Manhattan University president Milo Riverso to step down after tumultuous tenure

Milo Riverso served as the 21st president of Manhattan University. During his tenure, he oversaw a change in the institution’s name as well as the termination of 60 professors for financial reasons.

Courtesy Manhattan University

It has been an incredible honor to lead my alma mater even though we have had some very challenging issues, which required some very difficult decisions but will strengthen us in the long-term.”

Milo Riverso, outgoing president, Manhattan University

Manhattan University’s president Milo Riverso will officially step down from his role at the end of the fall semester. 

In an announcement from the school, Riverso made the decision to step down but, despite this choice, will continue in the role of interim president to assist in a smooth transition for the institution. 

Riverso’s decision to leave his role at the university comes after a tumultuous tenure. His appointment as president was announced in late June 2023 and he wasted no time making changes once the fall semester began. 

The institution once held six schools: the Kakos School of Arts, O’Malley School of Business, the School of Engineering, the School of Liberal Arts, the School of Health Professions and School of Continuing Education and Professional Studies, which were merged into three schools. Three of the schools, the School of Health Professions, School of Continuing Education and Professional Studies, and the School of Liberal Arts were all moved to be housed under the Kakos School of Arts and Sciences. 

Following this merger, Riverso made another drastic change. 

Professors and faculty members were offered voluntary separation agreements last fall, inviting them to leave before layoffs were made.

The school’s handbook states that tenured professors are allowed to be terminated under the circumstances of financial crisis but, throughout the timeline of being offered separation agreements and some professors eventually being fired in January of 2024, no financials were presented to professors to suggest the drastic actions by the school were warranted. 

In January, when professors arrived for a new semester, more than 60 were terminated from their roles pursuant to the aforementioned promise of layoffs. Professors were given the option to stay on for the rest of the semester and receive 17 weeks’ pay or they could leave immediately and were given the option to receive 10 weeks pay or the equivalent weeks for years worked. 

Shortly after the major upsets on campus, more than 70 percent of the faculty participated in a vote, voting no confidence in president Riverso. The vote, alongside a letter explaining their decision, was sent to the board of trustees and Riverso. 

The faculty letter stated a lack of transparency among their reasons for discontentment. 

“President Riverso’s management style has cultivated an atmosphere of uncertainty, distrust and fear among faculty, staff and students,” the letter read. 

In the months since this vote, fired faculty who chose to stay on finished out their semesters, and classes continued. 

Despite the rocky first year, part of Riverso’s legacy includes the changing of the institution’s name from Manhattan College to Manhattan University. The decision to change the school’s name was made in part to draw in an international crowd of students, as the term college differs from university abroad, with university appealing to more people as a prestigious institution. 

Chair of the board of trustees, Stephen Squeri, said Riverso came to him directly about making a move back into retirement for health reasons. 

“On behalf of the board, I thank him for guiding Manhattan University as president through a challenging period; he is leaving our institution stronger as a result,” Squeri said. 

Riverso graduated from Manhattan University in 1977 and worked in civil engineering. He earned his master’s and Ph.D. in civil engineering from Purdue University. 

Among Riverso’s other accomplishments while president: for the fall 2024 semester, three new Division 1 teams were added; men’s volleyball, women’s golf and women’s acrobatics. 

He also helped forge a connection with two colleges. First, with St. Francis College in Brooklyn, Riverso established an agreement that allows college students studying chemistry the opportunity to transfer to Manhattan University after finishing their sophomore year to continue pursuing a degree in chemical engineering.

The second college, Rockland Community College, also entered into an agreement with Manhattan, making room for community college graduates with a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or higher to enroll in university programs. The program specifies students with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher will be automatically considered for scholarships. 

Riverso served as the 21st president in the institution’s 171-year history. 

“It has been an incredible honor to lead my alma mater even though we have had some very challenging issues, which required some very difficult decisions but will strengthen us in the long term,” he said.