North Manchester Campus Facilities
Manchester University’s main campus is located in North Manchester, Indiana in the northeast region of the state at the intersection of State Roads 13 and 114 (southwest of Fort Wayne and in between the cities of Wabash and Warsaw). We invite you to visit Manchester University.
Our beautiful campus sets the stage for a great event.
The friendly, welcoming environment of Manchester University draws you in from the moment you first set foot on the 120-acre campus. Manchester’s beautifully landscaped grounds and brick halls set just the right tone for a productive meeting.
But don’t let the historic charm of the buildings fool you. Inside, we’re fully wired with all the latest technology. We can stage the most sophisticated presentations, set up teleconferencing, and manage any other technical wizardry you need. Our tech staff is on-site year-round, ready to help.
Small-town warmth
Manchester University offers the comfortable, secure setting of a small town. We’re located in North Manchester, Indiana (population 6,500). It’s the kind of town where meeting guests often like to stroll along the main streets, stopping to window-shop at a gallery of gifts from around the world, eat at unique restaurants, or admire the craftsmanship in the many restored Victorian-era homes along the tree-lined streets.
Manchester University brings something new and different to your meeting. As an academic institution, we offer a wide range of unique meeting facilities – auditoriums, recital halls, conference rooms, classrooms, computer labs, chapels, lecture halls and even retreat centers.
Because of the variety of facilities we have available, we can accommodate groups as small as 15 or as large as 1,250. We’ll work with you to match your group’s needs exactly.
General Information – North Manchester Campus
Meeting/Event Rooms: 40+
Capacity of Largest Room: 1,175 ( Cordier Auditorium)
Exhibit Space: Three lobby areas – Cordier Auditorium Lobby: 27 x 114; Science Center Atrium: 35 x 60; Link Art Gallery: 24 x 60
Physical Education and Recreation Center: Nautilus equipment, treadmills, stairmasters, stationery bicycles, free weights, racquetball, basketball, etc.
Outdoor Venues : Band practice and athletic practice fields, Peace Garden, Campus Mall, Koinonia Retreat Center
Competition Venues: volleyball, tennis, basketball, soccer, football, softball, etc. Golf: in our local community
Availability: Year-round
Overnight Room Types: Dorm: Double occupancy rooms
Number of Overnight Rooms:* 436
256 air-conditioned
180 non air-conditioned
Number of Overnight Guests:*
512 air conditioned
360 non air conditioned
Baths Type: Semi-Private and Community
Dorm Recreation Areas: ping-pong, billiards, air hockey, video games, etc.
Consider the Exceptional Options on Our Campus
Athletic & Outdoor
Campus Mall
The campus mall offers a large, beautifully landscaped grassy area perfect for outdoor weddings, games and contests, frisbee tournaments and more.
Muir Peace Garden
Often incorporated by guests into their events, this garden was designed as a place where individuals could step away from the often hectic pace of their lives, spend some time in quiet reflection in a beautiful natural setting, and return to their work renewed and rejuvenated. It is also ideal for smaller, outdoor weddings.
Athletic Fields
The Manchester University campus features several arenas for outdoor sports and recreational events with sound systems, including:
- Baseball – two baseball fields
- Softball – two intramural softball fields
- Football – two football practice fields
- Tennis – six tennis courts
- Soccer – two soccer fields and kicking wall
- Volleyball – sand volleyball courts and mud volleyball court
- Track – running track and cross country course
- Three practice fields – for activities such as band camps
PERC (Physical Exercise & Recreation Center)
No matter what kind of camp or conference you’re involved with, Manchester University’s PERC serves as an ideal facility for a variety of indoor and outdoor recreation and event activities:
- Main Arena – Flexible, multi-purpose setup options include: Seating for up to 2,000 persons or 1,000 at tables for banquets
- Main basketball court
- Three full-size practice courts or six half courts
- Eight shooting stations
- Three volleyball courts
- Indoor jogging track
- Indoor soccer practice
- Batting cage
- Two racquetball courts
- Auxiliary Gym – Air-conditioned, flexible, multi-purpose setup options include: Seating for up to 800 persons or 500 at tables for banquets
- Main basketball court
- Two practice courts
- Six shooting positions
- Two volleyball courts
- Wrestling mats
- Gymnastics
- Brown Fitness Center – Nautilus equipment, treadmills, stairmasters, stationery bicycles, free weights, etc.
