Dr. Melik Peter Khoury, President & CEO
Unity Environmental University announced today that President and CEO, Dr. Melik Peter Khoury, has been selected to receive the 2025 Eileen Tosney Award for Career Service in Higher Education from the American Association of University Administrators (AAUA).
The Tosney Award, named after a distinguished career administrator whose expertise shaped the AAUA, recognizes leaders who have demonstrated exemplary service, innovation, and dedication to advancing higher education.
Speaking on behalf of the awards committee, Jerome L. Neuner, Chair of the AAUA Awards Committee, praised Dr. Khoury’s transformative leadership at Unity:
“The committee was most impressed by Dr. Khoury’s success in his nine years at Unity where he developed Sustainable Education Business Units (SEBUs) as management structures for dealing with the critical institutional problems of low enrollment, presidential turnover, and inbred resistance to change. This Enterprise Model represents a revolution in internal governance in higher education that can be adapted by many other institutions. Making such changes requires all the skills acquired in his previous roles in academics, enrollment management, marketing, student affairs, and planning.”
Neuner added that Dr. Khoury’s track record shows “a leader who is familiar with all phases of higher education, works collaboratively across lines, yet also expresses decisiveness when required for the good of the institution,” noting that such qualities are often absent in higher education leadership and too often lead to weak institutions, reduced offerings, or closures.
A Record of National Impact
Dr. Khoury has served as President and CEO of Unity Environmental University since 2016, guiding the institution through a period of unprecedented enrollment growth, program innovation, and national recognition.
Unity has grown to serve more than 10,000 students nationwide and introduced Maine’s first asynchronous Environmental Engineering program designed by experts in the field to help students complete their education faster and more affordably. The university also locked tuition through 2030 as part of its affordability pledge.
Beyond Unity, Dr. Khoury has contributed to national organizations such as the Association of Governing Boards (AGB), NACUBO, and the Maine Independent College Association, while mentoring future higher education leaders. His work has consistently advanced student access and expanded opportunities for students of all backgrounds.
Unity Environmental University’s Board of Trustees Chair, Sharon Reishus, celebrated the announcement:
“This award recognizes what we at Unity have long known, that Dr. Khoury is not only an extraordinary leader for our university, but also for higher education nationally. His vision for innovation, affordability, and access has redefined what a modern university can and should be. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am thrilled to see him honored by AAUA for his career of service.”
About the AAUA Award Ceremony
The American Association of University Administrators will present the award during its annual meeting, October 20–22, 2025, at Montclair State University in New Jersey.
For more information on the AAUA and its awards, visit aaua.org.
