Manhattan College Begins Search For 19th President

Br. Thomas Scanlan to step down from position in June 2009

RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Manhattan College will commence its search for its next president this summer as Brother Thomas J. Scanlan, F.S.C., prepares to step down from the position in June 2009, after nearly 22 years of unparalleled leadership.

The firm Isaacson, Miller has been hired to conduct an extensive national search, with Eugene McGrath ’63, trustee emeritus and retired chairman & CEO of Con Edison, serving as chairman of the search committee. A full job description can be found at www.imsearch.com.

Scanlan, the College’s 18th and longest-tenured president, was inaugurated on October 29, 1987. Prior to his appointment, he was vice chancellor and chief executive officer of Bethlehem University, a private, independent institution sponsored by the Vatican and directed by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.

Under Scanlan’s leadership, Manhattan College has undergone a transformation that has it currently recognized as one of the premier Catholic institutions of higher education in the nation. His presidency has allowed Manhattan to meet the increasing demands of education in the 21st century.

During his time in office, the College has seen a 120 percent increase in applications and a 100-point increase in SAT scores while achieving accreditations by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council.  Five-year programs have been added in education and engineering, and a new major, computer engineering, has been included in the curriculum.

Manhattan College has raised over $225 million in two capital campaigns during the past two decades and the endowment has increased tenfold. A second new residence hall will be completed later this year, with Horan and its new twin, East Hill Residence, housing 1,250 students.

Scanlan’s leadership led to the construction of the 24-7 state-of-the-art Mary Alice and Thomas O’Malley Library featuring modern accommodations for study and research, which was joined to the renovated and updated Cardinal Hayes Pavilion. A new multi-level parking garage also will be completed in summer 2008, and athletic facilities have been upgraded, including a new playing service at Gaelic Park.

In 1987, Scanlan was awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifici Cross from Pope John Paul II for service to the Catholic Church in the Holy Land. A 20-year veteran in the field of education, he was director of finance and education for the New York Province of the Brothers of the Christian Schools from 1978-1981, where he presided over the Province’s 14 educational institutions.

He served for eight years at Queen of Peace High School in North Arlington, N.J., first as a member of the faculty, then as vice principal, and from 1972-1975, as the principal. During the late 1970s, he was an instructor in organizational behavior for the Manhattan College’s school of business.

A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Scanlan earned a doctorate in organizational behavior from Columbia University; a Master’s degree from New York University, and a bachelor’s degree from The Catholic University of America. His many professional affiliations include membership with the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, American Council on Education, National Collegiate Athletic Association and the New York State Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities.

Founded in 1853, Manhattan College is an independent, Catholic, coeducational institution of higher learning offering more than 40 major programs of undergraduate study in the areas of arts, business, education, engineering and science, along with graduate programs in education and engineering. For more information about Manhattan College, visit www.manhattan.edu.