Dr. Richard Swindle, who served Mercer University for nearly three decades, is recognized for his leadership and administrative contributions to the institution. Swindle’s career at Mercer began in 1979 when he joined as director of admissions for the Atlanta campus. Over the years, he held multiple roles on both the Macon and Atlanta campuses, including associate provost, special assistant to the president, assistant vice president for development, and associate vice president for university relations, alumni and development.
Before joining Mercer, Swindle worked at Samford University as director of admissions and associate dean of admissions. He also served eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, achieving the rank of captain.
In 1996, Swindle left Mercer to become senior vice president for institutional advancement at Franklin College in Indiana but returned in 2003 to serve as senior vice president – Atlanta. In this position, he acted as chief administrator of the Atlanta campus and regional academic centers while also teaching in the College of Education. For two years, he managed dual responsibilities as senior vice president of both the Atlanta campus and university advancement.
Swindle retired from Mercer in 2015 but continued teaching courses part-time in the College of Education. He maintains an office on the Atlanta campus where he is working on a book about its history. Additionally, he serves as president of the Board of Managers of the American Baptist Historical Society based on Mercer’s Atlanta campus.
Reflecting on his time at Mercer upon retirement in 2015, Swindle said: “I consider Mercer my career home, and I am very grateful for the incredible experiences I have had at this remarkable institution. I cannot imagine being at an institution which could offer more diverse and interesting opportunities and challenges.”
Mercer Chancellor Dr. R. Kirby Godsey commented on Swindle’s impact: “Few individuals within the University have been more broadly involved in the administrative and educational leadership of the University than Richard Swindle. He has been an able and effective teacher, but his tenure will likely be defined by the character of his engagement with a diverse range of administrative responsibilities. Richard has been a close and insightful counselor to college and university presidents. He engaged the hearts and minds and resources of donors and potential donors, and he guided the affairs of Mercer’s Atlanta campus with consistent wisdom and good judgment. Richard Swindle should be in the ‘Hall of Fame’ of university administrators.”
Swindle continues to reside in Atlanta with his wife Dorothy; they have two daughters and four grandchildren.
