Inside Webster: October 2007

Inside Webster is published for Webster University's faculty and staff.

Bert Walker Bestows $10 million to Webster's School of Business & Technology

President Richard Meyers' Message to the
University Community, Oct. 8, 2007
I have just returned to my office after celebrating a truly historical moment in the history of our University. Ambassador George Herbert Walker III has donated $10 million to Webster University to the School of Business and Technology. This is certainly the philanthropical highlight of my career! This gift is the first eight-figure gift in our history and is transformational in our growth. The bar has been raised, and other donors will have a higher reference point to think about in their support of us. We can all feel good about what this gift is and what it represents for our future.

Please click on the following links to read about the good news all of us can share today.

Webster University News Release, 10/8/07
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 10/10/07
The Journal, 10/10/07

Cheers to everyone,
Richard Meyers

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Jacqueline Grennan Wexler accepts honorary degree from President Meyers, left, and Board Chair Doug Hill. Photo by Claudia Burris

Heralded by bagpipes and hailed by standing ovations, former Webster president Jacqueline Grennan Wexler received an honorary doctor of laws degree at a special convocation Sept. 12, held in commemoration of the 1967 transfer of the then-Webster College from the Sisters of Loretto to a lay board and to honor Wexler's leadership during the transition.

In its history, Webster University has bestowed three honorary doctorate degrees. The first was a doctor of humanities degree to Valery Giscard d'Estaing in 1988, when he was president of the Commission of Foreign Affairs in France. He later became president of France. The second was to Webster graduate and President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree in 2005, and the third — a doctor of laws degree — was presented to Jacqueline Grennan Wexler on Sept. 12, 2007.

"This act of emancipation rocked the Catholic community here and across the country," said President Richard Meyers. "Leading the charge was then Sister Jacqueline Grennan, a young woman from Illinois, who once said, 'We have too many ordinary Catholic women's colleges. We need to build a few terribly strong ones.' And, as you all know, Webster has been anything but ordinary."

In her remarks, Wexler paid homage to the Sisters of Loretto and thanked President Meyers for saluting the spirit of the University's founders. "May that spirit of commitment continue," she said.

For more in-depth coverage of the convocation, see The Journal, 9/20/07, "Convocation Honors Former President"

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2006-07 Global M.A. cohort in Leiden.

As the summer term ended, the second cohort in the College of Arts and Sciences' global masters degree in international relations program completed a year of international travel and study. One thing is sure: The program — originally developed by Kelly-Kate Pease, associate professor, History, Politics and International Relations, and Sarah Nandor, associate director, Graduate and Evening Admissions — is a demonstrable success.

Nineteen students signed up for the 2006-07 program and 19 completed it, while this year's group is 27 students strong.

Students in the program complete four consecutive 8-week terms at Webster campuses in Vienna, London, Geneva and Leiden, followed by a fifth, summer term at a campus of their choice. Rather than going back to one of the European campuses for more study, the majority of last year's students chose to do their final term at Webster's Bangkok Center in Thailand.

In addition to their classes, the Global M.A. students are exposed to a number of activities outside the classroom. "They have a seminar class where they can use the city or region they are in as a lab," says Grant Chapman, associate vice president and director of International Programs, Academic Affairs.

"In Vienna, they visit the International Atomic Commission, and in London, they visit Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Relations," Chapman explains. "Leiden is close to Brussels, the home of the European Union, and they can visit the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. In Geneva they can visit the offices of the United Nations and World Trade Organization."

Tuition includes housing, books and some fees; however, students are responsible for their own airfare. The Study Abroad office at the St. Louis campus works closely with student services at each European campus, coordinating housing, visa issues, movement from one campus to the next, and a myriad of other details involved with the program.

Coordinating these students on their world tour poses some logistical challenges. "I haven't heard any complaints about the academic rigor," Chapman says. "But there have been some issues with housing because it's been difficult to locate housing for a group that size for eight weeks."

The housing situation will improve this year when two groups of students move through the program, exchanging campuses and housing along the way, so that housing facilities can be leased for longer periods of time.

