‘Leadership, Like Education, Is About Creating Conditions For Growth’

Two decades into her career as a leader in higher education, Elise Awwad, CEO of DeVry University, is clear about the changes in the field—and the workplace it prepares its students for.

“The traditional pathways that once guaranteed success no longer apply universally, and learners today demand an education that is flexible, relevant and immediately valuable,” she says.

Awwad spoke with us about how DeVry is responding to these changes, how it is partnering with employers and the importance of “seeing possibilities where others see limitations.”

DeVry has some innovative approaches. What is your philosophy of higher education? 

I think that really comes from my passion for the work we do and for education in general. An education is one of the few possessions in life that can never be taken away. It is both a foundation and a catalyst, an intellectual inheritance that endures long after degrees are earned.

For more than two decades, I have been privileged to work in higher education, and my philosophy is rooted in my years of experience working with learners. I believe that education should be expansive rather than transactional. It should challenge, not just credential. And most importantly, it should meet students where they are while pushing them to where they aim to go.

One of the most powerful pieces of advice I ever received was simple: bloom where you are planted. That wisdom has shaped my journey, beginning as a student advisor, supporting students as they took the first step toward their future, to now leading an institution dedicated to their success. What I’ve learned along the way is that leadership, like education, is about creating conditions for growth. And to do that well, you must inspire and reward innovation.

Innovation requires questioning assumptions, recognizing patterns before they fully emerge and being willing to challenge the status quo in pursuit of something better. 

This is so important in higher education because the traditional pathways that once guaranteed success no longer apply universally, and learners today demand an education that is flexible, relevant and immediately valuable. 

Where do you start?

For me, innovation begins with deep listening. I think anyone who leads a large enterprise knows that the best solutions don’t come from a single visionary at the top but from engaging with internal and external stakeholders to understand real challenges and opportunities. That approach has shaped many of our most forward-thinking initiatives at DeVry.

I also believe innovation strengthens on action, not abstraction. I’ve never been content with ideas that stay in conference rooms, no matter how difficult it is to go after.

One of the lessons I’ve learned in my career is that the most transformative ideas often come from constraints. I have seen leaders stall because they feel that infinite resources are necessary to drive innovation—but it’s about seeing possibilities where others see limitations.

Ultimately, I’ve just believed that the future of higher education belongs to those who design for what’s next rather than defend what’s always been. That belief is what drives me, and it’s what defines innovation at DeVry. 

How are you responding to emerging technologies and changing workforce needs to ensure students obtain the type of in-demand education necessary to succeed? 

The accelerating pace of technological change has fundamentally reshaped the relationship between education and work. Knowledge, once seen as something to be acquired and stored, is now a dynamic asset. Learning nowadays has to be continuously expanded and applied in new contexts.

We are finding, now more than ever, that success belongs to those who continually refine their skills and adapt to new ways of working given the influence of technology in pretty much every sector. When you think about today’s digital era, it really does require higher education to move beyond the traditional model of degree attainment and embrace a more adaptive, integrative and lifelong approach to learning.

At DeVry University, we recognize that education is no longer a singular event but an ongoing endeavor, one that should develop alongside the workforce it serves. When you think about this shift, it really demands more than incremental updates to curricula, it calls for a fundamental transformation in how we prepare learners for a world where artificial intelligence, automation and data-driven decision-making are not only reshaping industries but redefining professional identities.

I see that as innovation in higher education—not chasing trends but anticipating the forces shaping the future and designing learning experiences that empower students to excel within it.

What are some of the specific steps you’ve taken?

We have made AI education a core part of the DeVry student experience, integrating it across disciplines to ensure that learners understand not only how to use AI technology but how to lead in a world driven by it. This commitment is reflected in our AI-enhanced curriculum, which expanded in 2024 with seven new courses, as well as in our broader mission to close skills gaps through lifelong learning pathways.

Our research conducted last year, Closing the Gap: Upskilling and Reskilling in an AI Era, emphasizes the urgency of this work. We found that AI and emerging technologies are influencing nearly every industry, requiring both employers and employees to rethink how they approach skills development.

Likewise, DeVry’s 2024 Impact Report: Empowering Tomorrow’s Workforce through Lifelong Education reveals that today’s learners are no longer following linear career paths—32 percent of our students enrolled to advance in their current careers, 31 percent to pivot to a new field and 23 percent to enter a profession for the first time. These figures highlight what we, as educators, have to internalize: The future of work requires we continuously learn, unlearn and relearn in response to technology’s influence.  

How do you partner with employers in these endeavors? 

We have this deep belief that there should always be a strong relationship between education and industry. Employers desperately need talent that is prepared not just with technical knowledge but with the ability to think critically especially when solving complex workplace challenges. I say that to frame up the importance of working directly with business leaders to understand what skills are in demand and how we can integrate them into our programs in a way that makes sense for both learners and employers.

One of the ways we do this is through our National Advisory Committees which bring together professionals from a wide range of fields to collaborate with our faculty, making sure what we teach connects directly to real-world applications. These committees help us stay well ahead of workforce trends to better equip students with the knowledge and experience they need to be successful.

We also work directly with companies through DeVryWorks, our workforce solutions team. Employers want strong, capable talent, and we help them find ways to invest in their employees through our programming built for a lifelong learner. We’ve developed partnerships with organizations like Microchip Technology Inc., 1871 and OneTen, as well as state governments, to create learning pathways that support career advancement and business growth.

At its core, education is about creating opportunities. Opportunities for individuals to advance, for businesses to grow and for industries to innovate. That is what makes strong partnerships so valuable.

Tell us about your success in reducing the real-dollar cost of education. 

Affordability remains one of the most significant barriers to access and completion in higher education, and at DeVry, we are committed to confronting this challenge with both urgency and responsibility. We recognize that the rising cost of college, often outpacing wage growth and inflation, has placed an increasing strain on students and families. That’s why we take a proactive, multi-faceted approach, not only by managing tuition but by strategically expanding financial support to reduce the real-dollar burden on students.

For the 2024-25 academic year, we awarded more than $79 million in institutional scholarships, grants and tuition savings—funding that directly reduces out-of-pocket expenses for students and expands access to education. At the same time, we made the decision to freeze tuition for the fifth consecutive year, resisting the industry-wide trend of annual tuition hikes. When students can plan for their education with confidence and predictability, they are better positioned to persist through their studies and graduate without being overwhelmed by unexpected costs.

I believe that higher education institutions have an obligation to create sustainable pathways to economic mobility. By coupling tuition stability with institutional aid programs, we are reinforcing our commitment to affordability and access, ensuring that students have the financial security to focus on what matters most—their education, their careers and their future.