FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 05/20/2008 

Dr. V. James Mannoia, Jr., tenth president of Greenville College, announced his retirement, effective July 1, 2008, at a gathering of college faculty and staff Monday, May 19. Dr. Ed Blue, dean of the School of Education, will serve as interim president while the college conducts a presidential search.

Mannoia assumed the presidency of Greenville College January 1, 1999, having previously served as Academic vice president and dean of the college at Houghton College (NY) and associate Academic dean at Westmont College (CA).

During his tenure, Mannoia has maintained a consistent focus on the value of transformation made possible through a quality Christian liberal arts education. He has sharpened the college's vision for the “liberating arts,” tightened financial systems and dramatically enhanced campus curb appeal. Under his leadership the Greenville College campus has grown in stature and favor with students, parents, alumni, faculty and staff. 

Christian Liberating Arts
Author of Christian Liberal Arts: An Education that Goes Beyond, Mannoia challenged GC students “to be” and “to do,” the twin values of character and service at the heart of the mission statement adopted by the college under Mannoia's direction. Mannoia frequently spoke on these twin values of a Christian liberal arts education in chapel and public contexts. He argued that while many colleges and universities pay attention to the practical/vocational side - and some even focus on service - the development of character is at least as important and usually overlooked. He was fond of saying, “God is at least as interested in who we are becoming inside as he is in what we are doing on the outside.”

He insisted that character development “was best accomplished by a combination of stretching and nurturing, a mix familiar to athletes and one ideally suited for a small residential community of scholars. The end result was to move students beyond both dogmatism and skepticism to a paradoxical mix of self-critical commitment.” “On the other hand, education for service,” Mannoia said, “meant teaching students to think integratively, something done best by focusing on real-world problems.” Such problems automatically require attention to multiple disciplines, faith and learning, theory and practice.

Consequently, while at GC, Mannoia helped shaped the COR general education curriculum. The COR 401 senior capstone seminar brings together students and faculty in a collaborative experience that applies this integration.

Additional academic advances were made in the creation of new undergraduate and graduate programs, including new masters programs in Education and Teaching and the Undergraduate Teacher Education Partnership with Lewis and Clark College and Kaskaskia College. States Dr. Dave Holden, dean of the School of Professional Studies and founder of the adult and graduate programs, “Personally, I am grateful to Jim for trusting me to take on important tasks in new program development and oversight of the college's accreditation. He was always available for advice and made it clear that he would help in any way, and he did. As we drafted our 'self-study' report for the Higher Learning Commission as part of our 10-year reaccreditation process, Jim and I worked very closely, often exchanging documents by email in the wee hours of the night. I was amazed at how he could attend to all of his duties, care for Ellen and then find the energy to help me.“

The school underwent a significant academic restructuring in the fall of 2006, providing a broader governing structure through the creation of three schools, the School of Education, the School of Professional Studies and the School of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Randy Bergen, vice president for Academic Affairs, states, “President Mannoia was the driving force behind the formation of three schools in the curriculum. He understood the professional, education, and arts and science programs all have different needs. His understanding of these unique needs resulted in a major restructuring of GC's academic governance systems during his time in office.”

Mannoia also championed the development of the “Greenville in Africa” off-campus semester experience in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Hosting students for the first time in 2002, the Africa semester offered students from GC and other CCCU schools the opportunity for complex cross-cultural study. The program served as the impetus for Food For the Hungry's Go-ED semester study abroad programs now hosted on several continents around the world.

Financial Health
As featured in the 2007 Greenville College President's Report, Greenville College has recently experienced a watershed in the financial health of the college. With significant improvement in the college balance sheet, increasing enrollment, a cash surplus, strict systems and policies in place, and a highly skilled staff, Greenville College is beginning to experience the benefits of this new financial situation. Mannoia first communicated this key priority in his initial “State of the College” address in the Spring 1999 issue of The RECORD and had continued to address systems, staff and policies throughout his tenure with the attentive oversight of Vice President for Finance and CFO Rick Rieder. Rieder states, “The college's cash flow has improved dramatically over the past nine years which has added a measure of financial stability to the institution.”

Enhanced Admissions communication systems and focused, retention-oriented engagement with student in the traditional, undergraduate student population, as well as additions to the adult and graduate programs, have synergized enrollment growth. With a renewed focus on the residential undergraduate student, Greenville College experienced a transformation in the on-campus student body, from 874 in the fall of 1999 to a record high of 1098 in the fall of 2007. Dr. Norm Hall, vice president and dean of Student Development, states, “Dr Mannoia has been instrumental in refocusing the college on 'residential learning.'  Since 1997 I have had the privilege of working with him to renovate several living areas, build three new residence halls, and begin the journey to build yet another residence hall in the 2008-09 year.”

His investment in students extended beyond traditional expectations of a college president. Mannoia engaged students in the classroom as lead instructor for COR 401, the senior capstone course, in the dorms for late night “Fireside Chats,” in regular meetings with GCSA president and cabinet members, and on Scott Field for informal banter between meetings.