"Very few of our master's programs were designed for full-time students, so this program challenged the billing office, the CARS system, admissions, the study abroad office, the international relations people and the marketing office," says Chapman.

The students who were part of the 2006-07 cohort came from varied backgrounds: Texas native Palmer Shepherd's undergraduate degree is in music; Liz Byers, from Ohio, has a bachelor's degree in political science; New Yorker Brent Beyer majored in psychology and minored in biology; while Pennsylvanian Josh Reitnauer has a bachelor's degree in business administration.

What they have in common was a strong interest in international relations and international travel and a desire to learn about other cultures from the inside.

"I knew immediately this was the opportunity I've always wanted," says Reitnauer. "And knowing the classes are taught in English cinched the deal."

Josh Reitnauer, on left, with Professor Leonard Suransky, International Relations department head, Leiden Campus.

"It's been a wonderful adventure," he continued, "opening our minds and providing a realistic perspective on just how small the world really is and the need for everyone around the globe to understand each other and work together for a better future."

Alexandre Vautravers, head of the International Relations-Migration and Refugee Program at Webster Geneva, says, "This type of program — allowing students to discover multiple locations, diverse cultures and a great number of organizations — is a real life-changing experience."

left to right: Saran Scholar, Jeff Handmaker and Robin Gellar at the commencement ceremony in Leiden.

Chicago native Saran Sholar agrees. Now living in Vienna, Austria, Sholar says what she most enjoyed about the program was traveling and interacting with people from all walks of life.

"I'm a humanitarian now," Sholar says. "My work is about the people. I assure you it is no longer about me."

Dan Perkins, director, Marketing and Interactive Media, sums it up: "If you want to be in international relations, I don't know where you could get a better degree than this. It's the most unique thing we have."

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David Stone, director, Facilities Planning and Management, shares the following information regarding the new parking lots on Garden Ave.:

The University parking lots accessed from Garden Ave. — including the new lots at the east end (Lot O) and immediately next to the Community Music School building (Lot E) — may be used by students, staff and faculty who have Garage/Lot parking passes.

The new surface lot to the east of the Faculty Senate House, on the south side of Garden, is owned and operated by Nerinx Hall High School, which no longer rents parking space from the University.

"There are two big projects on the Nerinx campus," says Sister Barbara Roche, president, Nerinx Hall High School. "Both have either been completed or will be completed soon."

"The new building on Big Bend houses our 375-seat Heagney Theatre, plus three classrooms, a music room, art labs and a student commons area. Webster's own John Wylie was the theatre consultant for our architects, Mackey Mitchell, and we are very excited about this fantastic space."

Nerinx has expanded their athletic field on the north side of Garden Avenue to meet the requirements for playing regulation soccer, and a synthetic turf surface has been installed on the field.

"Nerinx is the first girls' school in the St. Louis area with a synthetic turf field and, for the first time in our history, we will be able to play home soccer games at home," Roche says.

Roche invites the Webster community to visit the new Nerinx facilities during an Open House Saturday, Oct. 27, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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Contributed by Kathy Marlock, director of Academic Assessment, Academic Affairs

WHY is it important that Webster University know more about the quality of its academic programs?
Measures of quality communicate to leaders for purposes of continuous improvement in operational processes, in marketing campaigns, in budget reviews and in the assessment of project returns.

HOW is grading individual student performance different from assessing academic programs?
Individual student grades inform individual faculty about a student's mastery in fulfilling faculty expectations, based on a set of assignments, in their totality.

Assessing academic programs shows — at the macro level — how students, in the aggregate, are doing in achieving critical, marketable, specifically defined skill sets or mastery over specific knowledge domains as they participate in programs. The focus is on the macro level, and the aggregation of data about a few vital skills and knowledge areas in specific disciplines, rather than an individual's overall performance.

The ability to suggest, for example, that "over 90 percent of the students earn A's" is quite different from the ability to say that "over 90 percent of the students achieve proficiency in running regressions, in analyzing complex, quantitative problems and in deriving feasible solutions to ill-structured problems." The institution knows, with greater specificity, its most valuable assets in program delivery.

