Manor College’s Dr. Jonathan Peri Joins MSCHE as a Commissioner

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) welcomed new Commissioner Dr. Jonathan Peri, President of Manor College (PA), as of July 1, 2019. Dr. Peri was appointed by the Commission to complete the term of retiring Commissioner Dr. Gary L. Wirt. President of Goldey-Beacom College (DE), Dr. Wirt stepped down as MSCHE Chair on Dec. 31, 2018, and retired from Goldey-Beacom College on June 30, 2019.

Dr. Peri is the ninth President of Manor College in Jenkintown, PA. Dr. Peri believes mission comes first, but without proper resources, mission cannot thrive. To these ends, he has led dramatic changes to Manor’s campus without creating new costs or debt, such as the renovation of the campus library, and rebranding the college along with redesigning the college’s website. Dr. Peri leads and is engaged with many community boards, especially educational. He is the only person in Pennsylvania history to currently and concurrently sit on six of its main state boards and committees related to education.

Prior to serving as Manor College’s president, Dr. Peri was the Vice President and General Counsel at Neumann University (PA). Leading to his career in higher education, Dr. Peri worked as a Litigation Department Associate at Saul Ewing, LLP. He also held several positions within the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office including, Special Prosecutor, Press Secretary and Assistant District Attorney. While a practicing attorney, he held several adjunct faculty roles and still teaches at Manor College and Eastern University (PA). He is also a past President of the 1,350 member Delaware County Bar Association.

Dr. Peri earned a B.A. in Theology from Villanova University (PA), a J.D. from Widener University–Delaware Law School (DE), and has a second doctoral degree from Eastern University’s Organizational Leadership Ph.D. program, with an education concentration. Dr. Peri also published one of the mainstay journal articles on the uses and purposes of in-house legal counsel in higher education. He has also been featured in several legal publications and has received numerous awards and distinctions.