News

Manor College has recently been welcomed into the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), a national organization for the intercollegiate athletic programs of community, junior, and small colleges across the United States. Manor has previously been a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and will remain in that association for men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field.  Manor’s acceptance into the USCAA will allow junior and senior students to play on the College’s athletic teams. In the past, athletes had to transfer to another school to continue playing their sport of choice.  Eight sports will compete in the USCAA: baseball, men and women’s basketball, men and women’s cross country, men and women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball.  John Dempster, Manor College’s Athletic Director stated, “I am absolutely thrilled to continue our athletic journey with the USCAA.  Being in his conference gives our athletes the opportunity to stay right where they want to be and that is here at Manor College.  This move is historical for the college as our upperclassmen can now compete athletically while working toward their bachelor’s degree which is our ultimate goal.” Shawn Wood, a current student stated, “I’m really looking forward to my second year playing soccer here at Manor and having such an amazing coach and Athletic Director like John Dempster who gives a fair chance to every player here. I’m looking forward to being able to mentor incoming students in the future.”  The Athletic Department and the entire Manor College Community is thrilled about this exciting news! To learn more about athletics at Manor College, visit manorbluejays.com. 

Manor College has recently signed a Dual Enrollment Agreement with Archbishop Wood High School.  Through this partnership, senior students enrolled at Archbishop Wood can earn college credits while still in high school. Earning college credits while in high school allows students to get ahead while also saving money—setting them up to graduate with less debt.  Gary V. Zimmaro Sr, President of Archbishop Wood High School, stated, “Archbishop Wood is looking forward to a long partnership with Manor College. We believe that the partnership will enhance the academic program at Archbishop Wood and open many new doors for our students. Many new ideas will be shared as our relationship evolves.” “Manor College is excited to expand our High School Dual Enrollment Program with Archbishop Wood. The program has been a great opportunity for High School students to start their pathways into college degrees in Business, Criminal Justice, and Computer Science. The partnership with Wood is our first High School Partnership with our Engineering Program, and we can’t wait to get started in the Fall!”, said Marc Minnick, Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs. Manor College is excited about this new partnership with Archbishop Wood and looks forward to building the relationship further! To learn more about dual enrollment at Manor College, visit this page.   

On Wednesday, June 17, members of the faculty,  staff and administration of Manor College organized a car parade to honor the Sisters of Saint Basil the Great and essential workers which includes the Public Safety and Maintenance and Facilities teams. The reason for the parade was to celebrate essential workers and the Sisters themselves. The former have kept society intact and functioning during the COVID restrictions while the latter have been homebound for the pandemic’s duration. Most of the Sisters are retired and among those considered at high risk for infection. Fran Stevenson, Manor College Public Safety Officer, stated, “The display of appreciation from our Manor colleagues and community was wonderful and heartwarming. It embodies everything we have always believed in Manors strength and spirit. It is an honor to serve and work alongside these people.” Public Safety Officer, Maureen Melchiorre, added, “I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to stop by and show their appreciation for our Manor Public Safety Team! We all really felt valued and loved!”  Sister Dorothy Ann, OSBM, Provincial Superior said, “The Sisters and I were thrilled by the recognition given by Manor’s car parade through our grounds.  Every single Sister was out waving and cheering their support of Manor as well.  We are truly blessed!” President Jonathan Peri stated, “The energy we shared was truly in the spirit of Manor College’s mission,” said Dr. Jonathan Peri, President of Manor College. “After what has been quite a long time of working remotely, we are all eager to get back to campus and we had a chance to be together under some new conditions that will persist for a while to keep us safe.  At the same time we got to honor our incredible essential staff such as our campus safety officers, maintenance team and our custodial team, as well as our founders, the Sisters of St. Basil the Great.  God bless them all!” The car parade was delightful for all yet especially meaningful for those who have not left the convent since March. The Manor College community was thrilled to honor the essential workers and Sisters of Saint Basil the Great in this special way! Watch the excitement from the car parade in this video! Difficult times bring greater appreciation of thoughtful gestures like this one.

With campus being physically closed, the staff at Manor College had to get creative to find ways to honor the Class of 2020. 2020 is a special year for Manor College as it is the year that the College graduates its first cohort of Bachelor’s degree graduates.  Ashley Hillegas, Director of Student Engagement commented,“It has been inspiring to see how Manor College has rallied around the Class of 2020 to provide them with the celebration they deserve! The Class of 2020 has shown true grit and determination over these past few months to succeed no matter what the circumstances, which are characteristics they have acquired because they genuinely are Manor Strong!”  Live Conferment on Facebook Life On May 14, 2020, President of Manor College, Dr. Jonathan Peri and Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost, Marc Minnick, conferred degrees for the Class of 2020 on Facebook Live.  Over 2,500 people engaged with the video to congratulate the Class of 2020.  Congratulatory Lawn Signs Various members of the faculty and staff at Manor will be delivering congratulatory lawn signs to all graduates soon! Allison Mootz, Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs, Kelly Peiffer, Vice President of Marketing Communications and Advancement and Marc Minnick, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, will be delivering lawn signs to the bachelor’s degree graduates in the near future.  Graduation Packages  Each graduate received a package in the mail with branded Manor College chocolate from Michael Mootz Candies (yum!) and a special letter from Dean Mootz. The students who graduated with their Bachelors Degree, a first in Manor’s 73-year-history, received a full package from President Peri that included a commemorative ceramic plate, mug, t-shirt and personalized letter.  Best Wishes  We reached out to various members of the Manor community and encouraged them to submit positive messages to the graduates. Over 40 messages were received! The messages can be viewed here.  Video Lastly, various members of the Manor’s faculty, staff and administration submitted messages of congratulations to the graduates. All the messages were compiled into this video and shared with the students “I loved how President Peri and Dr. Minnick conferred the degrees because it shows us hope. The graduation video was great and I loved seeing all the professors and other staff members come together—it made me feel proud to be a Blue Jay.,” said Kayla Armstrong, a 2020 graduate.  The College plans to formally honor the Class of 2020 in a ceremony on Saturday, October 10, 2020. There is more information about the ceremony here.  Congratulations to the Class of 2020!