Scripps College Vice President and Treasurer James Manifold to Retire

James H. Manifold, vice president of business affairs and treasurer of the College, will retire June 30, 2011, after almost 30 years of service to Scripps College. The search to find his replacement will begin this fall.

Manifold came to the College in 1982. Over the course of almost three decades, he has served under five college presidents, and has seen the College student population grow by 50 percent.

As vice president and treasurer, Manifold has demonstrated leadership and made lasting changes to Scripps College, especially in business affairs, building initiatives, and his contributions to the Claremont Consortium.

“James Manifold has played an essential role in the progress of Scripps College during a period of impressive growth and academic success,” said Scripps College President Lori Bettison-Varga. “His many accomplishments as administrator, educator, and advocate for Scripps and the larger Consortium will have lasting positive impact for decades to come.”

Weathering several economic downturns over the decades, Manifold has managed the business affairs and fiscal security of the campus with distinction. During his tenure, the College endowment has grown from $20 million in 1982 to more than $220 million today. Manifold has also been a pioneer in college financial reporting, increasing fiscal transparency at Scripps College, and leading several accounting trends in higher education. He began publishing cash flow statements for the College in 1983, 13 years before it became a national requirement. In 1996, Scripps College also published a statement of changes in endowed equity, an essential disclosure not required in the 1996 fund accounting standards.

Manifold’s personal appreciation for architecture is evident in his attention to the improvements and maintenance of the world-renowned Scripps College campus, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. During his career, Manifold has managed a 20 percent increase in the overall size of the campus, the building of more than 100,000 square feet of new academic and co-curricular space, and has administered more than $20 million in deferred maintenance projects. Manifold led the renovation of six historic campus buildings, most notably chairing the design committee for the Elizabeth Hubert Malott Commons.

Manifold has been a leader in supporting the Claremont Consortium in the areas of physical plant infrastructure, employee benefits, risk management, and campus dining service. He has also been active in the Claremont community by serving on the City’s General Plan Advisory Committee and is currently on the Architectural Commission.

In addition to his duties as chief financial officer, Manifold has not forgotten his love of higher education.  He holds the rank of assistant professor and has taught classes in financial and management accounting at Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College, and Claremont Graduate University. He has served on accreditation teams for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), and has published several articles on endowment investing, deferred maintenance, and strategic planning. He holds a BS from Georgetown University, and an MBA from Rutgers Graduate School of Business.

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