FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 31, 2007

Webster University to Offer Certificate in Nonprofit Management

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From left to right: Panelists Cheryl Polk, executive vice president and chief operating officer, United Way of Greater St. Louis; David Luckes, president & CEO, Greater Saint Louis Community Foundation; Bill Smith, not-for-profit reporter, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; and David Krauss, partner, The Stolar Partnership, LLP, attorneys at law; discuss the necessity for a business-focused nonprofit graduate degree.

On Wednesday, May 30, the Webster University School of Business and Technology presented “The Nonprofit Sector-UNDER ASSAULT,” a special panel discussion highlighting Webster University’s new Certificate in Nonprofit Management. The program examined the unique issues in managing a nonprofit organization and the ever-increasing need to blend the business side of operations with the delivery of the mission. Donors increasingly and rightfully expect nonprofits to exercise strong management and fiscal judgment along with the delivery of their mission. Panelists included Cheryl Polk, executive vice president and chief operating officer, United Way of Greater St. Louis; David Luckes, president & CEO, Greater Saint Louis Community Foundation; Bill Smith, not-for-profit reporter, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; and David Krauss, partner, The Stolar Partnership, LLP, attorneys at law.

Webster University is offering a new graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management, specifically designed for passionate and committed people who lead nonprofit organizations and need to obtain the business skills set required in today’s market. The 18-credit-hour graduate certificate is comprised of six business-focused courses, which expose students to all aspects of the nonprofit decision-making process. Students will develop real-world nonprofit business skills focused on fulfilling an organization’s mission while becoming a self-sustaining organization.

“The new nonprofit certificate program offered at Webster's SBT shines the spotlight on those behind the scenes individuals in non-for-profits who help fulfill the mission of the organization,” says Benjamin Akande, PhD, Dean of the School of Business and Technology. “They ensure the financial viability of the organization, its human resource management and its operations."

Webster University (www.webster.edu) is an international, multi-campus university, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.  Founded in 1915 as a small private college, Webster now offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs through five schools and colleges.  The university has grown into an international network of campuses that includes 107 domestic and international campuses.  The student population of more than 20,000 men and women ranges in age from traditional college-age students to adult learners, and represents more than 100 nationalities.  The university is committed to excellence in teaching, to joining theory and practice, to small class sizes, and to educating students to be lifelong, independent learners, fully prepared to participate in an increasingly international society.

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