Warren Phillips, who had a long and illustrious career at Dunwoody College of Technology and served as the College’s President from 1978 until 1989, died at his home in Athens, GA, on April 7, 2017. He was 90.
Phillips graduated from University of Wisconsin-Stout in 1950. He spent his early career involved in international education, including being part of a project team from Dunwoody that taught at and advised the Indonesian Technical Training Institute in Bandung, Indonesia. He also completed a study on the program for the Ford Foundation. By the end of the project, Dunwoody had administered more than $1.1 million in Ford Foundation Grants. He returned to Minnesota in 1960 and held several roles in Dunwoody’s International Services Division and other areas of the College.
In 1974, Phillips became Director of the Day School. He was named Executive Vice President of Dunwoody in 1977 and then became President just a year later.
Throughout his long career at Dunwoody, Phillips instituted many of the events and programs that make the College what it is today. He started the 50-Year Club annual luncheon, which celebrates alumni who graduated half a century earlier; instituted the Alumni Achievement Award, Institutional Advancement Award, Partnership Award, and Alumni Entrepreneur Award; enhanced the Program Advisory Committees (which bring industry professionals on campus to advise faculty on curriculum and industry trends); and held the first alumni reunion in Arizona–all of which continue to this day. Phillips launched the Youth Career Awareness Program (YCAP), which helps high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds explore technical fields and prepare for college as well as provides scholarship support for those who enroll at Dunwoody. YCAP has assisted more than 1,300 students since it began in 1988.
Phillips presided over a key period of change at Dunwoody as it responded to the computer revolution and other technology changes. He supported efforts to increase the enrollment of women and students of color. He worked with the Board of Trustees to establish a formal approach to seek private funding to support Dunwoody’s nonprofit mission. He led the 75th Anniversary Campaign, which raised $7.8 million in philanthropic gifts. After retirement, Phillips continued to support the College, including its successful bid for regional accreditation and its ongoing fundraising efforts. His passion for hands-on education and his dedication to Dunwoody’s employees and students was a hallmark of his career.
A memorial service for Warren Phillips will be held on May 13 in Excelsior, Minn.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts be made to:
Dunwoody College of Technology
Warren & Arlene Phillips Endowed Scholarship Fund
818 Dunwoody Boulevard
Minneapolis, MN 55403