2008 Woodie Awards
Webster directors convene in St. Louis for global conference
By: Angela Riley
Issue date: 10/25/07 Section: News
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Webster University's extended family from campuses all over the world came together on the Webster Groves campus for an annual directors conference Oct. 6 through ll.
The week was filled with team building activities, outings showcasing St. Louis, workshops and seminars for directors of WU's extended and international campuses. The directors serve as the chief administrative officer of each on-site location. They oversee the facility location, the staff, faculty and students.
Last year, WU held regional directors meetings for the East, West and Central regions of the United States and one for the international campuses, instead of one encompassing conference for all directors. 2006 was the first time the university has held multiple regional conferences, said Elizabeth Russell, associate vice-president of Academic Affairs and Extended Campus Administration.
The recommendation to hold the regional meetings came from the Extended Campus Advisory Council. The council consists of three representatives from each region of the United States.The ECAC wanted to focus on regional issues and recommended that each region have a meeting in 2006 instead of one all-encompassing director's conference. The WU home campus and its extended locations is a part of the Central region.
For some directors, the event offered them a chance to unite with old friends.
"I'm so glad to be back in St. Louis," said Diane Fagan, senior director of the Fort Smith, Ark., Metropolitan Campus. "I really missed everyone. What makes (WU) so special is how close everyone is. It's like seeing my family again."
The conference wanted to address three main issues: engagement, accountability and vision, Russell said. Engagement dealt with the upcoming university-wide accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. Accountability tackled the internal assessment, the self-study, that WU is performing to prepare for the accreditation. Vision was dedicated to rewriting WU's mission and vision statement, which is also a part of the self-study.
The week was filled with team building activities, outings showcasing St. Louis, workshops and seminars for directors of WU's extended and international campuses. The directors serve as the chief administrative officer of each on-site location. They oversee the facility location, the staff, faculty and students.
Last year, WU held regional directors meetings for the East, West and Central regions of the United States and one for the international campuses, instead of one encompassing conference for all directors. 2006 was the first time the university has held multiple regional conferences, said Elizabeth Russell, associate vice-president of Academic Affairs and Extended Campus Administration.
The recommendation to hold the regional meetings came from the Extended Campus Advisory Council. The council consists of three representatives from each region of the United States.The ECAC wanted to focus on regional issues and recommended that each region have a meeting in 2006 instead of one all-encompassing director's conference. The WU home campus and its extended locations is a part of the Central region.
For some directors, the event offered them a chance to unite with old friends.
"I'm so glad to be back in St. Louis," said Diane Fagan, senior director of the Fort Smith, Ark., Metropolitan Campus. "I really missed everyone. What makes (WU) so special is how close everyone is. It's like seeing my family again."
The conference wanted to address three main issues: engagement, accountability and vision, Russell said. Engagement dealt with the upcoming university-wide accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. Accountability tackled the internal assessment, the self-study, that WU is performing to prepare for the accreditation. Vision was dedicated to rewriting WU's mission and vision statement, which is also a part of the self-study.
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