entrance as well as a place for people to congregate. Projects like the Phi Beta Kappa Plaza and Newton Plaza have provided more intimate areas for students to study and join in fellowship, Underwood said. In addition, a smaller green space was created where the old Computer Science Building once stood.
On the south side of campus, the M. Diane Owens Garden paired function and beauty by creating a needed detention pond as well as a quiet sitting area, Fuller said.
Beautification projects on the Atlanta campus — located in a large, forested area — have been a priority for the University in recent years. With retail and residential elements, Mercer Village in Atlanta has created more opportunities for students to build community. The Administration and Conference Center was redesigned to feature attractive landscaping and additional outdoor meeting spots.
“HGOR took the space around the building that nobody ever used and completely redid it,” Dr. Netherton said. “We turned it into a place of beauty that functions well.”
In addition, 11 acres of campus were touched through the project that constructed the Moye Pharmacy and Health Sciences Center, which opened in 2023, Fuller said.
“It really started to formalize meaningful connections and place-making components of that campus,” he said. “Through the master-planning vision that we’ve done with the University, that campus has the potential of being built out to the same level as the Macon campus. From the hardscape/landscape scope, the improvements of the open space really have the opportunity of tying the Mercer brand and the Mercer character together.”
Those outdoor spaces and components are beneficial to everyone who comes to Mercer, whether they’re prospective students, current students, alumni or community members.
“Beauty in the world is important. Mercer students who come through here will learn to appreciate how this campus is laid out, the beauty, the functionality,” Dr. Netherton said. “Those students will then go on and at some point, they’ll be leaders in their local communities, and some of them will be in a position to bring greater beauty and greater functionality to things going on in other locations.”
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Photographers: Bekah Howard, Christopher Ian Smith, Jamie Tucker, Matt Smith, Jamie Tucker, Leah Yetter
