Underwood stepping down as Mercer president, will teach at Mercer School of Law

William Underwood announced at a university board meeting Friday that he plans to step down as president of Mercer University, returning to full-time teaching in 2026 at the university’s law school. 

Underwood, the 18th president of Mercer, assumed his role in 2006 after Kirby Godsey had held the office for 27 years, since 1979. Prior to his arrival at Mercer, Underwood acted as interim president at Baylor University. 

Until the Mercer Board of Trustees selects a successor, Underwood will continue to serve as president. Board Chair Thomas Bishop said a committee will be appointed soon to conduct a “national search.”

“I could feel Mercer’s soul the first time I visited campus. Being responsible for the stewardship of this special place — for preserving it for future generations — has been the professional honor of a lifetime,” Underwood said in a release.

At the same meeting, the Board of Trustees relaxed previous university bylaws that required the president and at least half of the 45-member board to be Baptist. 

“The modified bylaws and articles of incorporation adjust the focus from formal Baptist affiliation to a demonstrated commitment to historic Baptist values, including freedom of mind and spirit, the equal worth of all individuals, and service to humankind,” according to the release. 

Candidates for these roles will be considered based on their devotion to those historic Baptist values. 

The new bylaws, which were unanimously approved by the board and Underwood, require the university president to be Christian without restriction on denomination.

While half of the board members needed to be Baptist previously, the update now stipulates that any number may be Baptist as long as there is some Baptist representation. The bylaws continue to require at least one member of each new trustee class be a Baptist clergy member. 

“The number of people in this country who formally identify as Baptists has dropped by millions since I took office in 2006,” Underwood said. “Finding highly qualified board members who hold membership in Baptist churches has become a greater challenge, and as the board begins the search for my successor, it will likely face a similar challenge in identifying qualified presidential candidates who identify as Baptist.”

Underwood is responsible for significant changes to Mercer University and its campuses over the last 19 years. During his tenure, the university’s endowment was more than doubled to nearly $480 million. 

He also oversaw the launch of the second and third medical school campuses in Savannah and Columbus, the Godsey Science Center, the Tattnall Square Center for the Arts, the McDuffie Center for Strings, Five Star Stadium, the Center for Collaborative Journalism and the downtown Macon Mercer Medicine facility.

Underwood received his J.D. from the University of Illinois in 1985 and clerked for Sam D. Johnson of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which covers districts in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. He became a law professor at Baylor University in 1990. Underwood is a tenured professor at the Mercer School of Law.