Lt. Col. James Mercer US Army (Ret.)
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – Lt. Col. James Mercer, US Army (Ret.) was recently named as one of twelve to be inducted into the 2018 Twin County Hall of Fame. He will be honored during the 15th Annual Induction Banquet at the Rocky Mount Event Center on Thursday, November 8, 2018.
Mercer is currently the Director of Military Studies at NC Wesleyan University and also coordinates the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program for the college. Lt. Col. James Mercer was born in Edgecombe County and raised in Nash County. He joined the US Army after graduating from North Edgecombe High School. He retired with 30 years of military service in the US Army, US Army Reserve and the Army National Guard. During his distinguished civilian career, he served in multiple roles including: police officer and firefighter for the City of Rocky Mount, Deputy Fire Marshal for Nash County Emergency Services, Public Safety Instructor at Nash and Edgecombe Community Colleges, Director of Public Safety Training for Nash Community College, Director of Emergency Management and Fire Marshal for Edgecombe County, Director of Emergency Management for Fayetteville State University and later for the City of Raleigh, where he retired in 2012.
“This is a big deal for me and pretty cool, I must say. What an incredible honor it is to be recognized by my community. I want to thank all those who mentored me, impacted me and helped me along the way. It was a village that got Lt. Col. (Ret) James Mercer from Battleboro, North Carolina, to where I am today,” stated Mercer.
The Twin County Museum and Hall of Fame’s mission is to celebrate the history, culture, people and accomplishments of Edgecombe and Nash counties in eastern North Carolina. For more information about the Twin County Hall of Fame and for tickets to the 15th Annual Induction Banquet, visit www.tchof.org.
NCWC Named “Military Friendly” Again in 2018
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA— For the fifth consecutive year, North Carolina Wesleyan University has been named a Military Friendly School by Victory Media. This year, the college was awarded the Bronze Designation. Bronze Award winners have programs that scored within 40 percent of the 10th-ranked institution within a given category.
“At Wesleyan, we are committed to serving our active military, veterans, and their families,” commented President Dewey Clark, “We want to do our part in helping make college affordable and attainable.”
Wesleyan offers a 10% discount on tuition to all active duty military students, veterans and their spouses.”
Victory Media’s “military friendly” designation places Wesleyan in the top 15 percent of schools nationwide that are embracing military service members, veterans and spouses to ensure their success on campus. Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey completed by the school. For the first time, student survey data was taken into consideration for the designation. More than 1,300 schools participated in the 2017-2018 survey with 849 earning the designation. Victory Media’s Chief Product Officer Daniel Nichols stated, “Our ability to apply a clear, consistent standard to colleges creates a competitive atmosphere that encourages colleges to invest in programs to provide educational outcomes that are better for veterans.”
Wesleyan offers students a program in Military Science (ROTC–Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) that combines college courses with summer training sessions to prepare students who show potential to serve as commissioned officers in the Army, Army Reserve, or the Army National Guard. U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, James Mercer heads Wesleyan’s Army ROTC program. He is a 25-year highly decorated Army veteran and public safety program professional who has worked for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FEMA and as the Director of Emergency Management Services for the City of Raleigh.
LTC James Mercer USA (Ret) stated “The NCWC ROTC’s aim is to develop student leadership skills, provide an understanding of military customs and traditions, and offer students’ excellent ways to jumpstart their military or civilian careers.”
Enrollment in ROTC is open to all Wesleyan students, including those at the community colleges that participate in a Comprehensive Articulation Agreement with NC Wesleyan University.
A complete list of the 2017-2018 Military Friendly® Schools can be found at www.militaryfriendly.com. More information on Wesleyan can be found at ncwu.edu. Contact ROTC@ncwu.eduor 252-985-5340 or more information on the NCWC ROTC program.
