SOUTH BEND, IND. (April 8, 2009) –Grace College (Winona Lake, Ind.) President Ronald E. Manahan, Th.D. will speak at Ivy Tech Community College’s 2009 commencement Friday, May 8 at the Joyce Center on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.

Nearly 500 graduates from the South Bend, Elkhart and Warsaw campuses are eligible to receive associate degrees and technical certificates at the event. 

Manahan is the fifth president of Grace College and Seminary and has served Grace since 1977. He has also held the positions of professor of biblical studies, vice president of college academic affairs and provost. He was appointed president by the Board of Trustees in January 1994.

He received a bachelor of arts degree from Shelton College and master of divinity, master of theology and doctor of theology degrees from Grace Theological Seminary. He also completed post-doctoral research at Union Theological Seminary.

Manahan has served on the board of directors of the Kosciusko County Chapter of the American Red Cross, Grand Rapids School of Bible and Music, the Committee to Commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Inc., and Lakeland Christian Academy.

Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public post-secondary institution and the nation’s largest singly-accredited statewide community college system with more than 120,000 students enrolled annually.  Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana.  It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana.  It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.

The North Central Region serves students and employers in St. Joseph, Elkhart, Kosciusko and Marshall counties.  The region’s campuses in South Bend, Elkhart and Warsaw annually enroll more than 12,000 full- and part-time students.