Academic Excellence
Delivers quality educational programs through qualified faculty, rigorous curricula, and effective teaching methodologies supporting student learning.
Governing body of Baptist-affiliated private university in Georgia
About Organization
Based in Macon, GA, The Corporation of Mercer University governs a comprehensive private university offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. Founded in 1833, the institution reported $474.8 million in revenue for 2023, educating students across multiple campuses in liberal arts, sciences, business, engineering, medicine, law, and theology with Baptist heritage and commitment to service.
Academic Excellence
Delivers quality educational programs through qualified faculty, rigorous curricula, and effective teaching methodologies supporting student learning.
Student Success
Supports student achievement through comprehensive services including advising, tutoring, counseling, and resources facilitating completion.
Community Impact
Engages with community through partnerships, outreach programs, and educational initiatives contributing to regional development.
Form 990 data showing organizational financial health and growth.
Revenue (2021)
$477.2M
+7.7% vs 2021
Assets (2021)
$1.0B
+7.1% vs 2021
| Year | Revenue | Expenses | Assets | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | — | — | — | — |
| 2021 | $443,031,895 | $417,045,694 | $969,819,190 | 4,526 |
| 2020 | — | — | — | — |
| 2020 | $444,048,225 | $389,289,694 | $975,470,567 | 4,388 |
| 2019 | $406,533,025 | $378,383,886 | $834,032,550 | 4,641 |
| 2018 | $396,023,419 | $370,516,792 | $808,696,382 | 4,545 |
| 2017 | $376,143,289 | $352,944,856 | $743,858,053 | 4,403 |
Source: IRS Form 990 filings. All figures in USD.
Recruit and admit students seeking educational opportunities aligned with institutional academic offerings and mission.
Provide quality teaching through qualified faculty using effective pedagogical approaches and educational resources.
Offer student services, tutoring, advising, and resources facilitating academic success and personal development.
Evaluate student learning, program effectiveness, and institutional performance to ensure educational quality.
Services and programs offered by The Corporation Of Mercer University
Delivers courses, degree programs, and educational curricula supporting student learning and credential attainment.
Provides support services including advising, tutoring, counseling, and resources facilitating student success.
Supports instructor professional growth through training, resources, and programs enhancing teaching effectiveness.
Connects institution with community through partnerships, outreach programs, and collaborative educational initiatives.
Meet the people behind The Corporation Of Mercer University.
1950
1950
Established to provide educational opportunities and academic programs serving student learning needs.
2024
2024
Operating with $477.2M in revenue and 0 staff delivering educational programs.
Board members, advisors, and key contributors
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Information compiled from IRS Form 990 and organizational materials.
Top compensated officers & key employees from IRS Form 990
Total Reported (2021)
$5.5M
Highest Paid
$551K
John Hawkins
Compensated Officers
15
| Name | Title | Base | Other | Total | Hrs/Wk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Hawkins | Associate Professor | $492,080 | $58,515 | $550,595 | 40 |
| William Underwood | President/Professor Of Law | $463,038 | $57,952 | $520,990 | 40 |
| Jean Sumner | Dean/Professor | $427,489 | $52,224 | $479,713 | 40 |
| James Netherton | EXEC VP - Admin & Finance | $336,579 | $57,270 | $393,849 | 40 |
| David Davis | Provost/Professor | $318,382 | $72,532 | $390,914 | 40 |
| Edwin Grimsley | Senior Associate Dean, Macon | $299,049 | $51,315 | $350,364 | 40 |
