SGA President Manning accepted to Harvard University graduate program
By Wil Shane
Lyon College News Bureau
Everyone at Lyon College knows Josh Manning is passionate about politics,
and that passion will soon take him to Harvard University and into the career
he’s dreamt of since high school.
(Manning is pictured at right with his parents,
Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Manning of Crawfordsville.)
Manning, who serves as president of the Student Government Association and the
student body, has been accepted into Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of
Government for September 2006. While there, he’ll pursue a master’s degree in
public policy, slated for graduation in 2008.
Manning is set to graduate Saturday with a bachelor’s degree in political science
and a concentration in journalism. He said he decided he wanted a career in
politics while still in high school.
“I had this incredible history teacher, Mr. McBride,” he said. “He really lit a
fire under me for American history and politics. Everybody always says there’s
that one teacher that impacted them, and without a question, mine was Mr.
McBride.”
He’s still unsure if he’ll focus on becoming a staffer for an elected official,
a strategist or even running for office one day, Manning said.
“I haven’t ruled out anything at this point,” he said. “But to be honest, I
think writing and speaking are where it’s at. There’s only so much change you
can affect from inside the system, but from the outside, you can keep
politicians and leaders accountable.”
Manning breaks the typical mold by being a conservative when so many other young
people consider themselves to be liberal.
“I would definitely be classified as a traditional conservative based on my
belief in the value and capability of every man – the ability of each to pull
himself up by his own bootstraps if he truly wants to,” Manning said. “Along
with that goes my belief that the government’s job is not necessarily to provide
for people so much as it is to protect them from domestic crime and foreign
danger, restrain evil domestically, and ensure the rule of law domestically.”
Though he considers himself to be a Republican, he leans more toward the title
of conservative, he added.
“In days past I would have eagerly said I’m a Republican and I still am, but
it’s hard for a real conservative to unhesitatingly back a party that’s spending
such an incredible amount of money on social programs and plain old pork,”
Manning said.
Lyon College helped prepare him for Harvard in a myriad of ways, he said.
“Lyon has provided me with a very broad knowledge base from which I can draw,”
Manning said. “This enables me to analyze ideas not just from one or two
perspectives but from a great many different points of view at once, which is
essential in a world that is changing faster than any of us can keep up with.
The school has also given me so many leadership opportunities that they’re hard
to all remember. It really has given me an opportunity to spread my wings and
try some different approaches to leading.”
The rigorous academics at Lyon have also definitely been a plus, he added. He
said he met another student that was accepted to Harvard who hadn’t read some of
the books that Manning read in his classes at Lyon College.
“I thought, well, it looks like I’ll actually be fine here,” he recalled.
“Lyon’s helped me become better read already.”
Manning said the entire faculty has contributed to his success, but he owes
special gratitude to two Lyon professors, starting with Dr. Scott Roulier,
associate professor of political science.
“Dr. Roulier’s advising has been invaluable,” he said. “He’s pushed me to
succeed and helped equip me to do just that. He has been a teacher, mentor, and
true friend.”
Dr. Brad Gitz, the William J. Clinton Professor of International Politics, also
deserves an immense amount of credit for Manning’s education, he said. In fact
it was Dr. Gitz who suggested Manning look into Harvard.
“He introduced me to the most interesting political ideas I’ve ever encountered,
and, more than any other person, helped me see the big picture of national and
global politics and helped me fall in love with ideas for their own value,”
Manning said. “In more ways than he’ll ever know, he’s helped me grow up
academically and intellectually. I’d give so much to have just one tenth of his
brilliance. He’s one of my intellectual heroes.”
Even though Manning will be attending the Kennedy School of Government, he said
John Kennedy was never one of his primary political role models.
“However, I’m an enormous fan of Ronald Reagan,” he quickly added. “Despite what many on the Left said during his time in office, we now know from his letters and memoirs that he was a brilliant intellect who understood more than I think anyone ever really gave him credit for.”
In addition to Roulier and Gitz, Manning said he owes thanks to three sets of
people.
“First, Walter and Peggy Roettger went so far beyond the call of duty in helping
me that I feel like I'm one of their own,” he said. “Dr Roettger wrote letters
for me, he and Mrs. Roettger both showed me around D.C. when I was looking at
schools there, and they introduced me to some of the most amazing contacts I've
ever met. In short, they did everything they could for me, and I will owe them
for their help and encouragement for the rest of my life.”
Lyon trustee Skip Rutherford also played a pivotal role for Manning.
“That incredibly generous Southern Democrat took a young Conservative like me
under his wing and pulled strings that I didn't even know existed in an attempt
to get me into KSG,” Manning said. “I’ve learned more from Skip than anyone else
about taking the initiative, being decisive, and fighting passionately for what
I believe in.”
Finally, Frank Lyon Jr., Lyon College’s chairman of the board, is another to whom
Manning is grateful.
“He and his lovely wife Jane have always treated me so kindly, and he, holding
an MBA from Harvard, was good enough to also write in my support,” he said. “He
and Mrs. Lyon have done so very much for this school that I love. I can’t
imagine that this place would be anywhere near the same were it not for them.”
“They’ve all taught me the importance of giving people a chance,” he said. “They
all took a chance on me, put some of their names on the line for me, and bought
me an opportunity to do some really neat things with my life. After learning
from them, I can’t wait for the opportunity, if it ever comes, to do the same
for others.”