Tim McElwee earns highest alumni honor at Manchester University
NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – Few have embodied Manchester University’s values and walked its walk with as much distinction as Tim McElwee.
Born in Kansas City, the son of a college professor, McElwee came to Manchester as a student and then served it in one capacity or another for more than 30 years. Since graduating in 1978, he has consistently followed the Manchester charge to make the world a better and more peaceful place. And, as an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren, he has been faithful to its mission of service to others.
McElwee has been campus pastor, director of development, vice president for advancement, Plowshares associate professor of peace studies and political science, vice president for academic resources and dean of the Office of Academic Resources at Manchester.
He also worked as senior director of development for Heifer International – founded by 1917 Manchester graduate Dan West – and director of the Washington, D.C., office of the Church of the Brethren.
The Fort Wayne resident is currently the senior vice president of foundations for Parkview Health.
Along the way, he has been a clear and often public voice for Manchester’s values, writing guest columns decrying injustice and the violation of human rights around the world, and advocating for the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere.
He holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in international relations from Purdue University, and he has studied fundraising management at the School of Philanthropy at Indiana University.
Yet it is Manchester that most helped shape and refine his worldview. It is one he first adopted as a youth when he became a young voice of conscience, going on to serve two years in the Brethren Volunteer Service. He carries it on to this day as a man who has visited or studied in 19 countries.
“I value highly Manchester’s commitment to education for service,” he has said. “While a student at Manchester, I appreciated the various means through which faculty and administrative staff demonstrated Manchester’s commitment to graduate individuals with both ability and the conviction to employ their educations in the service of others. The importance of integrating ability with conviction has remained a guiding principle in my life.”
For that, and for his long and illustrious service to Manchester University, McElwee was presented with the 2017 Alumni Honor Award at Homecoming on Oct. 14. It is the highest recognition the Alumni Association can bestow upon a graduate.
Manchester University is one of six colleges across the United States grounded in the values and traditions of the Church of the Brethren.
About Manchester
Manchester University, with campuses in North Manchester and Fort Wayne, Ind., offers more than 60 areas of academic study to nearly 1,600 students in undergraduate programs, a Master of Athletic Training, a Master of Pharmacogenomics and a four-year professional Doctor of Pharmacy. It has students from 20 nations and is home to the world's first undergraduate peace studies program, established in 1948. Learn more about the private, northern Indiana school at www.manchester.edu.
October 2017