Illinois Tech is excited to welcome Freddrick Logan as our new Experiential Learning Manager, managing the university’s transformative Elevate program. We sat down with Freddrick to learn more about his vision for expanding experiential learning opportunities and how he plans to position Illinois Tech as a global leader in career-ready education.
Q: Welcome back to Illinois Tech! Can you tell us about your connection to the university and what it means to return in this role?
A: Thank you! It truly feels like coming home. I studied at Illinois Tech and also worked here as a Research Assistant from 2007 to 2013. During that time, I developed a deep appreciation for Illinois Tech’s commitment to innovation and practical education. The opportunity to return and lead the Elevate initiative feels like a perfect alignment of my professional journey and personal values. This institution shaped and honed my early career trajectory, and now I have the privilege of helping shape the future for our students. It feels just wonderful to be able to come home again.
Q: Your background spans education technology, technical project management, and software development. How do these experiences prepare you for leading the Elevate program?
A: My career has evolved at the intersection of technology, education, and workforce development, which provides me with a unique perspective on what students need to thrive in today’s rapidly changing job market. At a technical school in Germany, I mentored over hundreds of technical professionals to become career ready across web development, data analytics, product management and UX/UI design, helping them navigate their career paths. Working with one of the major global workforce accelerators, I evaluated thousands of technical projects for university programs, which gave me more insights into curriculum design and assessment. In the private industry sector, I led software engineering teams on automation projects (surgical software, energy software, philanthropic software systems), maintaining a 98% defect detection rate while delivering on time and on budget. I’m super excited to bring these experiences to Illinois Tech to help the effort to continue to improve our outcomes and ensure success for our students.
My experiences have taught me some powerful lessons about how to build bridges between academic learning and industry needs. I understand both what employers are looking for and how educational programs can better prepare students to meet those expectations. This is precisely what the Elevate program is designed to do – create those critical connections between classroom learning and real-world application.
Q: What excites you most about Illinois Tech’s Elevate program?
A: What excites me most is the program’s commitment to guaranteeing hands-on experiences for every student. The data shows that students who participate in internships or co-ops at Illinois Tech earn about $10,000 more in their first post-graduation job compared to those who don’t. We are working to increase those numbers and have some pretty innovative ideas to do that. That’s transformative!
I’m particularly enthusiastic about our opportunity to redesign experiential learning for the future of work. We’re not just preparing students for today’s jobs; we’re equipping them with the adaptability, critical thinking, and practical skills they’ll need for careers that may not even exist yet, but are emerging and will be around for decades to come. Illinois Tech offers extremely valuable preparation for individuals with an evolving future. The Elevate program already has strong foundations, but I see tremendous potential to expand its impact and make Illinois Tech a global benchmark for career-ready education.
Q: How do you envision evolving the co-op program at Illinois Tech?
A: The co-op program is poised for some exciting enhancements. First, we’re planning to forge deeper partnerships with cutting-edge companies in emerging fields like artificial intelligence, sustainable energy, and advanced manufacturing. These partnerships will create pathways for our students to work on meaningful projects that push innovation boundaries.
Second, we’re redesigning the program structure to better integrate academic learning with workplace experiences. This includes developing more flexible scheduling options that allow students to participate without delaying graduation, as well as creating specialized preparation opportunities that help students maximize their co-op experiences.
Third, we’re expanding our global reach by establishing international co-op opportunities. In our interconnected world, having experience working across cultures and borders is increasingly valuable, and we want our students to develop this global perspective.
Finally, we’re implementing a more robust assessment framework that helps students articulate the skills they’ve developed during their co-op experiences. This will be crucial for their future job searches and career advancement.
Q: With your experience in remote work environments, how do you plan to prepare students for virtual companies and remote work opportunities?
A: I have worked for virtual companies, virtuals universities and have access to a network of about 9000 virtual company recruiters. We can see the workplace has undergone a fundamental shift since 2020, and remote work is now a permanent part of the professional landscape. As an Engineering Manager at Ultranauts, I worked entirely remotely, leading teams distributed across multiple time zones, so I understand both the challenges and opportunities this presents.
