HDFS alum, award winner, passes away 

Posted on October 29, 2024

Photo of Jay Mancini

UNCG alum Dr. Jay A. Mancini passed away on Oct. 10, 2024. Mancini, 75, was a lifelong friend of the University and the School of Health and Human Sciences. He earned his Ph.D. from UNCG in 1977 in Child Development and Family Relations (HDFS). 

Mancini was the inaugural recipient of the School of Health and Human Sciences’ Dean’s Award for Excellence. The award is given at the dean’s discretion to honor alumni, former staff or faculty, or friends of the school for exceptional service, scholarship, or other exemplary contributions to the mission and advancement of HHS and UNCG. 

Upon receiving the award, Mancini said several UNCG faculty members influenced his career, including Dr. Dennis Orthner, Dr. Hyman Rodman, Dr. James Watson, Dr. Garrett Lange, Dr. Rebecca Smith, Dr. Vira Kivett, Dr. Helen Canaday, Dr. Bud Rallings, and Dr. David Pratto. Mancini was struck by the care and support of faculty towards graduate students, especially by Rodman and Kivett, and would subsequently be known for the care and support he showed towards graduate students with whom he encountered. 

From these faculty, Mancini also learned about being a scholar and developed an interest in family gerontology and family time use, which were initial areas of focus in the beginning of his career. Mancini also began his military family research career with Orthner along with Dr. Gary Bowen, another student of Orthner’s and a Ph.D. graduate of UNCG. The three continued to conduct and collaborate on military family and military family support systems research for decades and have been friends for more than 50 years. 

In addition to the Dean’s Award for Excellence, Mancini also received the Distinguished Alumni Service Award from UNCG in 2007, and the Outstanding Alumnus Award from the School of Human Environmental Sciences at UNCG in 2002. 

Mancini was a generous donor to the School of Health and Human Sciences. In 2008, Mancini established the Jay A. Mancini Graduate Award in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies in what is now UNCG’s School of Health and Human Sciences to support the professional development and research of graduate students, to include travel costs to attend conferences. His support also funds the HDFS Graduate Student Colloquium Series, which brings in several guest speakers every semester for research talks and networking opportunities. 

“Dr. Mancini was the ultimate scholar and gentleman. He spent his life studying, writing about, and fostering family, including lifespan human development, building community capacity, military family support systems, and psychological well-being,” said Dr. Carl Mattacola, dean of the School of Health and Human Sciences. “He was a productive scholar, committed mentor, and most importantly, a dedicated friend and family member. We are grateful we could honor him this year with the Dean’s Award for Excellence.” 

At the time of his death, Mancini was Professor Emeritus of Human Development and Family Science at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), where he had been a member of the faculty for 32 years, in addition to serving as department head of Human Development and Family Science for seven years. 

Mancini also served at the University of Georgia as department head of Human Development and Family Science and the Haltiwanger Distinguished Professor. He remained as an adjunct professor. 

His work was published in numerous periodicals and book chapters, and during his professional career, he received more than $22 million in research funding. Mancini was also generous with his time, serving as a mentor to former students, faculty, and colleagues. He left a legacy of scholarship, mentorship, and leadership at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and in the family science field.