MACON –Mercer University will host the annual meeting of the Consortium for Global Education today through Friday on the Macon campus. The Consortium is made up of 41 Baptist-heritage universities and colleges around the country, as well as an assortment of international partners. Organizers expect the meeting to draw more than 150 people.
The event opens with a reception tonight, with a number of presentations and plenary sessions throughout the day Thursday and on Friday morning. Speakers include Mercer President William D. Underwood, who will give a presentation about Mercer On Mission on Thursday morning. Other presenters include: Dr. Diego Quiroga, vice president of the University San Francisco Quito in Ecuador; Dr. John Knapp, director of Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership at Samford University; Dr. Rami Gammoh, the Jordanian Director from Consortium for Global Education Jordan; and Patrick Cosh, International Officer from Cardiff University. In addition, Dr. Chinda Tejavanika, dean of Sripatum International College, will speak about the new Consortium for Global Education Thailand Center Program.
In addition to President Underwood’s presentation, several other Mercer faculty and staff members will also present, including the Rev. Dr. Craig McMahan, university minister and dean of chapel, who will also give a separate presentation about Mercer On Mission. Dr. Scott Walker, director of Mercer’s Institute of Life Purpose and senior lecturer, will give a presentation about the ServiceFirst program. Dr. Eric Spears, director of international programs and studies abroad, and Julie Strecker, coordinator of international students and scholar services, who will present on study abroad and international student safety management.
Presentations will focus on benefits that the Consortium for Global Education provides to each attendee’s international program. Breakout sessions will include experts sharing information about issues such as “Study Abroad 101: What’s New, What’s Successful, What’s the Market; What’s the Planning Strategy for Students; Safety Management for Faculty and Students; Changing Trends for the “International College”: Integration and Networking Study Abroad; and Trends in Service Learning.
About Mercer University
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University enrolls more than 8,200 students in 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies – on major campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah and at four regional academic centers across the state. Mercer is affiliated with two teaching hospitals — Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah and the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, and has educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta. The University operates an academic press and a performing arts center in Macon and an engineering research center in Warner Robins. Mercer is the only private university in Georgia to field an NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit www.mercer.edu.
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