Leading Webster into the Future

The Chancellor is the principal leader for Webster University's global university system, with campuses on three continents and over 200,000 alumni. Daily leadership for this role includes strategy development and engagement of external audiences to grow the University's impact and reputation, leading the University's strategic vision and advancement efforts. Webster is consistently ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Colleges” in categories that include “Best Colleges for Veterans” and “Best Value Schools,” as well as ranking in the top 20% for the Midwest Regional category.

At the 2023 Webster Society Dinner

2023 Webster Society Dinner

Women of Webster Event in 2023

Women of Webster Kickoff in 2023

2023 RHA Late-Night Breakfast

2023 RHA Late-Night Breakfast

Golden Circle Breakfast, 2023

Golden Circle Breakfast, 2023

Military Appreciation Breakfast on Veterans Day 2023

Military Appreciation Breakfast on Veterans Day 2023

Webster's 2023 Family Weekend

Webster's 2023 Family Weekend

Webster's student ambassadors

Webster's Student Ambassadors

Webster University's Chancellor

Elizabeth (Beth) J. Stroble

Elizabeth (Beth) J. Stroble, Webster University Chancellor

Elizabeth J. Stroble is presently on sabbatical leave, having concluded her active service as Chancellor in 2023. She continues to support the University focusing on alumni relations and fundraising. Following the conclusion of her sabbatical, Stroble will transition to Chancellor Emeritus.

Across her career at public and private institutions, Stroble has emerged as a nationally recognized champion of expanding access to higher education through need-based student aid, while also advocating vigorously for federal support of university-based research. She is an experienced leader in American higher education, known for her commitment to increasing educational access and success for students worldwide, catalyzing academic innovation, and encouraging universities' civic engagement and service to society.

Expanding Access to Higher Education

group of honor students and scholarship recipients with Webster administration

"We are thrilled to be able to increase our Suggs Scholars. We know these students are engaged and talented and will become leaders on campus."      - Elizabeth (Beth) J. Stroble Chancellor

 

Learn about the Suggs Scholarship

Chancellor Stroble's Impact at Webster

During her tenure, Webster has engaged in a period of transformation, with an increased focus on overall institutional excellence, which resulted in increased funding from private donors, government agencies and businesses, the creation of several endowed professorships, and improved academic facilities and technologies necessary for Webster’s programs. Webster is ranked in the top 20% in the annual U.S. News & World Report "Best Colleges" list among Midwestern Regional universities, and has gained recognition for economic diversity, social mobility and service to veterans. Stroble launched Webster's Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and highlighted its mission as a cornerstone of the university's excellence. She was named by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education newsmagazine as one of the top 35 women making an impact in higher education. In February 2022, she was honored by the St. Louis City NAACP with the Freeman/Seay Commitment to St. Louis award.

Chancellor Stroble's Initiatives

Stroble's current research focuses on the relationships among place, identity and community. She advocates for global inclusion and leadership, innovative public-private partnerships, and the value of independent universities through publications, invited presentations and service to international and national organizations of university leaders and heads of corporations and government agencies. As higher education co-chair for the African Renaissance and Diaspora Network, she engages colleagues and students worldwide in popularizing the advancement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals with a specific focus on achieving gender equality. As a member of the board for the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, she chairs the education committee. She serves on the Executive Committee of the International Association of University Presidents. She is an Honorary Life Director at The Muny.

Chancellor Stroble and dozens of students holding red cards

Chancellor Beth Stroble in regalia

Chancellor Stroble's Educational Background

Chancellor Beth Stroble in regalia

Elizabeth (Beth) Stroble holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and English from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, and two Master of Arts degrees — one in History and one in American and English Literature — from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She received her PhD in Curriculum Studies from the University of Virginia. Prior to Webster, she held academic and administrative appointments at the University of Akron, the University of Louisville and Northern Arizona University.

Chancellor's Cabinet

President Julian Schuster

Julian Schuster, PhD

 

President

In his role as President, Julian Schuster serves as chief academic officer and chief advisor to Chancellor Elizabeth (Beth) J. Stroble and has direct involvement in the strategic and day-to-day leadership of the institution.

