William D. Underwood
President
Mercer University
William Underwood was appointed as Mercer University’s 18th president in 2006.
During Underwood’s tenure, Mercer’s enrollment has increased by more than 22 percent. The university has also launched medical school campuses in Savannah and Columbus and initiated a number of new graduate programs.
Before joining Mercer, Underwood was interim president at Baylor University, where he held the Leon Jaworski Chair at the Baylor School of Law.
Underwood is an elected member of the American Law Institute and the American Bar Foundation. He practiced law for several years with a prominent law firm in Dallas, Texas.
He was awarded the JD degree summa cum laude by the University of Illinois College of Law.
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