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Manchester College Trustees select
Jo Young Switzer for next president
NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. (Aug. 28, 2004) – The
Manchester College Board of Trustees today unanimously appointed Vice
President and Dean Jo Young Switzer as president of the college,
effective July 1, 2005.
 Dr.
Switzer, a 1969 graduate of the college, will be Manchester’s 14th
president, and its first woman president. She will succeed Parker G.
Marden, who will complete his 11th year as president when he
retires on June 30, 2005.
The nationwide search drew
nearly 80 candidates, said Board Chair
Dave Haist. Switzer was nominated unanimously for the office by a
15-member Presidential Search Committee representing trustees, faculty,
staff, alumni, students and the local community. Committee chair, Board
Vice Chair J. Bentley Peters, presented the report and recommendation to
the Trustees today.
Switzer has led academic affairs at Manchester
since 1993. The northern Indiana college has about 1,100 students and
70 full-time teaching faculty. “We are at a very important time for
Manchester College and there is no doubt that Jo will provide us the
leadership and drive necessary for the College to continue to grow and
flourish,” said Haist, executive vice president and chief operating
officer of Fort Wayne-based Do it Best Corp.
“We have seen first-hand
Jo’s energy and commitment to faith, learning and service. She will set
the bar for all of us involved with the College.”
Switzer also has chaired Manchester’s
Department of Communication and taught at Indiana University-Purdue
University at Fort Wayne. Switzer’s doctorate and master’s degree are
from the University of Kansas, in communication studies. She has
completed postdoctoral study at Indiana University.
She has co-authored a textbook, “Interviewing Art
and Skill” and published numerous academic articles. Switzer has
chaired the national deans’ task force for the Council of Independent
Colleges and serves as a consultant evaluator for the Higher Learning
Commission of the North Central Association. She has won several
significant teaching awards, including the
Central States Speech Association’s prestigious 1982 Outstanding Young
Teacher.
“I am humbled to become a part of a long line of
Manchester College presidents who have helped build a school that
graduates students who have both ability and the conviction to use their
abilities for good,” said Switzer. “To be able to lead a strong, high
quality institution is a tremendous opportunity. We are currently
engaged in campuswide strategic planning and I look forward to
completing that process and positioning the college to capture those
opportunities.”
“The Board of Trustees has made an outstanding
choice,” said President Marden. “Dr. Switzer is a wonderful teacher and
administrator and fits Manchester especially well. She also has a broad
understanding of the challenges facing higher education and the tools to
address them.”
Manchester is a Church of the Brethren college;
Switzer was raised in that church.
Switzer and her husband Dave, associate professor
and chair of the Department of Communication at
IPFW, have three grown children.
Manchester College offers 45 areas of baccalaureate
study and a master of accountancy. U.S. News & World Report has
labeled it a “Best College” for 10 consecutive years. Its accounting,
science and peace studies programs are nationally acclaimed, and
educators trained at MC work in most of Indiana’s counties. Switzer
nominated the 2002 U.S. Professor of the Year, art Professor Jim Adams.
For more information about Manchester College, visit
www.manchester.edu |
