DeVry Names Veteran Educator and Administrator John Ballheim President

    Business Editors/Education Editors

    NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 24, 2005--Veteran educator and administrator John Ballheim has been named president of DeVry Institute of Technology in Long Island City, N.Y. The campus is part of DeVry University, one of the largest degree-granting higher education systems in North America. Ballheim, who has been with DeVry for more than 20 years, succeeds Diane Engelhardt who recently stepped down from the post.
    "John is a seasoned academic administrator with a long and distinguished career," said John Skubiak, president of DeVry University. "He is committed to providing students with the type of high-quality, well-rounded education they need to have an immediate positive impact in the workforce and success throughout their careers. His expertise, enthusiasm and leadership skills will be invaluable as DeVry's Long Island City campus seeks to expand its program offerings and increase opportunities for New York-area students interested in pursuing career-oriented undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business, technology and management."
    Ballheim most recently served as president of DeVry University's Columbus, Ohio campus. He previously spent 19 years as president of the DeVry Institute of Technology campus in Calgary, Alberta. Prior to moving to his position in Calgary in 1984, John was employed by Bell & Howell Education Group as an international operations manager. Before that, he served as dean of admissions and dean of students at Rosary College in River Forest, Ill.
    "People with strong technology backgrounds continue to be in demand, particularly in the New York area," said Ballheim. "In fact, since opening the campus in 1998, more than 90 percent of Long Island City campus graduates, who actively pursued employment or were already employed when they graduated, held positions in their chosen fields within six months of graduation. This is also largely due to DeVry University's excellent relationships with numerous New York-area companies.
    "I look forward to enhancing DeVry's ties to local businesses and our surrounding communities, strengthening relationships with area high schools, and working to ensure that our talented students continue to receive the outstanding education they need to become successful technology and business professionals," said Ballheim.
    Throughout his career, Ballheim has been active with public policy and advisory committees, having served as president of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and a board member of Calgary Inc. He recently has held leadership positions with the Alberta Economic Development Authority, Alberta Roundtable on Climate Change, Alberta Growth Summit and the Alberta Chambers of Commerce. He also has been active in public service, having worked with the United Way of Calgary, the Calgary Young Peoples Theater Group, the Calgary Boys Choir and the Calgary Educational Partnership Foundation.
    Ballheim completed his residency requirements for his doctorate at Loyola University of Chicago. He earned a master's degree in educational administration at the University of Illinois Graduate School at Champaign/Urbana and a bachelor's degree in history and economics from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
    As part of one of the largest degree-granting higher education systems in North America, DeVry Institute of Technology and Keller Graduate School of Management offer associate, bachelor's and master's degree programs in technology, business and management. The parent company, DeVry Inc. (NYSE: DV) based in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., owns DeVry University, which operates as DeVry Institute of Technology and Keller Graduate School of Management in New York. Approximately 49,000 students are enrolled at its 72 locations that are in 21 states and Canada, as well as through DeVry University Online. For more information about undergraduate degree programs, visit http://www.devry.edu and for graduate degree programs, visit http://www.keller.edu.

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KEYWORD: NEW YORK INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS EDUCATION MANAGEMENT CHANGES SOURCE: DeVry

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