Dean Hoke is the Managing Partner of Edu Alliance Group in the United States and Co-Founder of Edu Alliance Ltd. in the United Arab Emirates. A seasoned higher education executive, Dean brings over four decades of leadership experience in university administration, international academic partnerships, and innovative education strategies.
He is a Senior Fellow at the Sagamore Institute, where he focuses on higher education policy, rural economic development, and the role of small colleges in community transformation. Dean also serves as the producer and co-host of Small College America, a podcast series exploring the challenges and opportunities facing small colleges across the U.S. He is currently conducting research on the economic and social impact of small colleges in rural communities.
Previously, he served as President and CEO of the American Association of University Administrators (AAUA). His international experience includes senior roles at Khalifa University and the Higher Colleges of Technology in the UAE, where he led strategic marketing and fundraising initiatives for a network of 16 campuses. Dean began his professional journey in 1975 at Bellarmine University, later transitioning into senior media leadership roles across Alaska, Texas, and Connecticut. He also co-founded the Connected Learning Network, an online education services firm.
An accomplished writer and speaker, Dean has published in U.S. News & World Report, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Al Fanar, Higher Education Digest, and The EvoLLLution. He has presented at numerous conferences hosted by UNESCO, the Association of Indian Universities, and the European Distance Learning Association.
He holds degrees from Urbana University and the University of Louisville, with executive training from the Wharton School. Dean and his wife, Nancy, reside in Bloomington, Indiana.
Edu Alliance Journal 
HI DEAN…..YOU SAY URBANA ALUMNI WILL “NO LONGER HAVE A HOME” WITH THE FRANKLIN RELATIONSHIP. RATHER, I BELIEVE WE’VE PRESERVED OUR HOME AND THAT OUR BOND WILL BE ENHANCED BY THE MERGER/ACQUISITION. KEEP THE FAITH AND GIVE IT A CHANCE. WE DEFINITELY DIDN’T DIE.
WE MET AT URBANA BACK IN THE MID-1970’s. FOR THE PAST DECADE I’VE BEEN A UU TRUSTEE. I PLAN TO CONTINUE MY ENTHUSIASM AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT.
===DAVE ROSS===
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Dear Dave
Thanks for the comments and being a believer this move is best. I hope you are correct though I do not have the same level of enthusiasm as you. From the comments I received on the blog, Facebook & Twitter I believe many see this as the only way Urbana could survive and therefore keep it as an entity located in Urbana.
I wish you and Urbana University well. I hope one day I will visit when I return to the US and Ohio.
Best Regards,
Dean
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Dean, I am quite impressed and highly condone your research efforts, in bringingn to light facts, in this whole fake degree scam. As a student of the American education system, I find it sad and quite irritating that someone would try to obtain a degree from a supposed ” american” institution without even having gone through what a typical student goes through, in a real and actual learning instutution.
I appreciate you bringing up these issues in a public limelight.
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