DeVry to bring 600 jobs to new West Loop offices
by Matt McKinney Chicago Sun-Times June 25, 2012 4:20PM
Updated: July 27, 2012 6:20AM
DeVry Inc., a for-profit higher education company, said Monday it will bring 600 jobs over nine years to its new West Loop location.
DeVry Online Services opened its office at 300 S. Riverside Plaza earlier this month with more than 200 employees — 150 of them relocated from other offices. The company fired 135 employees at its Phoenix location last year.
“Some of the employees came from Phoenix. Mainly we saw this as a growth opportunity,” DeVry spokesman Ernie Gibble said.
The Downers Grove-based company said it plans to hire 400 additional employees to work in the DeVry Online Services unit in the coming years.
“DeVry has been an innovative leader in higher education and a valuable contributor to Chicago’s workforce development for numerous years,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. “The jobs created at the new DeVry Online Services location reflect Chicago’s commitment to creating an environment where businesses can grow and thrive.”
The West Loop location will house senior executives, admissions directors and advisers and instructional designers. Employees at this location will primarily provide online services to DeVry University, the flagship institution of DeVry Inc. The organization will ultimately occupy 77,000 square feet in the office tower and has the option to add space to accommodate more than 800 employees if needed.
“Chicago is a great city for organizations that need to hire young professionals,” Daniel Hamburger, president and chief executive officer of DeVry Inc., said in a statement. “We could have placed these employees anywhere in the country — but we felt the combination of quality talent, resources and office space made Chicago our best choice.”
