A list of students and alumni of Mercer University, including years attended, compiled from University Catalogs, the Triennial Register, the Cauldron, and other university records.

A list of students and alumni of Mercer University, including years attended, compiled from University Catalogs, the Triennial Register, the Cauldron, and other university records.

Mercer University Macon Campus: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Stetson-Hatcher School of Business, School of Engineering, Tift College of Education, Townsend School of Music, and College of Health Professions 2023-2024 Catalog

CHA’KE’SHA SPENCER YOU CAN’T POUR FROM AN EMPTY CUP: A PHENEMENOLOGICAL STUDY EXPLORING EXPERIENCES OF BLACK COUNSELOR WELLNESS PRACTICES AND BARRIERS TO WELLNESS Under the direction of MORGAN E. K. RIECHEL, PHD Myers et al., (2000) define wellness as “a way of life oriented toward optimal health and well- being in which body, mind, and spirit are integrated by the individual to live more fully within the human and natural community.” Occupational hazards such as burnout, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma and the COVID-19 pandemic may contribute to counselors’ vulnerability regarding a lack of wellness practices (Blount et al., 2016). Black counselors face these risks and unique barriers to wellness such as racial stressors, stigma associated with mental health, and cultural myths and misconceptions around emotional wellness and self-care. The literature is limited regarding wellness models for Black Americans and the theoretical framework for this study does not focus on one model, instead explores several traditional wellness models including those that center cultural relevance. The Strong Black Woman Schema and John Henryism concepts and their relationship to Black counselor wellness practices were also explored. This qualitative study utilized Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to interview 9 practicing master and doctoral level counselors, who practice independently and identify as Black. The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experiences of Black counselors’ wellness practices and possible barriers to wellness. Results indicate that Black counselors are able to define wellness as being holistic, balancing mind, body and spirit and self- care as activities that are enjoyable and promote optimal wellness. Results also indicate that participants acknowledged their history of prioritizing work and family and treating their self- care as an afterthought, which resulted in feelings of exhaustion, guilt, being overwhelmed. Participants admitted that history and cultural beliefs played a role in how they cared for themselves, and they recognized the need for community in their wellness journey.

LEONOR E. STEELE CHRISTOLOGY AS AN AFFIRMATION OF BICULTURAL IDENTITY: TOWARD EMBRACING THE IMAGO DEI IN BICULTURAL PERSONS IN THE UNITED STATES Under the direction of ROB N. NASH, JR., Ph.D. This thesis offers a theological analysis of the nature of Jesus, the profound symbolism of the Eucharist, and the intricate concept of Imago Dei in order to explore the nature of bicultural identity in the United States (U.S.). The thesis opens with an introduction to the topic of social identity and categorization in the U.S. The thesis also analyzes the Council of Chalcedon’s definition of Jesus, offering insights into our understanding of His nature, which is both divine and human. Then, it discusses the significance of the Eucharist or communion, highlighting its central role in Christian worship and its symbolic representation of the sacrifice of Jesus. The Eucharist highlights the dual role of the communion as a foundation of community as well as individual relations with God. Additionally, the study dives into various interpretations of the Imago Dei, a concept deeply embedded in Christian theology that posits that humans are created in the image and likeness of God. The culmination of the study brings together these diverse threads, providing a deeper understanding of bicultural identity through the lens of Christ.