Koinonia Environmental and Retreat Center
Owned and operated by Manchester University, Koinonia is located approximately 12 miles north of North Manchester or just south of Pierceton in Kosciusko County, Indiana. The retreat facility is a beautifully picturesque setting that is ideal for group retreats, outings, reunions, workshops, nature education and meetings. View the Koinonia Retreat Center.
Other facilities nearby (North Manchester campus):
- Sycamore Golf Course is only a few minutes away with several other fine golf courses within a half hour drive of the campus.
- Swimming is a popular recreational activity with many summer camps. The North Manchester Parks Department operates a fine Olympic size indoor pool just four blocks from campus. The Strauss Peabody Aquatic and Fitness Center is available to rent for private parties at reasonable rates and includes Red Cross certified life guards. Conference Services will make all the arrangements for you.
- Also only four blocks away, and across from the pool, North Manchester Parks and Recreation offers a variety of outdoor fun on the 10-acre Warvel Park, containing 2 picnic shelters, picnic areas with tables and grills, a natural amphitheatre, gazebo, excellent playground equipment, skateboard park, horseshoe pits, shuffleboard courts and the scout hall with kitchen and dining area. A 2-acre addition is being developed as a nature preserve with trails and tree and plant identification.
All of these facilities can be arranged through Conference Services.
Auditoriums
Link Auditorium
Located in the Academic Center, this auditorium features stadium-style seating for 131. It has an easy to use touch screen control system with internet-connected computer, document camera, Blue Ray DVD-VHS player, and 5.1 surround sound. The building also includes lounge and display areas and several flexible meeting rooms.
Cordier Auditorium
Conferences: Cordier Auditorium is the perfect facility for large productions and presentations. With 1,175 seats and complete audio-visual, sound and lighting support, Cordier makes a solid home base for large conferences.
Banquets: The spacious wrap-around lobby works well as an exhibition hall and also makes a unique setting for a banquet.
The building is fully air-conditioned and features a three-manual, 45-rank pipe organ.
Flory Auditorium
Located in the Science Center, offers stadium-style seating for up to 150 people, which makes it ideal for larger group seminars or workshops. The auditorium is outfitted with the latest technology, including 3 digital projectors controlled by an AMX control unit with a matrix switcher, which allows the projectors to display the same image or images from separate sources.
The south end of the building also contains classrooms and seminar rooms.
A three story lobby joins the south and north ends of the building and serves as a dramatic common area.
Wine Recital Hall
Wine Recital Hall is a beautiful performing arts facility that opened in October of 2004. It seats 170 people stadium-style. It offers the capability for simple productions, lectures, meetings, and video presentations.
The Link Art Gallery wraps around Wine Recital Hall and features exciting exhibits from a variety of artists.
Banquets & Dining
Cordier Auditorium
Located on the North Manchester Campus, the spacious wrap-around lobby (pictured on the right) works well as an exhibition hall and also makes a unique setting for a banquet. Learn more about Cordier Auditorium on the Auditoriums page.
PERC (Physical Education & Recreation Center)
The main arena of the PERC, pictured on the right, seats up to 1,000 at tables for banquets. Read more about the PERC on the Athletics/Outdoor page.
Jo Young Switzer Center
The North Manchester Campus Jo Young Switzer Center features several banquet/conference rooms with full audio-visual support and multi-purpose usage:
- Haist Commons – Pictured on the right, contains flexible, multi-purpose setup options including:
- Meal or event seating for approximately 350 persons
Limited outdoor patio seating
- Meal or event seating for approximately 350 persons
- Upper Level Rooms:
- Hoff Room: seats up to 44 persons conference style and up to 80 classroom style.
- Lahman Room: seats up to 250 persons classroom style and 150 persons at round tables.
- Speicher Room: seats up to 65 persons conference style and 100 persons classroom style.
- Combination of Conference Rooms above: seats up to 250 persons conference style, 450 persons classroom style, and 350 persons at round tables.
- Shepherd Room: seats up to 12 persons conference style.
- President’s Conference Room: 560 square feet, seats 14 persons for small meetings and meals.
Additional meeting rooms
For smaller and medium-sized groups that offer comfort, attractiveness, air-conditioning, technology set-ups, and food accommodations include:
- Plowshares Seminar Room: 324 square feet, seats 16 persons for meetings and includes mounted LCD and pull-down screen for presentations and Internet access. Located in Calvin Ulrey Hall, which has an elevator.
- Spartan Room: 720 square feet, seats up to 25 people for meetings and and includes a TV/DVD/AM-FM system. Located in the upper PERC (Physical Education & Recreation Center) with ground-level access.