HOW can Webster guarantee that individual faculty performance evaluation is not occurring when faculty are engaged in assessment?
Webster University draws its models and methods for assessment from the literature on assessment and evaluation. Employee performance evaluation draws its work from the Human Resource field. Assessment of programs is not the same as assessment of individuals.

WHAT is Program Evaluation?
The method of choice for academic assessment at Webster University. It's a systematic process of determining how well a curriculum is meeting faculty expectations for students.

NAME ONE real-world consequence for Webster University, if Program Evaluation is not done well?
We receive poor marks on accreditation reviews, which damages our professional reputation wherever the programs are offered.

WHAT is a positive real-world consequence for Webster University, if Program Evaluation is conducted well and with integrity?
We receive commendations from external agencies and organizations outside Webster who are validated in furthering our good reputation. External groups become allies and advocates for the University and its schools and colleges.

WHO is responsible for assessment?
The entire University participates in Academic Assessment. The directors, who are responsible for leading their faculty at individual sites, are involved. The faculty, who create assessment plans and who enter their assessment data, are involved. The IT staff, who support the development of assessment technologies, are part of the process. The director of academic assessment, who engages in assessment project coordination, analyzes program evaluation data and who coordinates team involvement, is part of the process. The Academic Affairs staff, who enter new faculty information into the system and who contribute to the development of catalog descriptions and processes, are involved. The school and college leaders and school/college personnel who oversee their respective disciplines are engaged in the process. The vice presidents, who are charged with oversight of specific campuses around the world and who help ensure that campus leaders understand the importance of implementing assessment, are involved. It is a team effort that requires team-based thinking.

WHERE's the reward in assessment work?
The reward comes when Webster finds it has a sufficiently mature assessment process to increase enrollments and gain a positive worldwide reputation, based on the ability to use data to improve program quality, market programs, celebrate the organizational structure and its operations and provide evidence to key stakeholders, such as boards of trustees, parents, consumers, faculty and staff members.

WHERE's the glory in assessment?
Webster University is self-consciously designing quality assurance systems in order to protect and preserve its future for generations to come. The environment for higher education has changed, and Webster is keeping pace with the increasing competition by sharpening its edge in the marketplace.

Hasn't Webster been assessing? Why is this necessary now?
We have been engaged in assessment or we would not have succeeded with past accreditation efforts. We are now intentionally formalizing that work and infusing it into our culture in a much more strategic fashion as we evolve in learning more about the places where we can leverage our intellectual assets for program improvement and innovation.

If you have any questions about academic assessment at Webster University, please contact Kathy Marlock at 314-246-8697 or at kmarlock@webster.edu.

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Visiting professor Kathy Simmons. Photo by M. Kirk

From Spokane to Bangkok: A Life of Service and International Travel

Kathleen (Kathy) Simmons, adjunct professor, psychology and counseling, at Webster's Geneva campus, spent Fall 1 teaching cross-cultural psychology in St. Louis. Webster faculty and staff had an opportunity to meet Simmons Sept. 18 when she presented "An Individual's Guide to Collective Cultures" for the CIE symposium series.

Inside Webster sat down with Simmons to talk about her career, travels, thoughts about Webster University and the future.

IW: Where are you originally from and where did you go to college?
KS: I was born in Portland, Ore., but grew up mostly in Spokane, Wash., which is a very conservative area. As soon as I graduated from high school, I moved to Seattle and never went back, so Seattle has been home base for many years. I earned my bachelor's degree in education at the University of Washington and graduate degree in counseling at Antioch University in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

IW: How did you end up at Webster's Geneva campus?
KS: In my early years I worked in community mental health organizations and in private practice. When my husband and I turned 40, he got a position with the World Health Organization HIV/AIDS program. I thought we would be going to Geneva right away, but it took 12 years and a circuitous route through Asia and the South Pacific to get there. We had postings in Papua New Guinea; Beijing, China; Cambodia; New York; and Tanzania in West Africa, but finally made it to Geneva in 1998.

