Coming up on his 26th year at WCU, Dr. Jim Manning, associate professor of communication, has announced he will be retiring after the end of finals week, May 14, 2021.<\/p>\n
Manning joined the then Communication & Theatre Arts Department in 1993 as the technical director for the theatre program. Manning has significant experience working with professional theatre companies, such as the Playhouse on the Square in Memphis and Off-Broadway theatres in New York.<\/p>\n
In 1995, he enrolled in the Ph.D. program in drama and rhetoric at the University of Georgia. His dissertation focused on how Appalachia and its people are presented in plays and popular culture.<\/p>\n
After completing the Ph.D. program at UGA, he returned to WCU in 1997 on a tenure-track position, teaching both theatre and communication classes. In the early 2000s, he also served in director, technical directing and acting roles with the Western Carolina Stage Company, a professional actor\u2019s equity summer theatre company<\/p>\n
One of the highlights of the Western Carolina Stage Company was the acceptance of an original musical, \u201cMother Divine,\u201d co-written by then communication faculty member Dr. Laurel Vartebedian, to the New York City Fringe Festival.<\/p>\n
It was the perfect opportunity for Manning, a native of New York who was intimately familiar with New York theatre. \u201cWe needed someone who spoke \u2018New Yorker\u2019 in order to navigate our trip into Greenwich Village both figuratively and literally,\u201d Vartabedian said. \u201cBecause he was linguistically fluent with just the right residual accent and knew the necessary routes\u2014 (and adjectives), we survived a couple of weeks and a major power outage. \u00a0For that, I\u2019ll always be grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the creation of the Fine and Performing Arts College in the mid-2000s, the theatre program moved to the College of Fine and Performing arts, and the Communication faculty stayed in the College of Arts and Sciences. Manning\u2019s faculty line was in Communication, so he remained with the College of Arts & Sciences.<\/p>\n
Dr. Robert Vartebedian, then dean of the College of Arts Sciences, has fond memories of working with Manning. \u201cWorking directly and indirectly with Jim was always an absolute pleasure. Among Jim\u2019s many attributes was the fact that he was an honest and direct person. One extremely important hire that I needed to make within my last two years at Western Carolina University involved someone who Jim knew well. I knew if Jim vouched for him, that would be good enough for me. He did, and it turned out to be one of the best hires I made in my 40-year career,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Even as WCU and the programs within it began to change, Manning\u2019s passion for teaching never faded away.<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Manning just stands out so much in my memory because he was just so enthusiastic about the courses he taught,\u201d former student Julia Duvall said. \u201cHe was always so fun in class and just has a great attitude. He made the material fun. I always looked forward to going to his class.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the COVID-19 era, Manning worked to create the best experience he could for his students by preparing them for working in the midst of a global pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially with Zoom, he prepared me for what my 2020 and 2021 year was going to be like in my role as a community coordinator for residential living because I had no idea what Zoom was, and he prepared me to have these moments where I am the only one speaking on a virtual platform,\u201d former student Dane Wagner said. \u201cNow I\u2019m taking control of lessons and meetings, and he definitely prepared me for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to his work on the stage and in the classroom, Manning has dedicated a significant portion of his life to community service internationally, regionally and locally. After completing his undergraduate degree at Carroll College in Montana, Manning served in the Peace Corps in Gabon, Africa, where he helped build schoolhouses for children. For the last decade, he has worked with the Cullowhee United Methodist Church on a variety of service projects, including summer mission trips to repair homes damaged by natural disasters.<\/p>\n
While Manning\u2019s retirement will have an impact on all Communication faculty, one faculty member will likely feel the impact more than anyone else, Manning\u2019s wife, Dr. Betty Farmer, who also teaches in the COMM Dept.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe met at WCU on the first day of work in 1993,\u201d Farmer said. Manning and Farmer married in October 1997.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter 28 years, I can still say he’s such a great man,\u201d Farmer said. \u201cHe’s so smart and hard-working. He cares so much about students and wants students to succeed. It’s going to be bittersweet for him. He’s going to miss not being in the classroom. Western has just been so much a part of our lives, but I\u2019m excited for the opportunity this presents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even though his presence will no longer be felt throughout the Stillwell Building, his memories with fellow faculty, staff and students will live on forever.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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