STEVENSON, Md. — When President Kevin Manning arrived at what was then Villa Julie College 16 years ago, he found a sleepy commuter school without dorms and only 1,600 students.
By the time he retired last month, the school had grown to three campuses with 4,200 students and double its previous number of undergraduate programs. It had a new name, too: Stevenson University.
“If somebody just looked at the stats under Kevin’s leadership, it would be so impressive,” said Tina Bjarekull, president of the Maryland Independent College and University Association.
Manning had previously announced plans to retire in June. The university announced Nov. 29 that he was retiring immediately for health reasons.
“He thought it best to retire now in order to attend to some important but manageable health issues,” James Stradtner, the board of trustees chairman, said in a statement.
A university spokesman declined to elaborate. Manning was not immediately available for questions.
Manning retires as the fourth president of the school, founded in 1947 to train women as nurses and secretaries.
