MACON, Ga. — Mercer University has welcomed a record-breaking freshman class of more than 1,000 students.
This Friday and Saturday, these students and their parents will move into their dorms for the fall semester.
To make it easier on the students and their families, volunteers, alumni, faculty and even staff helped students move in by carrying boxes and helping with paperwork. All to reassure the students and get them acquainted with Mercer's campus.
"I think every student that I've met today feels the welcoming spirit of Mercer," Chris Pinto, the Director of Undergraduate Admissions said. "All of our alumni, faculty, staff, and current students know what a transformational place this is for them and they want to share that experience with the future generations."
Pinto emphasizes the role of service at Mercer.
"We want to help equip students and change the lives of students so they can change the lives of others," Pinto said. "It’s a very very service-oriented community, and we’re excited to welcome these students.”
When it comes to the Macon campus' admission numbers, Pinto said Mercer's residential undergraduate program has roughly 3,400 students.
In the previous years, the freshman class size has been around 900, but now they’re breaking a thousand students.
The Giddens family road-tripped from Valdosta to Macon to get new Mercerian Scott Giddens acquainted with his new home away from home.
“I figured this would be the best spot to get a degree first instead of going to a larger university,” Scott said.
The size of the campus is a bonus to Scott, and he likes how Mercer values the student-to-teacher ratio.
“There many colleges that you can pick, but most of them are bigger schools," Giddens said. "If you came here to Mercer, there’d only be 40 students in your class which gives you a lot of time to establish a one-on-one relationship with your professor.”
As a proud parent, Donna Giddens is looking forward to her son’s start to life and the growth of Mercer.
“There’s a lot of positive energy, a lot of excitement," Giddens said. "There’s a lot going on here, you can see the investment back in the university. It makes me very proud that he chose Mercer”
Looking forward to the class of 2027, the faculty and staff at Mercer aim to be the best resource to the students.
“This year we really just want to get to know them,” Pinto said. "We want to help them figure out what their passions are, what their hopes and dreams are and how can we at the university align them with their long-term goals."
Classes start on Tuesday, Aug. 22 for the Mercer University Bears.