| Maurice Solis | Professor | $297,810 | $45,155 | $342,965 | 40 |
| Penny Elkins | SR VP - Enrollment MGMT | $287,867 | $47,455 | $335,322 | 40 |
| John Patterson | SR VP - Univ Advancement | $264,059 | $67,079 | $331,138 | 40 |
| Lera Cox | Adjunct | $282,882 | $47,861 | $330,743 | 40 |
| Gregory Gary | Head Men'S Basketball Coach | $292,500 | $14,446 | $306,946 | 40 |
| Andrea Mitchell | Executive Director | $247,286 | $51,689 | $298,975 | 40 |
| William Solomon IV | SR VP & General Counsel | $239,104 | $52,748 | $291,852 | 40 |
| Kellie Appel | SR VP - Strategic Initiati | $232,781 | $53,566 | $286,347 | 40 |
| Larry Brumley | SR VP - Marketing COMM | $246,709 | $28,029 | $274,738 | 40 |
| Name | Title | Base | Other | Total | Hrs/Wk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Hawkins | Associate Professor | $492,419 | $49,972 | $542,391 | 55 |
| Jean Sumner | Dean/Professor | $419,438 | $44,232 | $463,670 | 55 |
| Lera Cox | Adjunct | $368,594 | $49,997 | $418,591 | 55 |
| William Underwood | President/Professor Of Law | $339,589 | $49,998 | $389,587 | 55 |
| James Netherton | EXEC VP - Admin & Finance | $332,393 | $49,998 | $382,391 | 55 |
| David Davis | Provost/Professor | $313,826 | $55,305 | $369,131 | 55 |
| Julian Hutchins | Medical Lab DIR/ASST Profe | $301,807 | $49,209 | $351,016 | 55 |
| John King JR | Professor | $300,313 | $35,123 | $335,436 | 55 |
| Penny Elkins | SR VP - Enrollment MGMT | $283,169 | $48,603 | $331,772 | 55 |
| John Patterson | SR VP - Univ Advancement | $259,076 | $51,265 | $310,341 | 55 |
| Andrea Mitchell | Executive Director | $248,354 | $47,524 | $295,878 | 55 |
| William Solomon IV | SR VP & General Counsel | $246,860 | $46,981 | $293,841 | 55 |
| Gary Gregory | Head Men'S Basketball Coach | $289,167 | $1,021 | $290,188 | 55 |
| Larry Brumley | SR VP - Marketing COMM | $238,823 | $41,973 | $280,796 | 55 |
| Kellie Appel | SR VP - Strategic Initiati | $230,202 | $38,089 | $268,291 | 55 |
| Name | Title | Base | Other | Total | Hrs/Wk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Hawkins | Associate Professor | $492,756 | $63,801 | $556,557 | 55 |
| Jean Sumner | Dean/Professor | $411,566 | $58,023 | $469,589 | 55 |
| Lera Cox | Dean/Professor | $368,736 | $63,801 | $432,537 | 55 |
| William Underwood | President/Professor Of Law | $344,179 | $63,711 | $407,890 | 55 |
| James Netherton | EXEC VP - Admin & Finance | $327,731 | $63,803 | $391,534 | 55 |
| Julian Hutchins | Medical Lab DIR/ASST Professor | $316,803 | $74,449 | $391,252 | 55 |
| David Davis | Provost/Professor | $310,423 | $78,368 | $388,791 | 55 |
| John King JR | Professor | $305,064 | $49,390 | $354,454 | 55 |
| Jeffrey Stephens | Medical DIR/Chair Of Int MED | $280,242 | $70,696 | $350,938 | 55 |
| John Patterson | SR VP - Univ Advancement | $263,036 | $72,406 | $335,442 | 55 |
| Penny Elkins | SR VP - Enrollment MGMT/Prof | $278,268 | $55,699 | $333,967 | 55 |
| William Solomon IV | SR VP & General Counsel | $244,198 | $61,268 | $305,466 | 55 |
| Andrea Mitchell | Executive Director | $238,851 | $60,842 | $299,693 | 55 |
| Larry Brumley | SR VP - Marketing COMM | $235,865 | $57,534 | $293,399 | 55 |
| Kellie Appel | SR VP - Strategic Initiatives | $225,680 | $60,323 | $286,003 | 55 |
| Name | Title | Base | Other | Total | Hrs/Wk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Hawkins | Associate Professor | $493,001 | $60,653 | $553,654 | 55 |
| Jean Sumner | Dean/Professor | $399,526 | $54,743 | $454,269 | 55 |
| Lera Cox | Dean/Professor | $370,006 | $59,712 | $429,718 | 55 |
| William Underwood | President/Professor Of Law | $362,097 | $61,607 | $423,704 | 55 |
| James Hoffman | Head Men'S Basketball Coach | $317,077 | $74,534 | $391,611 | 55 |
| James Netherton | EXEC VP-Admin & Fin. | $318,901 | $60,703 | $379,604 | 55 |
| David Davis | Provost/Professor | $304,221 | $73,488 | $377,709 | 55 |
