Dr. David Fry will retire in August from his position as president and CEO of Northwood University.
MIDLAND, MI — Dr. David Fry, president and CEO of Northwood University, announced this week that he will retire from his position on August 30. Although he still has two and a half years before reaching the mandatory retirement date for officers at Northwood, Fry explained that half the current officer leadership – five officers — will reach 65 within the next five years and believes it would be best to retire at this time.
“For twenty-four years I have had the best job in the world and now I believe that it is best for me to step aside to encourage the search for a new president who will assemble her or his own top leadership team for the long-term success of Northwood, as other top officer positions become available,” said Fry.
Northwood has had only two long-term presidents in its history.
“The top leadership at Northwood is composed of ten officer positions focused on various parts of the central mission of creating an incubator for enterprise and character by supporting talented professors with the tools to help Northwood students transform themselves into leaders for a world of free markets and enterprise vitality,” said Fry. “For more than 20 years we have had a policy that no person may hold an officer position after the year in which she or he turns 65 years old because Northwood deserves fresh and vital leadership to accomplish our central mission.”
He continued, “My responsibility to the future of Northwood requires whatever it takes to encourage smart, able, committed, younger leadership to shape a new team for the vibrancy of this institution I love so much. Simply put; if I go first there will be a more cohesive leadership team for the future.”
In January, Dr. Fry requested that the board of trustees for Northwood University begin the process to find and install a new president of the university soon, ideally by the beginning of the new academic year, September 1. They formed a governance and management leadership committee and have engaged The Compass Group LTD, a global executive search firm headquartered in Birmingham, MI, to help in finding and evaluating external and internal candidates for this position.
As president emeritus, Fry will serve as acting as counsel to the new president and the Friends of Northwood.
At the end of his announcement to Northwood employees, Dr. Fry said, “The last quarter century has been a time of enormous progress at Northwood University because of what my Northwood colleagues have done. I am certain that the next decades will bring much more. I know the pure joy it can bring to watch vibrant student/professor interactions and I look forward to watching Northwood continue to fiercely promote them. That is where the Northwood magic happens. The best is yet to come.”
Dr. John Hohman, chairman of Northwood’s board of trustees said, “David’s contributions to Northwood are too numerous to mention in this brief statement. As David starts his next chapter with Northwood as president emeritus, the board of trustees will be sure that he receives the recognition he richly deserves. The board thanks him for the opportunities his decision has given Northwood in shaping its future.”
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