The Carnegie Corporation of New York honored Ali Malekzadeh as one of 38 “great immigrants” the nonprofit recognizes annually for their contributions to America’s social fabric. Photo courtesy of Roosevelt University
In the winter of 1979, with Iran in the throes of a revolution that would transform the nation from a pro-Western, one-party state into an Islamic theocracy, Ali Malekzadeh was far from his home country in more ways than one.
The previous year, Malekzadeh (BSBA ’77, MBA ’78) had finished his master’s degree at the University of Denver’s business school (now the Daniels College of Business). The shock of the Iranian Revolution, combined with the quality of the education he’d received at DU, convinced him to seek political asylum in the U.S. and pursue his own career in education.
“The country of Iran became a theocracy, and both my wife and I had relatives imprisoned by the new regime,” he recalls. “My time at DU helped me see that education was important work, so my wife and I decided to stay in the U.S. and pursue our doctorates here.”
That decision has paid off in any number of ways. After rising to become a business school dean and accomplished fundraiser at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, Xavier University in Cincinnati and Kansas State University, Malekzadeh was named president of Chicago’s Roosevelt University in July. Just days later, the Carnegie Corporation of New York honored him as one of 38 “great immigrants” the nonprofit recognizes annually for their contributions to America’s social fabric.
If not for his time at DU, Malekzadeh concedes that his interest in education might have remained dormant. It’s striking that such a vital chapter in his life started accidentally: Arriving in Denver in 1969 to visit friends he’d met while traveling in Tehran, he was stunned by the city’s geographic resemblance to the place he’d left behind. He resolved to attend DU shortly thereafter. Malekzadeh has championed the University by recruiting eight members of his own family to attend the school, including his wife.
“When you have a revolution, you realize that all the belongings you have can be taken away,” he says. “The only thing people cannot take away from you is your education.”