Swampscott couple to give back to alma mater

SWAMPSCOTT – The University of Massachusetts-Lowell awarded Swampscott residents Robert and Donna Manning their bachelor’s degrees nearly 30 years ago. Today, the couple returns to receive honorary doctorate degrees.But this time, the Mannings are also giving their alma mater a multi-million dollar gift to help construct a new building for the university’s College of Management and the newly named Robert Manning School of Business.”It’s a round trip,” Manning joked on Friday.Manning, the CEO of a Boston-based investment management firm, downplayed his generous gift during a phone interview Friday.”We’re nothing more than two people who feel very fortunate and lucky in life and feel very strongly that you have to give back. We feel this is the way to help,” he said.Manning said that he and his wife, who holds nursing and master of business administration degrees from the school, view their college educations as the most important experiences of their lives.Manning joined MFS Investments after graduating in 1984 with a degree in business administration.Today he is the Boston-based investment-management firm’s chairman and chief executive officer, overseeing more than 1,800 employees and $240 billion in assets.Donna Manning, meanwhile, has worked as an oncology nurse for more than 25 years at Boston Medical Center.They have endowed scholarships for business and nursing students, volunteered for committees and been avid boosters of their alma mater.”I felt that my degree from UMass Lowell allowed me to compete against anybody,” Manning said. “I had the opportunity to do anything I wanted to do.”What Manning wants to do now is recognize the value and progress of his alma mater. He said that the school has changed significantly since he and his wife commuted to class from Methuen.He credits Chancellor Martin Meehan with transforming the school to represent the epicenter of the intellectual and cultural life of Lowell, purchasing major buildings to create a residential campus, increasing enrollment and improving programs.Public investment in the state college system, however, has concurrently decreased, Manning said.Manning also made headlines for quitting the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees in December, reportedly in protest of Gov. Deval Patrick’s increased involvement with the board’s selection of a new president.Meehan withdrew his application for the presidency the week before Manning’s departure, after reportedly being the front-runner for the position.Both Manning and Meehan said that the decision allowed Manning to more intently focus on the needs of the Lowell campus.Meehan said that the new building will be a $30 million project and the Mannings have committed to helping raise another $10-15 million for the project’s construction. Most importantly, Meehan said that the incident demonstrated Manning’s integrity and the ideals that the school wants to instill in students.”Rob is a person of very high integrity and makes decisions based on facts and listening to others. What I like about him is that he doesn’t make decisions based on politics,” said Meehan. “He has the highest integrity and he tells the truth, showing that you can be highly successful in business and still have the ethics. He has a great character and gives back.”Manning said that it’s the least he can do for his alma mater. But he lamented that people were making such a big deal about what “should happen all the time.””We wanted this to be very low key. But if it inspires a few other people to give back, especially to the UMass system which needs help ? we will have accomplished a mission,” he said.