The University of Alabama at Birmingham has announced the establishment of the Maryann Manning Family Literacy Center, housed in the university’s School of Education. The center will offer a literacy clinic for children, tutoring services for university students, and family literacy programs for the community. In addition, the center will publish the online MidSouth Literacy Journal.
Maryann Manning began her career as a high school English teacher at the age of 19. She joined the faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1972 and served for 35 years, before retiring as Distinguished Professor Emerita. Dr. Manning was the author or co-author of 10 books, including Creating the Best Literacy Block Ever: A Framework for Successfully Managing, Teaching, and Assessing in an Extended Literacy Block (Scholastic Teaching Resources, 2009). She died in 2013.
Professor Manning earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of South Dakota in 1958, her master’s degree from Wayne State University in 1964 and her doctorate from the University of Nebraska in 1971.
Deborah L. Voltz, the dean of the School of Education at UAB, said that “literacy is key to success in life. It is very fitting that this center be named for Dr. Maryann Manning, who worked tirelessly to advance literacy instruction, thereby earning the love and respect of the literacy professional community, both locally and nationally. Consistent with the vision of the UAB School of Education, the Maryann Manning Family Literacy Center will transform lives to optimize human potential.”