While Mannoia focused on the traditional, undergraduate residential model of higher education, he also empowered the successful growth of our adult degree-completion and graduate programs. Dr. Pepper Dill, vice president for Enrollment Management, states, “Since fall 1999 (through fall 2007), traditional enrollment has increased by 26%, with incoming new population increasing 34%. The graduate and non-traditional program enrollment has more than doubled over that same period.”

Campus Facilities
Since 1999, the college has built or renovated thirteen buildings on campus, in addition to numerous improvements to campus grounds and deferred maintenance projects. New additions to campus include Ganton Circle, Claussen Plaza, Dietzman Center, Blankenship Apartments, Mannoia Hall, Oak Street Hall and the White Environmental Center. The college also purchased and renovated the Maves Art Center, the Briner Training Center, the Whitlock Music Center and the Tidball Alumni House.

A newly renovated Almira House, home of the Bock Sculpture Museum, now houses the president's office. The Ladue Education Center, Sims Student Union and Janssen Hall underwent extensive remodeling for cosmetic, programming and safety purposes. Dr. David Hoag, senior vice president for College Advancement commends Mannoia's attention to the campus curb appeal, “His attention to campus aesthetics and creative partnerships with project donors, which started with Lloyd and Judy Ganton, Jim and Susan Claussen and Leslie and Estelle Dietzman, continued with Charles and Dana McPherson, and most recently involved White, Snyder and Tidball families, have transformed our campus.”

Most recently, Mannoia guided the campus through the initial Hogue Hall evacuation and relocation efforts. Over 70 faculty and administrative staff offices and four classrooms were moved to other locations on and off campus as the college considered it options for the deteriorating campus centerpiece. Under his leadership a Hogue Hall task force dealt with the implications and recommendations pertaining to the historic structure, eventually recommending a rebuilding vs. renovation decision for review, which was approved by the board of trustees.

Accompanying Mannoia during this successful tenure at Greenville College, was his beloved wife, Ellen. An effective partner and first lady, Ellen's personal touch is visible in many building projects, including the newly name Ellen J. Mannoia Hall. She engaged students, faculty and staff with incredible love and grace. GC respected her dignity and courage throughout her battle of recurrent breast cancer and honored her following her death on June 13, 2007 with the wearing of “Team Ellen” t-shirts.

“When students in our Organizational Leadership major offered through the adult degree completion program complete their studies, the college holds a Celebration Dinner at the regional site. Dr. Mannoia and Ellen always made it a priority to attend the dinners, sit with our students and hear their stories. They quickly learned that, although different from our traditional main-campus curriculum, our degree completion and graduate programs made a difference in student's lives and fit our mission,” states Holden. “I was amazed at his support of our program. Even as Ellen struggled with her health, they would travel long distances, sometimes coming from the hospital, to honor our students. This attention was so special to our students, faculty and staff. They knew that they were a part of Greenville College.”

In comments made to the college faculty and staff regarding his retirement, Mannoia stated, “First, it has become harder this spring than even last fall to continue in this work without Ellen.  I am constantly reminded of her absence in Joy House, and there seems little chance of changing that.”

“Second, with the Hogue Hall challenge, I had hoped at first that a quick and inexpensive solution might be possible.  Then when it became apparent that the fix would be much more expensive, I still hoped that state funds might let us get underway quickly.  Most recently however, even during the past couple of weeks, it has become clear that state money is not likely and so we are making plans for a campaign to raise what is needed.  But such a campaign could easily take several years.  Continuity of leadership is important in such efforts. So it seemed to me and to the Board, that it was better for me to move on sooner rather than later so as to avoid any interruption of the planning and implementation of a campaign.”

Craig Tidball, past chair of the Greenville College board of trustees, states, “Jim Mannoia's love of Greenville College, his passion for the 'liberating arts' and the depth of his personal experience combined to fuel a dramatic advancement in Greenville's history. The institution will long reflect the distinctive Mannoia touch.”

Interim Introduction
Interim president, Dr. Ed Blue, has served Greenville College for over 14 years as head of the Education Department and now dean of the School of Education. Prior to his tenure at GC, Dr. Blue served as president at Asbury College (KY). He holds a doctoral degree in Policy and Administration from Indiana University, a master's degree in Education from Indiana University and a B.A in History from Grace College.

Having served as a public school teacher, principal, central office administrator, college professor and college president, Dr. Blue has been honored in three states, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois, for his commitment to education. He also served on a committee for President George W. Bush to create legislation to combat illegal pornography.

Dr. Blue and his wife, Judy, are parents to four grown children and grandparents of five. His daughter, Teresa (Blue) Holden, and her husband, Dave, both live in Greenville and work at the college.

A formal celebration of Dr. Mannoia’s retirement from Greenville College will be held during the fall semester.

Greenville College is a four-year accredited Christian liberal arts school with more than 1500 traditional undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree completion students. Founded in 1892 and affiliated with the Free Methodist Church, the college is located in Greenville, Illinois, 45 miles east of St. Louis.