In Papua New Guinea I worked for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) health sector. In Beijing, I was school counselor for International School Beijing, child clinical consultant for the Western Academy and worked as a consultant to UNICEF, along with a private practice for ex-patriots. I also had a private practice in Geneva, but I believed Webster was the place where I should invest my energies. With my degree in early childhood education, teaching has always been in my blood.

IW: What attracted you to Webster University?
KS: When I taught the freshman seminar in Geneva, I wanted to teach the students about the University's history. I did a lot of research and studied the mission statement trying to figure out what it says about Webster's roots and institutional sense of pride.

Three years ago when I came to teach at the St. Louis campus for the first time, Bill HuddlestonBerry took me to see the historical photo display in Webster Hall. When I saw those pictures of the Sisters of Loretto, I thought 'that is Webster and its mission,' and it was moving.

When I taught at the Thailand campus in the fall of 2005, I felt one way I could have a legitimate and fair voice as an outsider was to put Webster's history, mission statement and pictures of the home campus on my door to show what the University stands for.

IW: What classes do you teach?
KS: In St. Louis I teach a class in cross-cultural psychology. In Geneva my course crosses three areas: international relations, media communications, and anthropology and sociology, and I usually teach in the Spring II term.

IW: You and your husband recently bought a home in Thailand?
KS: Yes, two years ago we purchased a home there before I was a visiting professor at Webster's Thailand campus. It's a low-rise condominium in a lovely area, the Sukhumvit of Bangkok. My husband was getting ready to retire and we decided we didn't want to live in the States, and Thailand seems like the right choice for many reasons. The Thais are wonderful people, and there is a vibrant ex-patriot community there.

IW: What do you think of St. Louis?
KS: Other people have said that it's a well-kept secret. And I can tell you it's better the second time around. I'm so impressed by the architecture, the landscape and the way older buildings are renovated instead of torn down. You have good restaurants, gorgeous parks and friendly people. I actually considered retiring here before we decided on Thailand.

In addition, I have a wonderful group of colleagues here, including Gloria Grenwald and Monica Moore, and I've enjoyed getting to know them better.

IW: What does the future hold?
KS: I hope to be able to teach at the Thailand campus, and I may go back to Geneva for Spring II if housing can be arranged.

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Jazz Faculty Benefit Concert for the TKT Memorial Jazz Scholarship "Music From the Movies"
On Monday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m., the Webster jazz faculty will present a concert featuring vocals by Debby Lennon, Sherry Drake and Charles Glenn. Performing will be Carolbeth True and Kim Portnoy on piano; Willem von Hombracht on bass; Paul DeMarinis on tenor sax; Steve Schenkel and Tom Byrne on guitar; and Kevin Gianino on drums.

Admission is $10, and all proceeds go to benefit a scholarship established in memory of Terry Jackson, Kirk Cappello and Tony Saputo, former Webster music students, who lost their lives in a 1991 airplane crash while they were members of Reba McIntire's road band. The memorial scholarship was established by their families and friends to provide assistance to music students who show exceptional professional promise.

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OCTOBER 2007 SPOTLIGHT AWARD

Matt Sullivan, groundskeeper, Facilities Operations, and Stacey Holderfield, executive assistant, Orlando North Metropolitan Campus, Fla., share the Employee Spotlight honors for September.

Matt Sullivan has been a groundskeeper at Webster for close to four years. His nominator praises Sullivan for the beautiful zinnia garden he planted outside Garden Park Plaza where the offices of Academic Advising and Graduate and Evening Admissions are located.

Sullivan grew the zinnias from seeds, which he planted along with spring flowers, so there would continue to be flowers in bloom long after the spring ones had faded.

"Matt's zinnia garden has given new meaning to the term Garden Park Plaza," his nominator says. "Many prospective students pass through the Garden Park Plaza's doors and subtle details like zinnias can make a powerful first impression."

Sullivan says he enjoys seeing the things groundskeeping has done and watching the campus change through the seasons.

He chose a day off with pay for his prize.

Stacey Holderfield's nominator says she has performed in an exemplary manner since joining the Orlando campus seven years ago, first as a key member of the student services team and more recently as executive assistant to the regional director.