Classrooms & Meeting Rooms
Academic Center
The Academic Center features lounge and display areas and several flexible classrooms (seating 20-45) and conference rooms (seating 12-21), as well as a 131-seat auditorium and elevator.
Great Rooms
Oakwood Hall and Helman Hall feature expansive great rooms, which offer an attractive space for meetings, presentations and sessions for up to 120 persons.
Science Center
The Science Center contains classrooms of various sizes (seating 35-45) and seminar rooms (seating 12), as well as a three-story lobby, an elevator and a 150-seat auditorium.
Jo Young Switzer Center
Features banquet/conference rooms with full audio-visual support and multi-purpose usage. The building also has an elevator.
- Hoff Room: seats up to 44 persons conference style and up to 80 classroom style.
- Lahman Room: seats up to 250 persons classroom style and 150 persons at round tables.
- Speicher Room: seats up to 65 persons conference style and 100 persons classroom style.
- Combination of Conference Rooms above: seats up to 250 persons conference style, 450 persons classroom style, and 350 persons at round tables.
- Shepherd Room: seats up to 12 persons conference style.
- President’s Conference Room: 560 square feet, seats 14 persons for small meetings and meals.
Additional meeting rooms
For smaller and medium-sized groups that offer comfort, attractiveness, air-conditioning, technology set-ups, and food accommodations include:
- Plowshares Seminar Room: 324 square feet, seats 16 persons for meetings and includes mounted LCD and pull-down screen for presentations and Internet access. Located in Calvin Ulrey Hall, which has an elevator.
- Spartan Room: 720 square feet, seats up to 25 people for meetings and and includes a TV/DVD/AM-FM system. Located in the upper PERC (Physical Education & Recreation Center) with ground-level access.
Reception & Exhibit
Cordier Auditorium
Located on the North Manchester Campus, the spacious wrap-around lobby (pictured on the right) works well as an exhibition hall and also makes a unique setting for a banquet.
Academic Center contains a spacious wrap-around lobby, pictured on the right, that works well as an exhibition hall and also makes a unique setting for a banquet.
Science Center
The three story lobby (pictured above) joins the south and north ends of the building and serves as a dramatic common area.
Jo Young Switzer Center
The upper level, Jo Young Switzer Center features Gallery G, a sophisticated art gallery perfect for social gatherings with a common area wrapped around the outside. (See photo on the right.)
Wine Recital Hall features a wrap-around lobby/display area containing the Link Gallery, pictured on the right.
Link Auditorium
Flory Auditorium
Koinonia Environmental Retreat Center
Plowshares Room
Science Center
Spartan Room
Wampler Auditorium
Great Rooms
Peace Garden
Wedding Petersime Chapel Outside Seating
Science Center
Cordier Auditorium
mu-north-manchester-campus
peace-garden2
Link Gallery in Wine Recital Hall
Academic Center Lobby
Petersime Chapel
Academic Center
Wine Recital Hall
Soccer Field
Practice Fields
Track
Baseball Fields
Tennis Courts
Football Field
Softball Field
Brown Fitness Center
Basketball Court
PERC Seating
PERC Main
Auxiliary Gym
PERC Banquet
Volleyball Courts
Racquetball Courts
gallery-g
Lahman Room
Haist Commons
Haist Commons
hoff-room
Combo Conference Room
Presidents Room
Jo Young Switzer Center
Speicher Room
Shepherd Room
Urban resources
If your group wants to take a break from the meeting, you’ll find big-city attractions just a short drive away in Fort Wayne, the second largest city in Indiana. Maybe some of your group members would like to tour an exceptional art museum, visit one of the country’s top small zoos, or watch a professional hockey, baseball or arena football game. For shopping, you’ll find Glenbrook Square, Indiana’s largest mall, or Jefferson Pointe, a new open-air “village” of stores.
If some of your group members need to travel greater distances, you can easily make transportation arrangements. Manchester University is located about half an hour from the Fort Wayne International Airport, which is served by all major airlines.
The Conference Services staff will listen to your programming needs and objectives and suggest spaces that will encourage success and enhance your experience. We guarantee that our customer service approach and event planning expertise is the best in the area.
Get Creative!
We’ll help you get creative with “outside the box” activities and event ideas. Contact Conference Services and we’ll gladly arrange a time to take you and your leadership team on a tour of these great facilities including breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and a place to stay overnight if needed, at no cost.
