Former Northwood University President David E. Fry, who served as CEO from 1982 to 2006, passed away Tuesday, December 19, 2023. 

“Dr. Fry fostered Northwood University’s growth and progress as the longest-serving president and left an indelible mark on the institution,” said Northwood President Kent MacDonald. “Today, Northwood continues to advance the mission personified by Dr. Fry to develop free-enterprise leaders across America and around the world.”

Fry began his career as an economics professor with research and teaching interests in business, global economics and free markets. As president, he focused on creating an environment where this passion could be passed on to generations of students through the university’s philosophy, which values individual freedom and responsibility, earned success, moral law and the importance of free enterprise.

“Dr. Fry’s legacy includes leading Northwood through significant change, including growing the university academically from an institute to a university and opening the DeVos Graduate School of Management in 1993,” said Kristin Stehouwer, provost, and vice president of academic affairs. “The more than 23,000 students who proudly graduated from Northwood University while Dr. Fry was leading from the helm — alumni who have gone on to impact private industry — is a testament to his leadership.”

Early in his career at age 22, Fry was part of a faculty class recruited to Northwood in 1965. He became an intellectual descendant of Dr. V. Orval Watts, Northwood’s first faculty member who gave shape and form to The Northwood Idea, according to the university. Beloved in the classroom, Fry was named “Outstanding Teacher of the Year” by students in 1967 and 1968.

In 1969, the school’s founders, Arthur and Johann Turner and Gary and Willa Stauffer, promoted him to an administrator role. In the mid-1970s, Fry took a sabbatical to earn his doctorate in business administration. Then in 1982, the Northwood Board of Trustees appointed Fry president and CEO of the Northwood Institute, making him one of the youngest college presidents in the United States.

Fry’s wife, Claudia, is also known as half the team that transformed Northwood from the early 1980s until Fry retired as its president in 2006.

Under Fry’s leadership, Northwood experienced major academic expansions, including seeing Arthur Turner’s dream of a Florida campus come to fruition in West Palm Beach in 1983, the university said. He also fostered professional development partnerships with businesses and industry, the military and community colleges. Under Fry, Northwood began recruiting underserved students who needed access to various delivery methods and options to complete their degrees. Fry planted the seeds for Northwood Online , which was the start of Northwood’s adult degree program and a delivery of content that enhanced access to higher education for those who couldn’t attend college due to time constraints.

Under Fry’s leadership, the DeVos Graduate School of Management was born in 1993. Since the beginning, the graduate school has attracted students worldwide, and its graduates have become entrepreneurs and leaders in industry, the university said.

After the university faced many transitional and financial challenges, Fry and his team elevated Northwood by expanding campuses and programs and achieving university status.

“David’s great contribution was leadership,” said Dr. Robert Serum, a long-time academic leader at Northwood, who is credited with navigating significant educational innovations for over two decades. “There are a lot of good managers out there, but there aren’t a lot of good leaders. David could walk into a room full of CEOs, all of whom had big egos, and before you knew it, they all wanted him as a friend. He was very popular wherever he went with faculty and staff, with other administrators and teachers, and especially with businesspeople. He epitomized what they believed in, free enterprise and every dimension of The Northwood Idea.”

Those who worked with Fry noted he had a brilliant mind and was a spell-binding speaker. 

“His eloquence was so outstanding,” said Dr. Marjorie Hohman, former board of trustee member, Distinguished Women honoree and honorary doctoral degree recipient. “He was a people person, first. He was very good at connecting with people and holding their attention because he was such an eloquent speaker.” He could stand in front of a crowd and captivate them because his command of the English language was superb.”

Hohman admired Fry’s influence on those he worked with. “The most outstanding thing about him was his leadership abilities and how he was able to get the best out of people,” she said. “He was such a mentor to so many.”

In honor of the progress made under Fry’s leadership, the Northwood community came together to fund the David E. Fry Endowed Professorship to celebrate his retirement. Recognizing his contributions, Northwood vested upon Fry its highest honor, Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa, in 2009.

In 2022, he received the Wings of Freedom Award, created in honor of Northwood University’s own Dr. Dale Haywood. Northwood bestows this honor upon individuals whose lives have contributed to human progress, individual liberty and economic and social prosperity.

“Dr. Fry’s legacy lives on at Northwood University, and we are forever thankful for his transformative role in our history,” said President MacDonald. “Over my career, I have had the opportunity to research academic leaders around the globe, and it is clear to me that Dr. Fry was one of the most transformational leaders in American higher education.”

Donors who would like to support Dr. Fry’s legacy can do so through a donation to the David E. Fry Endowed Professorship. Donations can be made online or by calling Northwood University Advancement at 989-837-4356.