The Engaged University:
Symposia, Conferences, and Lectures

STOP Conference—March 19-20, 2009
S.T.O.P. began in a first year seminar class called “Engaging the World.” While writing their research essays on contemporary ethics and justice, students started asking questions about the many spas and spa billboards dotting Macon’s landscape.  They soon joined ranks with members of Baptist Collegiate Ministries and Women’s and Gender students enrolled in a course devoted to violence against women.  At the end of spring semester 2008, this diverse coalition of students formed S.T.O.P. (Sex Trafficking Opposition Project): middle-Georgia’s first anti-trafficking group.  They resolved to bring a conference to Mercer, and they set out to raise awareness about sex trafficking.

Caring for Creation—
February 23-24, 2009
Mercer's Atlanta Campus, in partnership with Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment, hosted a multidisciplinary conference to explore the ethics of climate change. Topics at this conference included national and international policy, greening the campus, climate and human health, sustainable agriculture, local policy, climate science, and religious and ethical issues.

Next Steps Toward the Beloved Community —February 17-18, 2009
The Fifth Annual Building the Beloved Community Symposium, sponsored by Mercer University’s Mercer Commons, featured two noted pastors and authors to "celebrate the more notable accomplishments in interracial community-building among our churches and thereby rekindle the vision Dr. King had of a new reign of justice and harmony."

Second Annual President's Lecture Series featuring Jimmy Carter—
October 23, 2008
President Jimmy Carter called on the next administration of the United States to restore human rights as a national priority. Carter spoke from the themes of his best-selling book, Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis. He chose one endangered value in particular — human rights — saying that there has been a deviation “from what Christ taught and what our national policies have become.”

National Summit on Torture— September 11, 2008
Mercer co-sponsored the two-day meeting, titled "Religious Faith, Torture, and Our National Soul" with Evangelicals for Human Rights and 13 other organizations represented by three major faith groups. See the follow-up article for more information on the summit. Also, refer to the article about a poll released at the summit that discusses the results of the influence of faith and the Golden Rule.

National Identity and the Future of Democracy —Fall 2008-Spring 2009
Mercer University’s 10th Annual College of Liberal Arts Lecture Series, which began in September 2008, centered on the theme of “National Identity and the Future of Democracy: Immigration and its Consequences.” The Department of Political Science sponsored the six-lecture series, which featured professors from inside and outside of Mercer speaking on a diverse array of topics related to the theme.

Rev. Dr. Anthony Campolo delivered two addresses at Mercer —September 18-19, 2007
Prominent evangelical scholar Anthony Campolo, Ph.D. delivered two addresses to Mercer called "A Call to Serve" and "A Faith that Works." Through his EAPE ministry, Campolo has worked to create, nurture and support programs for “at-risk” children in cities across North America, and has helped establish schools and universities in several developing countries.

Caring for God's "Green" Earth—Fall 2007-Spring 2008
Mercer University’s Department of Political Science began its Ninth Annual College of Liberal Arts Lecture Series in September 2007. This year's theme is "Caring for God's 'Green' Earth: the Politics of Energy (In) Dependence and Global Warming."

Dr. Francis Collins addressed the Mercer community in the inaugural President's Lecture—April 2, 2007
Through a careful examination of the evidence found in his own scientific research and a reasoned examination of his own faith, Dr. Collins concludes that faith in God and faith in science can be harmonious. This lecture series brings leading thinkers to Mercer whose ideas and viewpoints intersect with the University's mission as a faith-based institution of higher learning.

Women, Power, and Politics—Fall 2006-Spring 2007
Mercer University's Department of Political Science began its Eighth Annual College of Liberal Arts Lecture Series in September 2006. This year's theme is "Women, Power, and Politics," and will feature professors from across the University.

Professionalism and Vocation Across the Professions—November 17-18, 2005
Mercer held a symposium featuring Dr. William M. Sullivan, senior scholar at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. This event was one of the first QEP co-sponsored events, which focused on raising awareness of how professionalism and vocation are understood in various professional fields and how they are promoted during the educational process.

Guided Reflection: A Strategy for Learning and Assessment—October 5-8, 2005
Patti Clayton traveled to Mercer's Atlanta, Henry County, and Macon campuses to speak on the use of guided reflection as a learning and assessment strategy. This event served as the first QEP-related programs.