President Stacy Young
President Stacy Young took office July 1, 2023, as the 16th president of Manchester University and the second female to serve in this role. A 1996 Manchester graduate, Dr. Young came home after serving most of her career in Michigan. The opportunity to lead her alma mater and the institution that started her passion for higher education was a dream come true.
While she was in high school, an accounting teacher, Marvene Pippenger, encouraged Dr. Young to attend Manchester. Dr. Young still considers it one of the most important decisions in her life.
This transformational time in college continues to be the reason Dr. Young encourages students to “lean in” to college life and take advantage of new opportunities and campus events. Dr. Young and her twin sister, Tracy, were aerobics instructors, orientation leaders, disc jockeys for the college WBKE radio station, campus tour guides, took part in academic clubs, and even worked in admissions. These extra opportunities were some of the reasons their résumés stood out to prospective employers.
After leaving Manchester in 1996 with a degree in accounting, Dr. Young worked as an internal auditor and later for private businesses. Immediately following graduation, Dr. Young attended Bethel University, where she earned a master’s degree in business administration in 1998.
While working a full-time job using her accounting skills, she also taught as an adjunct for five years. During this time, she fell in love with teaching and working with students. Dr. Young worked as a full-time accounting and business faculty member, later department chair, dean, and president at Michigan colleges. In 2013, she completed a doctorate in philosophy in leadership from Andrews University.
As president at Montcalm Community College in Michigan, Dr. Young served on many state and local boards, including an appointment by the governor to the Michigan Education Trust Board. Dr. Young has been an active Rotarian as well as, serving the community. In 2023, she won the Spirt of Collaboration Award from the Greenville, Michigan, Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Young led an effort at her college to perform more than 10,000 hours of community service.
In addition to her work in the community, she successfully grew departments, divisions, campuses, and an entire college through unique enrollment strategies.
Between them, Dr. Young and husband Ron have five children and seven grandchildren. Their grown children live in Chicago, Indianapolis and Cincinnati. Two of their children are still at home. Allison will graduate from college this fall and Max is a high school senior who intends to attend Manchester in the fall of 2024. In their free time, couple enjoys spending time with family, walking, running, and serving the community.