Chancellor Elizabeth Stroble said the changes in administration adhere to the 2015 “Strategic Plan,” “Global Impact for the Next Century.”
On Thursday, Sept. 19, Board of Trustees Chair Robert Reeg informed Webster faculty and staff via email that former Provost Julian Schuster would act as president and former President Elizabeth Stroble would act as chancellor to the university.
According to Stroble, the Board of Trustees has contemplated these title adjustments for years.
Stroble said the new positions of president and chancellor better represent the responsibilities of top university administrators at Webster, a school with a global presence.
“The duties of Webster’s president and provost exceeded the scope of duties of their counterparts who manage single campus universities,” Stroble said.
The change in administration came in the beginning of the academic year, according to Stroble, despite being announced in September. The annual schedule of the committees of the Board of Trustees dictated the actual timing of the changes, she said.
Neither Stroble nor Schuster received a change in compensation with the new titles, according to Stroble.
“We will continue to focus on enhancing Webster’s reputation as a student and learning centered university,” Stroble said. “Our goal is to further strengthen Webster University by improving efficiencies of our overall operations and by identifying and securing new sources of revenue.”
The Board of Trustees endorsed a “Strategic Plan,” titled “Global Impact for the Next Century,” in April of 2015. Themes for the plan include “global innovation through inclusive leadership,” “a global, student-centered experience,” “a network of academic operational excellence” and “strategic and sustainable development.”
The Strategic Plan describes operational excellence as a network of effortless communication supported by university infrastructure, policies, systems and actions. This will allow Webster to focus on learning.
Webster has acted without a chancellor since 2011, after the retirement of Chancellor Neil George. According to Stroble, she will be the first chancellor to act as the principal executive leader of Webster.
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