TABLE OF CONTENTS

As we approach the close of a decidedly difficult year — one that has been challenging and even painful for so many — we at Manhattan remain profoundly grateful to our entire College community. Thanks to your faith and commitment, our campus continues to serve as a powerful beacon of opportunity for our hard-working students.

In this issue of our President’s Report, we are pleased to share the many accomplishments that have distinguished life and learning at Manhattan this past year. Impressive as always, the success of our faculty, students, staff and alumni is more uplifting than ever. Confronting the pandemic, our College community has remained resolute in its dedication to our unique Lasallian Catholic educational mission — one we hold in sacred trust for current and future generations of Jaspers.

Given the volatile reality of COVID-19, our safe return to campus this fall has been a considerable achievement itself. From the start, our faculty, administrators and staff diligently monitored the pandemic’s course. Working with state and local authorities, we explored effective responses to likely scenarios. And we formed our comprehensive Return to Campus Task Force, comprising experts from across all campus disciplines. An advisory committee of distinguished alumni leaders, including members of our board of trustees, also guided these efforts.

Laboring throughout the summer, we developed a blueprint for a timely return to campus. New protocols covered personal protective equipment and social distancing in common areas; virtual complements to services and activities; and innovative hybrid courses combining online and on-site study. We implemented a rigorous system of testing and contact-tracing. Key to our success has been our students’ strong commitment to the vision and values of our One Manhattan/ Jaspers Return program, fulfilling their pledge to protect themselves and one another by wearing masks, avoiding indoor gatherings, maintaining safe distance, and practicing effective hygiene. Thanks to all of these efforts, we have maintained throughout our return an infection rate well below state and local levels.

Enabled by such measures, our academic community continues the outstanding work begun last semester. One example: we extended our Summer Research Program, allowing participants to resume the scholarly studies that were interrupted when laboratories and other facilities were temporarily closed. Guided by their professors, our students continue to create knowledge across all disciplines.

Reflecting this, Manhattan earned inclusion among top colleges and universities in producing the most 2019-20 Fulbright students. We also retained our prominence in major college rankings. For example, this was the seventh consecutive year that Manhattan earned a place in Money’s listing of U.S. colleges and universities in terms of alumni outcomes — eighth among 50 leading institutions that garner high graduation rates and earnings.

Encouraging? Absolutely. Yet I would be remiss if I failed to note the formidable difficulties ahead. COVID-19 landed a severe blow. At Manhattan, pandemic-related disruptions exacted a toll on our resident population. Although long-term projections remain good, the near-term drop in room and board revenue is requiring us to employ significant cost-cutting measures.

Amid these challenges, we at Manhattan remain confident — with good reason. As our strategic plan, Renewing the Promise, notes, our College continues to offer a truly unique academic experience supported by three strong pillars: our Distinctive Heritage, Distinctive Learning Environment, and Distinctive Learning Dynamic. In the pages that follow, we are pleased to provide just a few highlights of the kind of accomplishments that drive Manhattan’s ever-stronger reputation for excellence, with special focus on the work that demonstrates our pursuit of the major goals of our strategic plan.

Our faculty, staff, alumni and friends evince an uncommon commitment to our Lasallian Catholic mission, which shapes so many young lives. And of course, there are our students — supremely talented young men and women who enlarge the narrative of success scripted by their distinguished predecessors. On their behalf, I thank you again for all you do to keep this legacy strong.

Brennan O'Donnell President