Farrell of Marietta Named Stamps Leadership Scholar by Mercer University

MACON, GA (06/19/2013)(readMedia)--  Mercer University named Joseph Farrell of Marietta one of nine Stamps Leadership Scholars as part of the University's participation in the prestigious Stamps Scholars Program. In addition to Farrell, the recipients included Jeffrey "Brady" Bradshaw of Canton, Katelyn Herman of Landrum, S.C., Colleen "Augusta" Hosmer of Rome, Anna Johnson of Westborough, Mass., Mary Lathem of Covington, Kaydren Orcutt of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., Aaron Scherf of Acworth and Lindsey Theodore of Conyers. The program is funded by the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation Inc.

"Students selected to be a part of the Stamps program are of excellent character and demonstrate the desire to combine research and service learning and to use their gifts and talents to solve many of the world's problems," said Dr. Penny Elkins, senior vice president for enrollment management. "Mercer's mission is to produce graduates who are well-rounded individuals and who will utilize their Mercer education to make substantial and lasting change within their fields of study. We are excited to see what the future holds for these exceptional students."

The nine recipients were chosen from over 300 applicants based on their leadership, scholarship, service and innovation. Farrell, a graduate of Walker School, was one of 50 high school students in the ten-county Atlanta metropolitan area chosen to participate in a youth commission to contribute to the community and leadership skills. He was also a member of his school's Robotic Club. Farrell plans to major in biomedical engineering at Mercer.

The scholarship covers the full cost of attendance, including tuition, fees, room, board and books. In addition, Stamps Leadership Scholars will each receive an iPad and $4,000 enrichment stipend to support activities such as study abroad, undergraduate research, unpaid internships and conference fees.

With the addition of the second class of Stamps Scholars, 14 scholars will be on Mercer's campus next fall. Mercer is one of only 35 universities in the country to participate in the program alongside institutions such as Georgia Institute of Technology, University of California - Los Angeles, University of Notre Dame, Wake Forest University and University of Michigan.

E. Roe Stamps IV, who was raised in Macon and is a graduate of Stratford Academy, and his wife, Penny, established the foundation in part to help exceptional students realize their dream of achieving a college education. Among the alumni of the Stamps Scholars Program are a Rhodes Scholar; graduate students at Emory, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Kansas, the Manhattan School of Music, Michigan, MIT, Oxford, UC-Berkeley and Vanderbilt; and employees at several top consulting firms, BP, Deutsche Bank, GE, Teach For America and the Department of Homeland Security.

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 8,300 students in 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies – on campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah – and four regional academic centers across the state. The Mercer Health Sciences Center launched July 1, 2012, and includes the University's medical, nursing and pharmacy schools and will add a fourth college – the College of Health Professions – on July 1, 2013. Mercer is affiliated with four teaching hospitals - Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, and The Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital in Columbus. The University also has educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta. It 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. www.mercer.edu

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