"Stacey serves simultaneously as administrative assistant for all regional matters, staff supervisor for the registered agent and all licensure and legal matters for the 11 Webster campuses in Florida, business and accounts manager for the Central Florida region, liaison for all standing committees and marketing outreach assistant and chief of protocol," says her nominator.

"Stacey's performance demonstrates a grasp of complexity, agility in creative solutions and an incredible ability for production of the highest quality deliverables. She has initiated several reports and procedures, which have benefited all the Florida campuses."

Holderfield says the thing she enjoys most about her job is the atmosphere and the people she works with.

Holderfield chose a day off with pay as her prize.

Information for this article contributed by Ashley Marshall, student editorial assistant.

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OCTOBER 2007 KUDOS

The College of Arts and Sciences television series "Global Thinking" debuted this summer on St. Louis cable channel HEC-TV (Higher Education Television). Fernando Barrio, Webster's 2006-07 Des Lee Visiting Professor of Global Awareness, hosts the series, spotlighting the international dimensions of St. Louis people and institutions.

Communications and Journalism faculty members: Joe Schuster, chair and professor; Eileen Solomon, professor; Larry Baden, associate professor; Susan Seymour, associate professor; Sally Howald, assistant professor; Ed Bishop, editor, Webster Media Watch, and Chris Birk, adjunct professor and The Journal general manager; served as judges for the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association's annual competition. More than 60 daily and weekly newspapers from large and small markets in Pennsylvania were evaluated in 10 journalism and advertising categories. From 1,200 individual editions, the newspaper of the year was chosen, as well as award winners in each category across six divisions based on circulation.

Steve Schenkel, professor, Music, played guitar for six productions during this summer's Muny Opera season. His scores for KETC-TV Channel 9 "Your Story" vignettes were played throughout the summer and into fall.

Kathryn Bowers, professor, Music, presented a paper on "Kodály and the Fine Art of PR" at the 18th biennial symposium of the International Kodály Society at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, in August. Also in August, the Piedmont Singers of Winchester, Va., performed Bower's All Saints Service: Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis at Evensong at Wells Cathedral in England.

Gary Clark, associate professor, Nurse Anesthesia/Biological Sciences, was elected Region IV Director of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA). Region IV includes Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, North Dakota and South Dakota. The AANA represents over 365,000 certified registered nurse anesthetists in the United States and the military.

Dawn Glasmeier, department associate, Memphis Naval Supply Activity, completed an online bachelor's degree in computer information systems from Strayer University, based in Newington, Va. Glasmeier graduated cum laude with a 3.6 GPA.

Gary Gottlieb, assistant professor, Audio Production, participated in a panel discussion, "How to Get a Job in Audio," at the Boston Area Definitive Audio Student Summit Sept. 15. The panel, which included authors and educators Paul Lehrman, Keith Hatschek and John Lay, was well received by the 100 students in attendance.

Bethany Keller, international academic advisor, Academic Advising, was named 2007 Outstanding Advisor by the Missouri Academic Advising Association (MACADA) at the annual state conference held at Osage Beach on Sept. 14. MACADA represents advising professionals from a number of Missouri colleges and universities. At the conference, Keller assisted academic advisors Tyann Cherry and Thuy Witt, with the presentation, "Advising in a Tekkie Age," which was voted best presentation at the conference. Two Webster staff members were voted to the state-wide board: Joan Finder, associate director, Undergraduate Admissions, was re-elected secretary of the MACADA board, and Paula Aguilar, academic advisor, was elected vice president for Programs and Professional Development.

Brad Wootten, adjunct professor, Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C., has joined the Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC) ambassador program. As an ambassador, Wootten will help spread the word about CRSC to retired veterans in Northern Virginia to ensure they receive all additional compensation they are entitled to have for their service to the country. For 20-year military retirees who qualify, CRSC provides a monthly tax-free compensation to supplement their VA disability and retired military payments.

Timothy Laskis, adjunct professor, Greenville Metropolitan Campus, S.C., and author of Finding Your Costa Rica: 5 Powerful Steps to Personal, Professional and Financial Success, will appear on the "Sabado Gigante" Univision television program Oct. 27.

