Celebrating 150 years, Mercer Law School graduated 122 practice-ready lawyers on Saturday, May 13th at Hawkins Arena, with approximately one-third of the class earning their degrees with honors. Within the class, 13 states were represented with the farthest distance being Grass Valley, California. Mercer President William D. Underwood presided over the ceremony with Interim Dean Karen J. Sneddon conferring the degrees. Special recognitions included the George Waldo Woodruff Award of Excellence for the student with the highest grade point average, earned by Jordan Shane Lipp of Pine Mountain Valley, Georgia, and the Reynold J. Kosek, Jr. Excellence in Teaching Award which went to Professor of Law James P. Fleissner. Tomieka R. Daniel, deputy director for Georgia Legal Services served as commencement speaker. Daniel earned her law degree from Mercer Law School in 2002.

Addressing the graduates, President Underwood said, “As a graduate, you are entitled to feel a strong sense of fulfillment as you reflect on your hard work and personal commitment. With each passing year, you will find that memories of your Mercer experiences will grow to mean more to you. As you reflect on the friendships, the learning experiences, the joys and the frustrations of the time you have spent at Mercer, you increasingly will come to realize that the University is a part of your life forever. The measure of a university is not the accolades accumulated from popular college guides and national rankings. The true measure is the transformation our students experience that prepares them to be intelligent, thoughtful, and compassionate leaders who are committed to making a positive difference in their community and the world.”