| Julian Hutchins | Lab MGMT Ptr & DIR | $300,652 | $61,976 | $362,628 | 55 |
| Gary Dent | Dean Of Strategy | $307,078 | $40,748 | $347,826 | 55 |
| John King JR | Professor | $311,902 | $28,900 | $340,802 | 55 |
| Penny Elkins | SR VP - Enrollment MGMT/Prof. | $270,528 | $53,625 | $324,153 | 55 |
| John Patterson | SR VP-Univ Adv. | $250,028 | $68,745 | $318,773 | 55 |
| William Solomon IV | SR VP-General Counsel | $238,568 | $57,543 | $296,111 | 55 |
| Andrea Mitchell | Executive Director | $233,758 | $57,716 | $291,474 | 55 |
| Larry Brumley | SR VP - Mkting COMM | $230,646 | $54,450 | $285,096 | 55 |
| Name | Title | Base | Other | Total | Hrs/Wk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Hawkins | Associate Professor | $494,496 | $56,350 | $550,846 | 55 |
| Jean Sumner | Dean/Professor | $395,696 | $29,350 | $425,046 | 55 |
| William Underwood | President/Professor Of Law | $347,339 | $67,670 | $415,009 | 55 |
| James Hoffman | Head Men'S Basketball Coach | $315,449 | $72,559 | $388,008 | 55 |
| James Netherton | EXEC VP-Admin & Fin. | $315,146 | $59,000 | $374,146 | 55 |
| David Davis | Provost/Professor | $300,197 | $71,303 | $371,500 | 55 |
| Jeffrey Stephens | Professor/Chair-Internal MED. | $287,353 | $65,284 | $352,637 | 55 |
| William Bina | Professor | $292,189 | $57,875 | $350,064 | 55 |
| Daisy Floyd | Professor | $297,877 | $47,826 | $345,703 | 55 |
| David Barwick | Business Development Staff | $256,097 | $65,285 | $321,382 | 55 |
| Penny Elkins | SR VP - Enrollment MGMT/Prof. | $267,716 | $52,388 | $320,104 | 55 |
| John Patterson | SR VP-Univ. Adv. | $243,876 | $66,570 | $310,446 | 55 |
| William Solomon IV | SR VP-General Counsel | $236,238 | $56,140 | $292,378 | 55 |
| Andrea Mitchell | Executive Director | $226,832 | $55,795 | $282,627 | 55 |
| Larry Brumley | SR VP - Mkting COMM | $225,330 | $52,748 | $278,078 | 55 |
Source: IRS Form 990 filings. Compensation includes base and other reported compensation.
Grant funding relationships from IRS Form 990 filings
Source: IRS Form 990 Schedule I filings. Amounts may span multiple tax years.
Government awards and grants from USAspending.gov
| Agency | Award ID | Type | Period | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education | P063P240087 | DIRECT PAYMENT FOR SPECIFIED USE, AS A SUBSIDY OR OTHER NON-REIMBURSABLE DIRECT FINANCIAL AID (C) | 2024-2030 | $12,313,407 |
| HHS | H4932732 | PROJECT GRANT (B) | 2019-2029 | $6,988,466 |
| Education | P063P250087 | DIRECT PAYMENT FOR SPECIFIED USE, AS A SUBSIDY OR OTHER NON-REIMBURSABLE DIRECT FINANCIAL AID (C) | 2025-2031 | $5,324,593 |
| HHS | D4045679 | PROJECT GRANT (B) | 2022-2025 | $1,312,053 |
| HHS | R15HL138603 | PROJECT GRANT (B) | 2017-2022 | $887,160 |
| HHS | P1345796 | PROJECT GRANT (B) | 2022-2025 | $750,000 |
| HHS | R01HL167926 | PROJECT GRANT (B) | 2024-2029 | $657,602 |
| HHS | K01DA055068 | PROJECT GRANT (B) | 2022-2027 | $626,685 |
| HHS | R15AI176177 | PROJECT GRANT (B) | 2024-2027 | $429,545 |
| HHS | R15HL156138 | PROJECT GRANT (B) | 2021-2025 | $424,500 |
| HHS | R15NS118352 | PROJECT GRANT (B) | 2020-2023 | $424,499 |
| HHS | R21DA061097 | PROJECT GRANT (B) | 2024-2026 | $387,750 |
| HHS | R21GM155785 | PROJECT GRANT (B) | 2024-2026 | $387,723 |
| HHS | G08LM014104 | PROJECT GRANT (B) | 2022-2025 | $380,911 |
| HHS | R15AI152023 | PROJECT GRANT (B) | 2020-2024 | $339,592 |
| HHS | G3950220 | PROJECT GRANT (B) | 2023-2024 | $238,905 |
| USDA | CLSS00000075515 | PROJECT GRANT (B) | 2023-2025 | $224,500 |
| Education | P379T260087 | DIRECT PAYMENT FOR SPECIFIED USE, AS A SUBSIDY OR OTHER NON-REIMBURSABLE DIRECT FINANCIAL AID (C) | 2025-2046 | $139,092 |
| HHS | P1053114 | PROJECT GRANT (B) | 2024-2025 | $99,994 |
| NASA | 80NSSC24K1453 | PROJECT GRANT (B) | 2025-2026 | $99,914 |
+ 1 more awards
Source: USAspending.gov. Amounts represent total federal obligations.
Get in touch with The Corporation Of Mercer University