As colleges and universities seek to ensure accommodating academic experiences for all students, it is becoming increasingly clear that the concepts of diversity and disability extend beyond easily identifiable conditions but must also include invisible differences. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of college students with nonidentifiable diversities to determine the extent to which institutions are meeting the full spectrum of students’ needs. Further, the study sought to determine ways in which institutional practices enhance or hinder the academic progress and success of students with nonidentifiable diversities. The research question that guided the study was, “What are the lived experiences of students with nonidentifiable diversities in higher education?” The study was conducted using interpretive phenomenological analysis. The researcher created an informational video outlining the specifics of the study, including the criteria of being at least 18 years of age and having an invisible diversity. From that video, the participants were able to scan a QR code which led them to a prequestionnaire, which signified their interest in the study. Through semi-structured interviews, eight participants revealed memories, perceptions, and insights into their educational experiences in higher education. Following the steps of interpretive phenomenological analysis, the researcher discovered four emergent themes: (a) Managing Invisible Differences, (b) Extrinsic Rejection of Invisible Differences, (c) The Scars of Invisibility, and (d) Creating a Sense of Belonging, which provided insight into how the participants navigated their invisible differences during their higher education experiences. A key implication of this research was the importance of creating an institutional culture rooted in empathy through building relationships and developing positive service quality experiences for students with nonidentifiable diversities. Creating an institutional culture not only enhances the overall educational experience but fosters a sense of belonging and improves academic success measures for students. Additionally, there exist a few gaps in research from the findings that would benefit from further research, including a need for greater comprehension of self-advocacy for students with nonidentifiable diversities along with a need to understand more about campus services and how those services can help promote equity and self-advocacy for students.

A sense of vocational calling to ministry is a primary factor leading seminary students to theological education. Nondenominational students now comprise a significant proportion of enrolled seminary students. This qualitative study used the method of hermeneutic phenomenology to examine the phenomenon of vocational calling within the lived experiences of nondenominational Master of Divinity students. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven participants enrolled at five different seminaries. The data analysis revealed the vocational calling experience to be ontologically transformational in a way that redefined the participants’ relationships, careers, and sense of self. The participants’ deep sense of devotion to their calling can be found in the six essential themes that emerged from the data analysis: a divine call and anti-call; paradoxical devotion; experiential, dialogical, and gradual discernment; portal relationships; seminary as a vocational laboratory; and a destination-less journey. Furthermore, the data analysis revealed that participants experienced a vocational calling concurrently with another life altering event, described in this study as an “ontological trigger.” The results of this study show the need for seminary administrators to consider vocational formation as an essential and formal part of the seminary education, especially for nondenominational students attending denominationally affiliated seminaries. Furthermore, the results demonstrate the diverse experiences that nondenominational students take with them into their seminary education. These diverse experiences offer new opportunities for seminaries to expand their notions of vocation and calling beyond their previously accepted understandings.

The focus of this project thesis is to recruit a group of diverse individuals and build a healthy church leadership team that will be at the forefront of a church plant in Columbus, Georgia. The city of Columbus is deeply stained by the existence of Macon Road, also known as the “Macon-Dixon Line” it serves as a silent and loud reminder of the city’s socioeconomic division. This project is concerned with how Bible studies, prayer walks, and a whole hog barbeque event would affect the church leadership team. The research involves a focus group and qualitative method to determine how all the events help define the qualities and qualifications of a church leadership team member. A moderator was used to conduct the focus group and both pre and post surveys were completed electronically and all participants were anonymous. The data was interpreted using Micro-interlocutor analysis. The results of this project demonstrated that the series of events and whole hog barbeque helped the diverse group of people on the team move from a place of uncertainty about how they understood a church leadership team and the roles in which they could serve to forming succinct clarity about the role of a church leadership team and how their gifts and talents could be used to serve in a role on the leadership team.

Within the past ten to fifteen years, there has been a trend among churches to downsize staff and eliminate the role of “Minister of Education.” With these changes in staff structure, a need has emerged for assistance in evaluating adult educational programming within the church. For this project, a process was developed called the Adult Christian Education (ACE) Tool to be used to evaluate adult Sunday school. This Tool consists of a participant survey, a leader survey, and a series of committee meetings that will guide a committee through the evaluation process. After developing the tool, a committee was established at First Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia, to test the tool. The survey was distributed among adults in the congregation, and the committee met to evaluate the results and make recommendations to church leadership. Once the process was complete, interviews were held with each member of the committee to gain feedback on the ACE Tool itself. This feedback was then used to determine if the process was successful and what changes needed to be made to the tool. The overall results were that the ACE Tool was a useful tool that could be used in a variety of church settings to evaluate Adult Chrisitan Education. Along with these results, it was determined that some changes needed to be made to improve the tool. These changes included changes to both the surveys used as well as the committee meeting process. The surveys need to be adapted and shortened somewhat for use in other contexts. It was also determined that the committee needs additional meeting time in order to discuss the results and recommendations to church leadership. Moving forward, the tool will be adapted and then tested again in two churches with different demographics in order to compare the process. Once these changes have been made, the ACE Tool, including surveys, committee meeting structure, and process guidelines, will be put in a workbook format that can be purchased and used by other churches.

