First, a few basics. Manchester College offers more than 55 areas of study to 1,036 students from 24 states and 23 countries. The independent, liberal arts college is located in North Manchester, Ind., where 75 percent of the students live on the 120-acre campus. Manchester is a Church of the Brethren college; about 8 percent of the students are members of the denomination.

A U.S. Professor of the Year teaches here. Professor James R.C. Adams, a member of the Manchester College faculty for more than 50 years, was the 2002 U.S. Professor of the Year for baccalaureate colleges. More than 400 colleges and universities nationwide compete for the honor.

College guides love Manchester. Year after year, Manchester receives acclaim from popular guides for college-bound students for its exceptional academic program and its value. The 2008 America’s Best Colleges guide of U.S. News & World Report ranks Manchester College 14th in the Midwest among "Best Colleges" and sixth as a “Great School at a Great Price.” Manchester has received the “Best College” ranking for 13 consecutive years. Princeton Review also consistently ranks Manchester as a "Best in the Midwest" and "Best Value."

Fulbrights galore. The U.S. government has awarded 25 of its prestigious Fulbright scholarships to Manchester College students or grads. That's more Fulbrights per student than at any other Indiana college or university. 

Service: It's in our Mission. Involvement of Manchester College students in volunteer activities continues to rise. In 2006-07, MC students contributed 19,000 hours of service to their College and communities. Big recipients were the Indiana Reading Corps (almost 5,000 hours of tutoring elementary school children) and Habitat for Humanity.

MC grads get jobs. Year after year – within six months of their commencement – at least 96 percent of Manchester College graduates enter the work force, are continuing their education full-time or are in full-time voluntary service. (97.8 percent of 2007 grads) MC offers its students an “employment guarantee” – if they have taken advantage of the college’s services and opportunities and still don’t have a job within six months of graduation, they get a full year of classes tuition free. Only one student has exercised the guarantee since 1995.

We grow CPAs. Manchester is legendary for producing well-prepared professionals who typically are offered full-time positions months before they graduate and who perform extremely well on the Uniform CPA exam. From 2002 to 2006, 100 percent found accounting jobs within six months of graduation, with an average starting salary of $41,932.

Our pre-med students aren't average. Biology and chemistry students leave Manchester College well-prepared for medical school. Over the last five years, 89 percent of MC graduates who applied to med school were accepted. The national average is about 40 percent.

Train here for law school. Over the last decade, 86 percent of applicants from Manchester College have gained admission to law school. The national average is 62 percent.

Peace: We have some ideas about non-violence resolution to conflict. Manchester College is home to the nation’s first peace studies program and to one of the earliest environmental studies programs. Each May, at least half of Manchester College’s graduating seniors sport green ribbons on their gowns, signifying they have joined the Graduation Pledge Alliance. They promise:

“I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organization for which I work.”