Doctor Marvin Wade moved to Manhattan about a month ago and has already fallen in love.

After former superintendent Bob Shannon announced his retirement last year, the hunt for a new superintendent began and Wade was selected to take Shannon’s place.

“I love it so far, I really do,” Wade said. “People say that, and of course I’m supposed to say that but I really do like it. Great community; there seems to be a lot of parent support, a lot of students who are doing well. The staff that I’ve met, they’re proud of what we accomplish here but they still want to do better. And that’s what I’m looking for.”

Wade began his career in education in 1983 and has moved up through the ranks since. He was employed for Marshalltown School District in Marshalltown, Iowa, where he was worked for eight years before settling in Manhattan.

Though Wade is new to Manhattan, he’s no stranger to Kansas education.

“One reason, a big reason [I chose to move to Manhattan], would be that it does have a long history of success,” Wade said. “When I was in Kansas almost 25 years ago, since then and just keeping track of this area, Manhattan’s just a steady, high-achieving, successful, proud community and it’s got a great reputation. Partly because there’s always good candidates coming here. There are good, dedicated, well-trained teachers and administrators and that makes a huge difference for students, so I want to be part of that. I want to be at a place where I can get the best to come here and even get better and the expectation for me to do the same thing.”

The new superintendent also recognized the financial hardships that Kansas is currently facing and has decided to stay positive in the face of adversity.

“It’s challenging times right now for Kansas with some of the things that are going on: the financial, the political and all those things,” Wade said, “and yet there’s a new vision for the state. Kansas can lead the world in the success of students and [principal Greg] Hoyt said [last Tuesday] night, the first thing he thought was if Kansas can lead the world, then why can’t Manhattan lead Kansas and that’s a mentality I love.”

Not only does Wade plan to tackle the financial hardships that the district is facing, but he also plans to lay the mascot controversy to rest. He intends to hold a public forum in Rezac Auditorium sometime within the next month that will allow anyone from the community to speak solely on the matter for three minutes. The forum will be open for however long it takes to get through everyone’s opinion. The following meeting held by the Board of Education will make the final decision with the goal of easing some concern that the Manhattan community has vocalized over the last two years.

“I didn’t come here to try to make Manhattan what I think it should be,” Wade said. “I was hired to come here to try to understand what Manhattan-Ogden 383 wants, what the community wants, and then to find the most efficient way to deliver that.”