We’re working on developing specific opportunities within the Elevate program to prepare students for success in remote environments. These include mastering digital collaboration tools, building effective virtual communication skills, managing time and productivity remotely, and maintaining work-life boundaries in distributed teams.
We’re also establishing partnerships with fully remote companies and creating virtual internship opportunities where students can gain practical experience in remote work settings before graduation. This preparation is critical because even companies with physical offices often operate in hybrid models now, and we want our graduates to thrive in any work environment.
Q: You’ve worked with AI and emerging technologies throughout your career. How will these technologies be integrated into the Elevate program?
A: I was at an Entrepreneurial workshop on Campus this week! So many budding Entrepreneurs, many of them our students, were building businesses and nearly all of them wanted to incorporate AI into their business ideas at launch. AI and emerging technologies aren’t just changing the job market – they’re revolutionizing it. My education and experience training AI models in industry and working with software development frameworks positions us to address this transformation head-on.
I would like to see us move toward developing an “AI-Ready” pathway within the Elevate program that will ensure students across all disciplines understand AI fundamentals and can leverage these tools ethically and effectively in their work. Through Career Services, we’ll partner with the many AI experts already on Illinois Tech’s campus. Our expert AI resources won’t be just for computer science or engineering students though – we’ll champion it as essential knowledge for everyone entering today’s workforce.
For students interested in deeper technical engagement, I see us creating specialized experiential learning opportunities focused on AI development, blockchain applications, and emerging technologies. These will include dedicated internships, research projects, and competitions where students can develop expertise in these high-demand fields.
Most importantly, we’re already emphasizing human-AI collaboration skills – helping students understand how to work alongside these powerful tools while contributing distinctly human capabilities like creativity, ethical judgment, and interpersonal connection. This balanced approach will ensure our graduates remain valuable and adaptable as technology continues to evolve.
Q: What makes Illinois Tech’s approach to experiential learning different from other universities?
A: Illinois Tech’s approach stands out in several important ways. First, while many universities offer experiential learning as an option, we guarantee it through our Elevate Promise – ensuring that every student graduates with real-world experience. If a student completes the program requirements but doesn’t receive a job offer within six months of graduation, we’ll help them gain any additional skills they need.
Second, our model combines practical experiences with comprehensive mentorship. Each student works with a career adviser, academic mentor, and alumni coach who provide personalized guidance throughout their academic journey. This three-dimensional support system ensures that experiential learning isn’t happening in isolation but is integrated with academic progress and career planning.
Third, we’re approaching experiential learning with a focus on future-readiness. Drawing from my global workforce acceleration experience implementing technical bootcamps for universities worldwide, we’re incorporating elements of rapid skills development and industry alignment that more traditional programs often lack.
Finally, our location in Chicago – one of the world’s great innovation hubs – provides unparalleled access to diverse industries and opportunities. We’re leveraging these regional advantages while simultaneously building global connections to ensure our students have both local roots and international reach.
Q: What’s your ultimate vision for the Elevate program?
A: My vision is to position Illinois Tech’s Elevate program as the most innovative experiential learning initiative on the planet. We want “Elevate graduate” to become a recognized mark of excellence that signals to employers that a candidate is uniquely prepared to contribute from day one.
To achieve this, we’re working to create transformational experiences that catapult careers – not just incremental resume builders, but truly life-changing opportunities that open doors and build confidence. I want our students to tackle real challenges, develop adaptable mindsets, and graduate with both the practical skills and the professional networks they need to thrive.
I also envision Elevate becoming a model that other institutions look to for inspiration. The future of higher education lies in creating these meaningful connections between classroom learning and workplace application, and Illinois Tech is poised to lead that evolution.
Ultimately, success for me means that every Illinois Tech graduate enters the workforce not just prepared, but eager to make an impact – confident in their abilities, clear about their professional identity, and connected to opportunities that match their aspirations. That’s the transformative power of experiential learning done right, and it’s what drives my enthusiasm for this role.
Freddrick Logan brings extensive experience in educational technology, technical project management, and workforce development to his role as Experiential Learning Manager. With his leadership, the Elevate program is poised to transform how Illinois Tech prepares students for career success through guaranteed hands-on learning experiences and personalized mentorship.
