NEWS

Page 2 Dec. 10-Jan. 21, 2015

NEWS BRIEFS

Stroble says no other plans for Eden

During the public hearing on the citys proposed
educational zoning, ordinance 8851, Webster Groves
Mayor Gerry Welch asked
university President Elizabeth Stroble to clarify what
the universitys intentions
on the Eden campus were.
Stroble said there are no
plans for Edens campus past
those already stated or in the
university master plan.
There is absolutely
nothing else on the property that we have any designs
on, Stroble said. It isnt
as though our master plan
depends on owning Eden.
Thats not what our master
plan is about.
The Webster Groves City
Council voted to extend the
public hearing to gather

more information and clarify

issues within the new bill.
Stroble said if dorm
space was hypothetically
open for leasing, Webster
would be interested in taking advantage of the beds on
Edens campus.
Look how long its taking
us to get the parking garage
and the science building. I
really need dorm space now.
It would take some pressure
off the housing situation if
we could temporarily have
some students in the Eden
housing, Stroble said.

Reporting by Kavahn Mansouri

New London campus search begins

On Dec. 1, Webster University announced a 24-month
plan to find a new location for
its London campus. The university will halt undergraduate
enrollment for this region until
the search process is completed.
During a live university
webcast, Webster University
Provost Julian Schuster said
Webster students will still be
able to study abroad through
Regents University and Websters program in London while
a new location is found. All undergraduates who are currently
enrolled are expected to complete their degrees during the
24-month search process.
Regents University, formerly Regents College, earned
accreditation in 2012, allowing

them to offer and grant degrees

to students. Websters program
offered students in the United
Kingdom an opportunity to
earn an American degree while
studying at Regents College.
Schuster said Regents accreditation led to Webster
ending its partnership with
Regents.
That effectively reduced
our long partnership to the fact
that Webster University became a college within Regents
University. Due to Regents
ability to offer its own degrees,
we concluded it was in the best
interest for both institutions to
continue in their own ways,
Schuster said.
Reporting by Kavahn Mansouri

Campus Blotter
Dec. 5
Webster Village
Apartments
Dating Violence
Closed

Dec. 9
Webster Village
Apartments
Theft under $500
Open

websterjournal.com

Provost offers explanation for budget shortfall

By Gabriel Burns
Editor-in-Chief

On Nov. 11, the university

announced a projected $12.2
million shortfall for the Fiscal
Year 15 (FY15). The university
has hit its undergraduate goals
for the fall semester and reduced the amount of discounted tuition by two percent. But
Webster relies on the graduate
program for 65 percent of its
total revenue and the graduate school enrollment has
dropped another 7.5 percent.
The counseling program
has seen the largest drop with
a decrease of 13.3 percent.
While other programs in the
graduate school saw larger
percentage drops none of
those programs accounted for
as many student as counseling.
Provost Julian Schuster
cited a lack of foresight when
creating the graduate program
for the sharp decrease. Schuster said, during a meeting on
Nov. 18, that when the counseling program was created it
was done without the accreditation from the Council of Accreditation of Counseling and
related Educational Programs
(CACREP).
We grew a program without adequate faculty support,
Schuster said. We are reaping
what we sowed.
Schuster said the counseling school has seen the largest drop in total students and
that Webster is committed to
getting the program to where
it needs to be to get accredited by CACREP. Webster has
hired multiple full-time faculty to get the program accredited at three of Websters campuses; Webster Groves, South
Carolina and Florida.
The university hopes with
proper accreditation the program can see an increase in
enrollment.
Graduate numbers
Schuster said that down
the road the university will
need to consider additional
accreditation for the MBA
program but it is not as pressing as the counseling program,

which is not accredited by

CACREP, the primary accreditation agency for counseling.
Decreases in graduate enrollment have been seen in the
university for years. However,
Websters decline had stayed
consistent with the national
decline reported by the Council of Graduate schools. Until
the 2012-13 school year when
Webster saw a sharper decline
than the rest of the nation,
with enrollment dropping 2.3
percent and the national average only dropping .02 percent.
Schuster said the universitys online program helped
offset decreasing enrollment
in graduate classrooms. Now
more universities offer online
graduate programs, Websters
online enrollment is leveling
off. This meant the downward
trend at Websters campuses is
having a more profound effect.
To increase graduate enrollment the university also
plans to offer certificates in
the graduate program to encourage students to return
who may not wish to go for a
masters degree.
The university hopes for
an uptick in spring because
Schuster said that unlike undergraduate, graduate enrollment doesnt work on a year
cycle. Graduate students are

Graphics by Victoria Courtney

more likely to start in the
Spring semester than undergraduate students

higher integrity campuses

instead of over-stretching the
universitys resources.

Extended campuses
Schuster said that some
of Websters extended campuses have become unsustainable and will be repurposed
or closed down. Schuster said
the university is looking at
what to do about these campuses whether it be closure or
repurposing. He stresses that
the university is not considering closing the larger foreign
campuses.
Schuster said the university needs to focus on fewer,

Contact the writer:

websterjournal@gmail.com

Step Afrika! blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically

African American fraternities and sororities, African traditional dance
and influences from a variety of other dance and art forms.
Integrating songs, storytelling, humor, and audience participation, Step Afrika
brings a unique performance that is much more than your average dance show.

FOR TICKETS, PLEASE VISIT BLOGS.WEBSTER.EDU/MCISA

1 TICKET PER WEBSTER UNIVERSITY STUDENT ID, GENERAL ADMITION $5
SPONSORED BY MULTICULTURAL CENTER AND INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AFFAIRS AND THE STUDENT ACTIVITY FEE