University鈥檚 Appreciation for Nursing Alumna Donna Manning Set in Stone

A woman in presented with a framed photo by another woman while a man looks on at a podium — Nursing alumna Donna Manning '85, '91, '11 (H), center, is presented with framed photos of the newly named Donna Manning Health and Social Sciences Building by doctoral student Jonelle O'Connor while her husband, Rob Manning '84, '11 (H), looks on.

10/16/2023
By Ed Brennen

Solomont School of Nursing alumna Donna Manning 鈥�85, 鈥�91, 鈥�11 (H) isn鈥檛 one for fanfare, which makes dedicating a building in her honor a bit tricky.聽

鈥淢y husband kept it very quiet. He knows I don鈥檛 like this stuff,鈥� she said of business alum Rob Manning 鈥�84, 鈥�11 (H), former chair of the UMass Board of Trustees.

With more than $20 million in lifetime giving to 51视频, the Mannings are the biggest cash contributors in university history. In recognition of their most recent $10 million gift, the university has dedicated the Donna Manning Health and Social Sciences Building in her honor.聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 not about the name on the building, it鈥檚 about what鈥檚 inside it,鈥� Donna Manning said after the recent naming ceremony 鈥� held in the Chancellor鈥檚 suite at University Crossing so as to not disrupt classes taking place in the South Campus building.

Manning retired in 2018 from a 鈥渞ewarding, life-changing鈥� 35-year career as an oncology nurse at Boston Medical Center, where she worked to ensure that chemotherapy patients whose treatment was complicated by socioeconomic disparities had access to services such as translation and transportation.

A man walks out of a campus building — The Donna Manning Health and Social Sciences Building opened on South Campus in 2013.

鈥淒onna has dedicated her life to try to narrow that gap鈥� in health disparity, said UMass President Marty Meehan, who noted that she did not accept a salary for much of her career. 鈥淗er experience in health care, and where we need to get to as a society for health care, have inspired me. I can鈥檛 think of a better person to name the Health and Social Sciences Building for than Donna Manning.鈥�

Chancellor Julie Chen said Manning has been critical to nursing education at UML in many ways, from supporting the Donna Manning Nursing Simulation Lab and Donna Manning Endowed Chair for Nursing to serving on the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences advisory board.

Manning鈥檚 nursing career was almost derailed before it started. Heading into her senior year at UML, she was $500 short on her tuition. When she visited the registrar鈥檚 office to withdraw, a woman at the front desk told her, 鈥淒on鈥檛 leave. No one ever comes back.鈥�

With the help of her parents, who raised her on the family farm in Methuen, Massachusetts, Manning was able to stay in school and finish her degree, eventually returning for an MBA.

Four women and three men pose for a group photo in front of a monitor and podium — Donna Manning, third from right, was joined at the ceremony by, from left, Dean of Health Sciences Mary Gallant, Chancellor Julie Chen, Alan Solomont '77, Rob Manning, UMass Trustee Mary Burns '84 and UMass President Marty Meehan.

Years later, when she received a call from the university鈥檚 office asking if she could contribute 鈥減robably $50鈥� to a student scholarship fund, she donated $1,000.

鈥淚 just never forgot where I came from,鈥� said Manning, who is 鈥減roud鈥� to see nursing students thriving at her alma mater today.

鈥淥ur initial investment in UML was to help people like us finish school,鈥� she said, adding that her and her husband鈥檚 larger support in recent years is 鈥渁n investment in the future of so many students.鈥澛�

Rob Manning, who recently retired as chair of MFS Investment Management and for whom the Manning School of Business is named, credits his wife for teaching him the value of philanthropy.

A man in a suit gestures with his hand while speaking at a podium, where a woman looks on — Rob Manning, former chair of the UMass Board of Trustees, credits his wife, Donna Manning, for teaching him "how to give."

鈥淚 was very lucky in life to be good at investing and making money, but I didn鈥檛 know how to give. It wasn鈥檛 even on my radar,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut because Donna is my soulmate and wife, and I watched her do what she did in her life, she taught me how to give.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the greatest gift anyone鈥檚 ever given me,鈥� he said, his voice cresting with emotion.聽聽

Opened in 2013 on South Campus, the $40 million building is home to some of the university's most popular majors in health and social sciences, including nursing, physical therapy, economics, and criminology and justice studies. The four-story, 69,000-square-foot structure features a demonstration hospital wing, simulation laboratories and observation rooms, as well as classrooms and meeting spaces for team projects and community engagement.

Nursing major Melanie Chaves, a recipient of the Robert and Donna Manning Scholarship for Nursing, was on hand for the ceremony. So were four recipients of the Solomont Family Nursing Scholarship: Jonelle O鈥機onnor, Sarah Broughton, Rachael Halas and Bianca Konchinski.

A man holds out his cellphone to show a photo to five women — Alan Solomont '77, namesake of the Solomont School of Nursing, shows scholarship recipients a photo of his new grandchild.

O鈥機onnor, a third-year student in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, has worked as a nurse for 19 years and is currently a nurse case manager at Mass General Brigham Salem Hospital.聽

鈥淪cholarships and contributions from people like the Mannings and Solomonts have assisted me through advancing my nursing career, from undergraduate to graduate school,鈥� said O鈥機onnor, who presented Donna Manning with framed photos of the building. 鈥淭heir financial assistance eases the burden so that we can truly focus on learning and bettering ourselves for our patients and communities.鈥�

The School of Nursing was named in honor of Susan and Alan Solomont 鈥�77 in 2017, and the oncology clinic at Boston Medical Center where Manning worked is also named for the Solomonts. Alan Solomont attended the ceremony to congratulate Manning and meet with the scholarship recipients.

Chen noted that the Mannings鈥� philanthropy has had an impact on 鈥渢ens of thousands of people, starting with the students here at 51视频.鈥�

鈥淭he Donna Manning Health and Social Sciences Building will be a beacon for those students aspiring to follow in your footsteps,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd for those students that will have an impact on the health and lives of so many others in this world.鈥�

51视频