About This Episode
Join Ashish Fernando on Edu Unlocked for an inspiring and deeply personal conversation with Dr. Frank Dooley, Chancellor Emeritus of Purdue University Global. Discover what drives a lifelong educator and leader who has dedicated his career to expanding access, equity, and innovation in higher education.
In this episode, you'll learn:
1. Why students bring hope, dreams, and future to the university experience.2. Lessons from his path—from mentorship as a young undergrad to leading Purdue Global and supporting adult learners.3. How Purdue is redefining credit for prior learning and accelerating degree completion for working adults.4. The role of continuous improvement in higher ed—building from strengths and empowering teams.5. Dr. Dooleys leadership philosophy: servant leadership, delegation, and creating open communication through "office hours."6. Reflections on embracing diversity, lifelong learning, and the power of empathy.
What comes next: Dr. Dooleys sabbatical plans to analyze the past, present, and future of higher education policy. Subscribe and hit the bell to stay updated on more conversations with changemakers in education. Listen now and be inspired to unlock new possibilities in your leadership journey!
Host & Guest
Dr. Frank Dooley
GuestProfessor of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University
Dr. Frank J. Dooley is a Professor of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University, currently on sabbatical for 2025. From 2020 to 2024, he served as the Chancellor of Purdue Global, where he provided executive leadership for more than 37,000 working adult learners. Under his leadership, tuition revenue grew from $389 million in FY20 to $485 million in FY24. As chancellor, he played a vital role in aligning Purdue Global’s mission with the broader Purdue University system, ensuring delivery of high-quality, career-focused online education. Dr. Dooley also represented the university to key stakeholders and business partners and served on the boards of the American Council on Education and the President’s Forum.
Before his tenure at Purdue Global, Dr. Dooley held the position of Senior Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning at Purdue University, overseeing Undergraduate Academic Affairs, Teaching Success, Student Success, Academic Advising, Career Success, Summer, and Digital Education. He collaborated extensively with the University Senate and the Colleges on academic policy, program approval, accreditation, instructional innovation, and learning assessment. He also led three major Purdue strategic initiatives—IMPACT (a faculty development program), the expansion of summer enrollment, and online education growth—under the university’s “Purdue Moves” initiative.
Dr. Dooley is widely recognized as an engaging academic leader and an innovative educator with an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research. His research focuses on logistics and supply chain management in food and agribusiness, industrial organization and structural change in the biofuels, grain, food manufacturing, and transportation industries, as well as the cost dynamics of air, rail, and motor carrier sectors.
Key Achievements:
1. Served as Chancellor of Purdue Global (2020–2024), leading 37,000+ adult learners.
2. Increased Purdue Global’s tuition revenue from $389M to $485M.
3. Strengthened Purdue Global’s alignment with Purdue University’s academic mission.
4. Served on the boards of the American Council on Education and the President’s Forum.
5. Led campus-wide initiatives in teaching innovation, academic success, and digital education.
6. Directed three major Purdue Moves initiatives: IMPACT, Summer Expansion, and Online Growth.
7. Internationally recognized researcher in logistics, supply chain, and agribusiness economics.
Ashish Fernando
HostFounder & CEO, EDMO
Ashish Fernando is the visionary founder and CEO of EDMO, a revolutionary educational technology platform that's transforming how people learn and grow. With over 15 years of experience in education and technology, Ashish has dedicated his career to making quality education accessible to learners worldwide. Before founding EDMO, Ashish held leadership positions at several prominent EdTech companies and worked as an educational consultant for Fortune 500 companies. He holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Master's in Computer Science from MIT. Ashish is a frequent speaker at educational conferences and has been featured in publications such as EdTech Magazine, Learning & Development Today, and TechCrunch. He's passionate about the intersection of technology and human potential, believing that the right tools can unlock extraordinary learning outcomes for everyone. Under his leadership, EDMO has grown to serve over 100,000 learners globally and has partnerships with leading educational institutions and corporations. Ashish continues to drive innovation in personalized learning, adaptive assessment, and educational analytics.
Key Achievements:
1. Founded EDMO in 2019, now serving 100,000+ learners globally
2. Named 'EdTech Innovator of the Year' by Learning Technology Awards 2023
3. Featured speaker at Global Education Summit 2024
4. Published researcher in educational technology and learning analytics
5. Advisor to multiple EdTech startups and educational initiatives
Show Notes
- 1 00:00 Introduction to Scaling Challenges
- 2 08:15 Building the Right Team
- 3 18:30 Technical Architecture Decisions
- 4 28:45 Quality Assurance at Scale
- 5 38:20 Customer Success Strategies
- 6 45:10 Future Scaling Plans
Key Quotes
"Scaling isn't just about handling more users; it's about maintaining the quality of experience that made you successful in the first place."
Resources
Supercharge Your University CRM