Manchester Magazine manchester magazine fall 2019 for joomag | Page 10

MU | F e a t u r e s
On Pages 8 and 9, first-
year students in the
Master of Athletic Training
Program view a virtual
cadaver on an Anatomage
in the Mirro Center
Simulation Laboratory of
Parkview Health, adjacent
to Manchester’s Fort
Wayne campus. They are
(from left), Caiden Dicke,
Rhylee Beshears, Lauren
Oglesbee, Professor Mark
Huntington ’76, who is
also dean for natural and
health sciences, Mitchell
Enyart and Garrett
Enders.
10 |
L
ea Johnson didn’t have the job yet.
She was heading to her interview at
Manchester and reflecting on the Indiana
cornfields that stirred memories of her
childhood farm in Illinois.
If Manchester starts a nursing program, Johnson
thought, a focus on rural health would set us apart.
“People have needs everywhere,” she says. “Health care
is universal.”
Johnson got the job as vice president for health science
initiatives, moved from Massachusetts to Indiana, and
started exploring new health science programs that will
help Manchester grow and meet market needs. While
nursing is first on her agenda, she’s imagining a range
of possible programs in rehabilitative sciences, applied
medical sciences and even bioengineering.
“I love Manchester,” says Johnson. “I’ve never worked in
a place where I’ve felt such across-the-board support.”
No small amount of that support comes from President
Dave McFadden ’82, whose vision is for Manchester to
become the region’s leading health science educator within
10 years. “Demand for health science degrees is exploding,”
says McFadden, “and it’s a good fit for us. Health sciences
dovetail with historic Manchester strengths.”
In 2018, the Board of Trustees embraced McFadden’s
vision, too, when it approved in principle a proposal to
expand Manchester’s footprint in health science education.
The goal is to attract more students and give them more of
the academic programs they want.
Case in point: More than 40 percent of a recent first-year
class expressed interest in a science major. For those who
choose biology-chemistry hoping to become physicians,
some discover that being a doctor isn’t for them, though
they still want a health care career. If they choose nursing,
says McFadden, they will likely transfer.