Schuster assumed his position at Webster in July 2010, after serving as Founding Dean of the Hamline School of Business at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Prior to that, he served in several capacities at the University of New Haven from 1996 to 2006, including chair of the Department of Economics and Finance, director of the doctoral program, director of the Executive MBA Program and associate dean and dean of the School of Business.

Over the course of his career, Schuster has pioneered global alliances and promoted strategic investment in academic excellence, strengthening and expanding collaborations with more than a dozen international partner institutions.

Schuster received bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in economics from the University of Belgrade, one of the oldest and largest universities in the western Balkans. He currently serves on the Board of Governors of the University Avenue Business Association and on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Pluralism and Economic Education. Schuster's professional memberships include the American Economic Association, the Eastern Economic Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies.

Lisa Blazer

Lisa Blazer

 

Vice President of Enrollment Management

Lisa Blazer serves as the Vice President for Enrollment Management. In this role, she leads strategic enrollment efforts, including oversight for Admissions, Registrar, Enrollment Technology, Financial Aid, International Admissions and Services, Online Learning Center, and Military Campus Operations. In collaboration with academic units and university departments, campuses and partners, Blazer oversees the development and implementation of the University’s strategic enrollment plan, building initiatives to expand opportunities for students to attend Webster’s online and face-to-face undergraduate and graduate programs.

Prior to joining Webster, Blazer served as the Associate Vice President for Enrollment Services at Texas A&M University and served in multiple roles at the University of Texas at San Antonio, including Senior Associate Vice Provost for Academic Innovation, Interim Vice President for Strategic Enrollment and Associate Vice President for Financial Aid & Enrollment Services. Blazer is the recipient of the Alan W. Purdy Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA). She served as the 2016-2017 NASFAA National Chair, and served as president in state and regional associations. She earned her bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Missouri Baptist University, and her master’s degree in organizational development and her doctoral degree in education with a focus on organizational leadership from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas.

Ryan Elliott

Ryan Elliott

 

Associate Vice President for Advancement Services

Ryan Elliott is primarily responsible for performance strategy development; departmental information systems and technology; gift/pledge processing and reporting; financial and business data reporting; process optimization; donor research and management; and constituent data integrity and biographical records management for 250,000+ records. Elliott represents the Office of Advancement in various University-wide planning and implementation committees involving the Chancellor President, Provost, Academic Affairs, Finance, Information Technology, Office of Research and Sponsored Grants, Student Affairs and more.

Elliott has 20+ years of progressive responsibility and experience in government, nonprofit agency and higher education environments, starting his career working in the U.S. House of Representatives, Third Congressional District-Missouri Office, of the Hon. Richard A. Gephardt, and as a fundraiser for the National MS Society-Gateway Area Chapter where he Implemented donor-based fundraising campaigns and special projects.

Elliott earned his Master of Arts in Media Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations from Webster University in 2004 and both a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Missouri. Additionally, he earned a certificate in fundraising from the IUPUI Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and is a multiple-time Ironman finisher.

Nancy Hellerud

Nancy Hellerud, JD

 

Vice President for Academic Affairs

Nancy Hellerud leads the Office of Academic Affairs, oversees Student Affairs and six of Webster’s international campuses.

As Vice President for Academic Affairs, Hellerud is responsible for Academic Affairs divisions and programs that support and strengthen student success, including Academic Advising, the Reeg Academic Resource Center and the Faculty Development Center. She is coordinating collaborative initiatives among the schools and colleges of Webster University. In support of global mobility for students and faculty, she oversees Study Abroad, Global Program Development and the Webster International Network of Schools (WINS) Program. In addition, she manages Webster’s institutional accreditation and oversees the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

Prior to joining Webster in 2011, Hellerud served as interim dean and associate dean of the Hamline University School of Business in St. Paul, Minnesota. She holds a JD from the University of Oregon School of Law, an MA in Liberal Studies from Hamline University and a BA in English and German, also from Hamline.

Office of the Chancellor

Dana Sprehe

 

Executive Assistant to the Chancellor

314-246-4218
danasprehe27@webster.edu

News and Events

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