ABSTRACT JULIE DANIELLE EAVENSON NAVIGATING INCLUSION: PERCEPTIONS OF GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHERS ON PREPAREDNESS, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND COLLABORATION Under the direction of ROBERT MARSH, PhD. Historically, diversity and inclusivity in the educational system have only sometimes been as welcoming as today (Boroson, 2017; Osgood, 2005). According to the literature on inclusion in education, several factors have contributed to negative perceptions of students with disabilities participating in general education classrooms (Abawi, 2015; Morgan, 2015; Rotter, 2014; Ware, 2016). In response to an increase of students with disabilities in general education classrooms, researchers have recommended courses for professional development and higher education to support the needs of general education teachers teaching such diverse populations of learners (Zagona et al., 2017). This qualitative study explored the perceptions of general education teachers teaching students with disabilities in general education classrooms. More specifically, this study explored a) perceptions of the impact of inclusion on instructional strategies, (b) perceived level of preparedness to effectively teach students with disabilities, (c) professional development needs of regular education teachers instructing students with disabilities, and (d) collaborative relationships between regular and special educators. This study used critical disability theory as the theoretical framework to understand how a general education teacher’s perception influences their beliefs and practice when teaching students with disabilities in general education classrooms. Twelve general education teachers from the same school district participated in face-to-face interviews and provided two weeks of lesson plans for document analysis. Data was gathered and analyzed using a grounded theory approach, constantly comparing patterns from initial, focused, and theoretical codes. Four theoretical codes emerged from the data: The Odyssey, Maneuvering Diversity, Distress Signals, and Collaboration Beacon. These theoretical codes describe how participants navigate inclusion to serve the needs of all students and the challenges they face with collaborative teaching. The results of this study show that although improvements to inclusive practices have been made, few improvements have been made in preparing general education teachers to teach students with disabilities (Chitiyo, 2017; Gilmour & Wehby, 2019; Robinson et al., 2019). Results from this study revealed that general education teacher’s perceptions of inclusion have a direct impact on their practices and beliefs. Compelled to see all learners succeed, participants overcame challenges and immersed themselves in finding innovative ways to teach students with disabilities. Data from this study showed that most general education teachers are not prepared to know and understand the social, emotional, and cognitive needs of students with disabilities. Participants expressed the critical need for higher education programs to provide courses and field experiences focused on inclusive practices. In addition, the findings of this study indicated that most general education teachers do not participate in professional development opportunities specific to teaching students with disabilities. Participants shared how they repeatedly asked school administrators for professional development focused on providing instruction for students with disabilities, managing challenging behaviors, and collaborative teaching methods. Finally, findings from this study revealed that most general and special education teachers are not using effective co-teaching methods. Barriers such as not having common planning times, balancing heavy caseloads, and accommodating multiple schedules often interfered with the collaborative efforts of general and special education teachers. Based on the findings of this study, future research is needed in school districts across the United States to identify guidelines used when determining the educational placement, instructional accommodations, curriculum modifications, and special education support for a student with a disability. In addition, future research should investigate school districts throughout the United States to determine if general and special education teachers participate in appropriate professional development opportunities focused on effective collaborative teaching, instructional accommodations, and managing challenging behaviors. Lastly, future research should investigate teacher preparation programs to compare and determine if general education and special education preservice teachers receive appropriate training and strategies for instructional planning and managing behaviors of students with disabilities in a general education classroom.