“ Part of the Manchester Magic is that we take a foundation of classes . . . what I love about it is that Manchester focuses on the whole person . You ’ re not just here for your studies ; we want you to be a well-rounded person .”
MU | Manchester Magic
President Stacy Hendricks ’ 96 Young first heard about Manchester from her high school accounting teacher , Marvene Pippenger ’ 64 . Pippenger would often talk about her alma mater and , according to Young , “ it became clear that if you wanted to do accounting in Indiana , you would come to
Manchester .”
She quickly became involved on campus , hosting a radio show on Manchester ’ s radio station , volunteering for admissions , and attending accounting and business club meetings . Her twin sister , Tracy Hendricks ’ 96 Martin , who initially went to Ball State University , saw how involved Young was at Manchester and decided to transfer . Once she arrived at Manchester , the twins hosted a 50s and 60s radio show together on Sunday nights , which would occasionally have callins from professors .
The two also taught aerobics together . One of Young ’ s most memorable student experiences was having the football team attend their class as part of the team ’ s spring training .
“ They would split the football team ; Tracy led half the team and I led half the team ,” Young said . “ They would come to aerobics class as part of their spring training . That was a hoot !”
In addition to her disc jockey and aerobics experience , Young was an admissions student worker supervised by Jill Biehl , who is still the administrative assistant for admissions today . “ She was just as wonderful as she is today ,” Young said .
Even with all her extracurricular activities , Young made time to study and attend classes that have continued to impact her .
Professor of Business Timothy Ogden ’ 87 ’ s management class was her “ all-time favorite class ” as a student and has remained her favorite class to teach for twenty-five years .
Another influential professor was Arthur Gilbert ’ 53 , professor emeritus of accounting , who Young describes as a “ legend .”
“ He taught us some really good life lessons ,” Young said . “ Sometimes it felt like we were trying to solve impossible problems , but I think working through the process of trying to solve it was just as beneficial as solving it . And I think that ’ s what he was trying to teach us , but we didn ’ t know it at the time . He was sneaky that way .”
An unfortunately memorable moment in her college career occurred during one of Professor Gilbert ’ s exams . The night before , she had stayed up quite late studying , and did not realize how ill she had fallen . In the middle of the exam , Young suddenly passed out . It was only afterwards that she found out she had a fever . Despite worries that he would not allow her to retake the exam , Professor Gilbert ultimately let Young make it up . “ He was really gracious about it . It was one of those times that I saw him a little bit softer than the normal persona he had .”
Her time as a Manchester student was a foundational part of her life , and now she has returned as the University ’ s 16th president . She was officially inaugurated on Nov . 10 .
Previously the president of Montcalm Community College in Michigan , Young felt called home to Manchester when she heard that the position was opening .
“ Part of the Manchester Magic is that we take a foundation of classes . . . what I love about it is that Manchester focuses on the whole person . You ’ re not just here for your studies ; we want you to be a well-rounded person .”
“ I kept thinking , ‘ I love my job ; I don ’ t need another job .’ But I feel like God wanted me here for a reason , and now I ’ m here .”
In her first few months back on campus , Young has popularized the phrase “ Manchester Magic .” To her , Manchester Magic refers to the things that distinguish Manchester from other college experiences .
“ Part of the Manchester Magic is that we take a foundation of classes . . . what I love about it is that Manchester focuses on the whole person ,” she said . “ You ’ re not just here for your studies ; we want you to be a well-rounded person .”
Manchester has always brought people of all different backgrounds together and helped them find themselves and their passions . “ When I was here as a student , there could be completely different opinions and we all still respected and liked each other ,” Young said . “ All of our worldviews expanded because we were here .”
Even as the University transitions into a new era with a new leader , the magic of Manchester remains . In her brief time as president , Young has already encouraged current students , faculty and staff to think more deeply about what that Manchester Magic is for them . She continues to remind the Manchester community why this place is so special , why so many feel called home .
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