Webb Honored With Louie D. Newton General Excellence Medal

260

MACON — Christy A. Webb of Waynesboro, Ga., took home more than a bachelor of arts degree from the May 12 commencement at Mercer University. She received the top honor presented to an undergraduate of the university: the Louie D. Newton General Excellence Medal.

The prestigious medal is presented to the graduating student who best exemplifies scholastic achievement, personal integrity and character, service to the campus community and a commitment to spiritual values. The award is named in honor of Dr. Newton, who was a Mercer alumnus and professor, Christian journalist, distinguished pastor and renowned denominational leader.

Ms. Webb is the daughter of Terri Alley of Waynesboro and the granddaughter of Jean and Cecil Davis of Sparta, Ga. She is a 2003 graduate of Burke County High School.

In nominating Ms. Webb, one of her professors said, “I am hard pressed to believe that another member of her class so admirably exemplifies the ideals of intellect, service and character that this award memorializes.”

Graduating summa cum laude, Ms. Webb compiled a 3.929 grade-point average while at Mercer. According to her professors, this high academic average tells only part of the story of her college work. In letters of nomination, they wrote that she performed “brilliantly,” meeting all course requirements punctually and presenting written work that “combined an elegance of style with an intellectual acuity rarely achieved by undergraduate students.” The History Department presented her the Phi Alpha Theta Outstanding History Major award.

Ms. Webb gave generously of her time and talent to the Mercer community during her four years of studies. Actively involved with five different honor societies, she was an officer on several occasions. She served the university as a Mercer Ambassador for special events and functions, as a mentor to her fellow students, as a tutor in the Academic Resource Center for the last three years, as a preceptor in five sections of First Year Seminar for freshmen, and as a peer advisor for two sections of University 101.

Beyond the university community, Ms. Webb served in after-school tutoring programs, was the community outreach coordinator for Baptist Student Union, and twice held the office of philanthropy chair for Phi Eta Sigma, a national honor society for freshmen.

With offers of fellowships and lectureships from three universities, she will begin her fellowship studies next fall at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where she will pursue master’s and doctoral degrees in English.

About Mercer University:
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University has 7,300 students; 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies; major campuses in Macon and Atlanta; four regional academic centers across the state; a university press; two teaching hospitals — Memorial Health University Medical Center and the Medical Center of Central Georgia; educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta; an engineering research center in Warner Robins; a performing arts center in Macon; and a NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit www.mercer.edu.
###