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Manchester adds women’s flag football to athletics program
Manchester University will add women’s flag football to its 20 NCAA-sanctioned sports in Fall 2027. Tabbed as an emerging NCAA sport in January 2026, this initiative aims to capitalize off of the growing popularity of women’s flag football in youth leagues,...
MU runner Gavin Byerly named HCAC 2025-26 Male Athlete of the Year
Manchester University senior Gavin Byerly, of Huntington, Ind., has been named the 2025-26 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference’s (HCAC) Male Athlete of the Year. The HCAC consists of 10 universities that compete in a conference championship at the end of each...
MU professor emeritus named pioneer in social work
Dr. Brad Yoder, professor emeritus of sociology and social work, was one of three Hoosiers recognized as a Pioneer in Social Work by the National Association of Social Workers Foundation (NASW) at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. in early June. Yoder was inducted into...
Manchester University welcomes new College of Business dean
Manchester University welcomes Dr. Ron Lewis as the new Dean of the College of Business and Human Services. He started at the University on June 1, 2026. Lewis previously served as Assistant Professor and Program Chair for Marketing and Sport Management at the...
Manchester University celebrates the Class of 2026
Manchester University graduated 269 students at this year’s commencement ceremonies. In total, 286 degrees were awarded, including 186 undergraduate degrees and 100 graduate and professional degrees. Twenty-eight students earned honors distinction. This...
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MU runner Gavin Byerly named HCAC 2025-26 Male Athlete of the Year
Manchester University senior Gavin Byerly, of Huntington, Ind., has been named the 2025-26 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference’s (HCAC) Male Athlete of the Year. The HCAC consists of 10 universities that compete in a conference championship at the end of each sport season. Byerly competed in cross country and both indoor and outdoor track and field his senior year at Manchester, breaking school records, receiving prestigious awards and dominating talented race fields. Byerly’s year-long reign started in Fall 2025 in the cross-country season, winning the HCAC Championship and earning MVP honors among...
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My Manchester Story – Chris Rohr, Class of 2027
My Manchester journey began when I was born in 2005, with my father being a recent graduate and my mother working in admissions. My first day out of the hospital saw me in the old admissions building. As I grew up in and around North Manchester, I was adamant that I needed to go out of state for college, having frequented the same streets, restaurants, and people for the past 18 years. However, after my freshman year at North Central College in...
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MU professor emeritus named pioneer in social work
Dr. Brad Yoder, professor emeritus of sociology and social work, was one of three Hoosiers recognized as a Pioneer in Social Work by the National Association of Social Workers Foundation (NASW) at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. in early June. Yoder was inducted into the 2025 and 2026 Pioneers program classes, created to honor social workers who have made significant contributions to advancing the profession. Yoder spent more than five decades establishing the high standard to which social work can achieve when compassion is paired with courage, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to...
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Manchester adds women’s flag football to athletics program
Manchester University will add women’s flag football to its 20 NCAA-sanctioned sports in Fall 2027. Tabbed as an emerging NCAA sport in January 2026, this initiative aims to capitalize off of the growing popularity of women’s flag football in youth leagues, high schools and collegiate clubs. Women’s flag football was able to achieve NCAA championship status with help from the Emerging Sports for Women program, which supports broader sports opportunities for women. It has also been added as a sport for the 2028 Summer Olympics. More than 100 colleges have sponsored varsity or club flag football teams in 2026. Manchester is the...
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Manchester University welcomes new College of Business dean
Manchester University welcomes Dr. Ron Lewis as the new Dean of the College of Business and Human Services. He started at the University on June 1, 2026. Lewis previously served as Assistant Professor and Program Chair for Marketing and Sport Management at the University of Saint Francis, where he has led significant program growth, including developing one of the largest programs in the School of Business. In his leadership roles, he has overseen curriculum design, program assessment, faculty collaboration, and initiatives focused on student retention, progression, and...
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Manchester University celebrates the Class of 2026
Manchester University graduated 269 students at this year’s commencement ceremonies. In total, 286 degrees were awarded, including 186 undergraduate degrees and 100 graduate and professional degrees. Twenty-eight students earned honors distinction. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the graduation of Manchester’s inaugural pharmacy class in 2016. The program launched in 2012 alongside the opening of Manchester University Fort Wayne. David Haist, a 1973 Manchester graduate, was this year’s commencement speaker and honorary degree recipient. He served as a member of the MU Board of Trustees...
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Vice President Van Vlerah named President of Notre Dame of Maryland University
Manchester University is delighted to share that Vice President for Student Life Abby Van Vlerah has been selected to serve as president of Notre Dame of Maryland University in Baltimore, Md. She will start there on July 6. Her last day at Manchester is June 25. Van Vlerah redefined the role of vice president for student life at Manchester, elevating student success, enrollment, and institutional strategy in both North Manchester and Fort Wayne. She came to Manchester with more than a decade of leadership experience in higher education, including...
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Journal Gazette publishes op-ed from Dean W. Thomas Smith
Manchester University’s Dean of the School of Pharmacy, W. Thomas Smith, was recently published in the Journal Gazette. His op-ed, which can be read below, discusses the growing need for pharmacists in the industry. The full Journal Gazette article can be found here. Need for pharmacists grows more complicated As Indiana’s population ages and chronic disease becomes more common, pharmacists play an increasingly important role in patient care in community pharmacy and hospital settings. Trained in medication management, drug interactions,...
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