Barry Hufker, associate professor of audio production, Electronic and Photographic Media, recorded the opening concert of the 2007-08 Saint Louis Classical Guitar Society concert series at the Ethical Society of St. Louis auditorium for national broadcast. Hufker is experimenting and evaluating two prototypes of a new concept in professional microphone design, embodied by the Model A by Simpson Microphones. He is the first person outside of Poland to experiment with the microphones, which are not yet in commercial production. He used the Model A microphones to record the first concert of the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus' 52d season at Grace United Methodist Church in St. Louis.

Keep us posted on your professional activities and send us your story ideas by completing the UFO form.

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The University extends its appreciation to the following individuals who have served the institution for many years:

OCTOBER 2007

Graciela Corvalan, professor, International Languages and Cultures, 25 years

Janie Jackson, director, Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., 20 years

Cecelia Casey, representative, Human Resources, 15 years

Holly Hubenschmidt, reference librarian, Emerson Library, 15 years

Cassie Wilson, coordinator, Columbia Metropolitan Campus, S.C., 10 years

Cindy Jo Bratcher, representative, Kansas City Metropolitan Campus, Mo., 5 years

Stacey Foder, accounting assistant, Accounts Payable, 5 years

Nancy Higgins, coordinator, Executive Office, 5 years

Constance Knox, academic advisor, WingHaven Campus, 5 years

Jennifer Willis, coordinator, Executive Office, 5 years

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We extend warm welcome to the newest members of the Webster family:

OCTOBER 2007

Jeni Bird, department secretary, Great Lakes Naval Base, Ill., 847-578-0974 or Speed Dial #6 082, replace Rachel Cintula.

Katherine Brynac, assistant volleyball coach, Athletics, 314-968-6984, replaces Matt Ryan.

Faith Ferrell, service clerk, Registrar, 314-246-7696, replaces Hui Ball.

Anthony Gates, general clerk, Fort Jackson, S.C., 803-738-0603 or Speed Dial #6 049, replaces James Bakie.

Cheryl Hasinbiller, assistant softball coach, Athletics, 314-246-7930, replaces Brett Swipp.

Sharroky Hollie, visiting scholar, School of Education, 314-968-7490.

Arthur Jones, public safety officer, Public Safety, 314-246-8018, replaces Kalonna Carpenter.

Jennifer Lazo, department assistant, Fort Jackson, S.C., 803-738-0603 or Speed Dial #6 049, replaces Annette Jones.

Faith Maddy, vice president for development and alumni programs, Development, 314-968-7457, replaces Russ Viehmann.

Melinda Maxson, department assistant, Financial Aid, 314-246-8070, replaces Sarah York.

Barbara Omer, counseling coordinator, Myrtle Beach Metropolitan Campus, S.C., 843-497-3677 or Speed Dial #6 038, new position.

Clarinda Ramsey, coordinator, Atlanta CSX REDI Center, Ga., 404-367-2938, new position.

Lorraine Rosales, representative, Fort Jackson,ÊS.C., 803-738-0603 or Speed Dial #6 049, replaces Michelle Cannon.

Mary Kathryn Sprague, instructional support specialist, Information Technology User Services, 314-246-8608, replaces Erik Palmore.

Larry Thomas, computer technician, Columbia Metropolitan Campus, S.C., 803-699-0900 or Speed Dial #6 083, new position.

To learn more about job opportunities at Webster, go to the Human Resources Jobs site.

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The University extends sympathies to Mable Landrum, Registrar's office, in the loss of her husband; to Kathleen Mickey, Executive Office, in the loss of her mother; and to Ted Green, School of Education, in the loss of his mother.

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EDITOR
Marianne Kirk, Editor
Office of Marketing

MARKETING OFFICE CONTRIBUTORS
Claudia Burris, Sr. Editor & Photojournalist
Casey Conroy, Graphic Designer
Dominik Jansky, Writer/Editor
Patrick Powers, Writer/Editor
Pete McEwen, Technical Advisor
Ashley Marshall, Writer

HUMAN RESOURCES CONTRIBUTORS
Betsy Schmutz
Gloria Barbre
Amy Brockman