President's Welcome

Dr. David R. Decker has served as President of Franklin University since 2007. During his tenure, the University has undertaken transformative initiatives in academics, internationalization, and partnerships with community colleges and business.  

Under Dr. Decker’s leadership, Franklin University focuses on the demonstrable achievement of student outcomes, through which graduates are empowered to rise in their professions and to strengthen their contributions to their families, communities, and employers. The University became a doctoral-granting institution in 2017, and now provides programs in business, health care management, education, and nursing to a doctoral-student population approaching 1,000.  At the master’s level, program offerings have risen from three to 25. 

Professional accreditation has tracked closely with the expansion of Franklin’s program set, with Nursing (CCNE), Teacher Education (CAEP), Business (IACBE), Health Informatics  (COHIMA), and Cybersecurity (NSA) all achieving accreditation under Dr. Decker’s leadership.  The establishment of the International Institute for Innovative Instruction (“I-4”) has provided structure and continuous improvement to the achievement of learning outcomes, and Franklin’s rapid move into the realm of microcredentials and sub-degree offerings has been facilitated by I-4’s state-of-the-art design processes and capacities. 
 
Internationally, Franklin University has established and continues to offer on-site MBA programs in the Sultanate of Oman and in Poland, along with extending its online offerings in nursing, business psychology, and business administration through partners in Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guatemala.  Dr. Decker also led Franklin to play a key role in the establishment of Saudi Electronic University, overseeing the design of a significant portion of its undergraduate curriculum. Franklin continues to serve thousands of SEU students per year through contract teaching support. 

In the partnership arena, Franklin University has deepened its cooperation with 140 community college partners through the Pathway Portal, a state-of-the-art electronic interface that radically improves student advising and student service.  Also established under Dr. Decker’s leadership is the FranklinWORKS unit, which coordinates relations with business and industry and ensures alignment of Franklin’s programs with the current and future needs of industry and the professions. 

Before coming to Franklin, Dr. Decker served as Vice President for Global Academic Programs and Dean of Business at the New York Institute of Technology, playing a key role in its internationalization and development of its online programs. Dr. Decker also taught and led academic units at Youngstown State University, as well as at the University of Nebraska— Lincoln, the College of Charleston, and the University of Oklahoma, and has international teaching experience in China, Hungary, Germany, Malaysia, Russia, Mexico, Spain, Thailand, Singapore, Brazil, and Jordan. His corporate leadership experience includes serving as president and CEO of a $130 million manufacturing company. He has served as a consultant to Fortune 100 corporations and many nonprofit organizations.  

Dr. Decker graduated from Grinnell College, holds the M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Kansas, and earned the MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.  A native of Philadelphia, he has presented widely on strategic issues in higher education. He is the author of two books on business and economic conditions in Latin America (published by the University of Pennsylvania) and a number of peer-reviewed articles on business, literature, and higher education.