Manning has overseen 15 years of institutional growth and transformation for Stevenson University. After assuming the presidency of Villa Julie College in 2000, he took steps to establish a strategic plan for the institution, instituted its first faculty governance plan, developed its first formal capital campaign strategy, and enhanced its reputation through marketing and public relations.[1] He also expanded its board of trustees and established the college's first President's Advisory Council. He led the institution through its transition to university status and its name change to Stevenson University in June 2008.[1]
In December 2011, the Chronicle of Higher Education listed Manning among the highest-paid college presidents in the country based on his 2009 salary of $1,493,655, although nearly two-thirds of the salary was a one-time deferred compensation payment accumulated during his first nine years as president of Stevenson. Manning's salary that year represented almost 2 percent of Stevenson's budget and was 16.1 times the university's average faculty salary of $92,500.[3]
Manning has spent his career focused on what constitutes effective learning. He has spoken and written frequently about the effectiveness of education for career preparation and on the use of theory, practice, and mentoring as effective forms of training.[1] In 2001, he introduced to Stevenson the concept of Career Architecture, a process to help address the skills and tools students will need to determine their individual strengths and interests for the best potential for career success. Manning encouraged the development of study abroad, experiential learning, and service learning at Stevenson.[1]
In 2004, Manning established the institution's second campus in Owings Mills, Maryland, a move critical to transitioning the former commuter college into a residential university.[4] Manning has focused on growing the 100-plus acre Owings Mills campus by adding additional residences, a student community center, a dining and student center, the Brown School of Business and Leadership, the Caves Sports and Wellness Center, a Gymnasium, and Mustang Stadium to host the university's field sports. In 2009, he announced that Stevenson would be adding football to its roster of NCAA Division III sports programs.[5] In November 2011, Manning oversaw the purchase of the Shire Plc property in Owings Mills, Maryland, which increased the Owings Mills campus by 29 acres of land and 170,000 square feet of laboratory, classroom, and office space.[6]
In addition to facilities, Manning has focused on adding undergraduate academic programs that enhance the university's career-focused mission as well as expanding Stevenson's School of Graduate and Professional Studies, which offers onsite and online bachelor's and master's degrees in areas such as nursing, healthcare management, cyber forensics, forensic studies, forensic science, criminal justice, business and technology management, and paralegal studies. In March 2009, Manning approved a university restructuring plan for the formal creation of the university's six schools led by deans: the Brown School of Business and leadership; the School of Design; the School of Education; the School of Humanities and Social Sciences; the School of the Sciences; and the School of Graduate and Professional Studies.
Manning's presidency has played a pivotal role in building Stevenson University's reputation as a national leader in career education.[1] U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges ranking named Stevenson a “Best Value” college in 2005. Stevenson was named one of the nation's “Up-and-Coming Schools” in the 2012 edition of America's Best Colleges.
