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Office of the Provost/Office of Academic Affairs
Memo To: Directors, Academic Directors of International Campuses
(for distribution) Deans (for distribution) Administrative Council
CC: Webster-Thailand Review Team From: Julian Schuster, Provost,
Senior Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer Re: Site Reviews
of International Campuses; Review Team Named for Thailand Review
Date: July 30, 2014 I am pleased to announce that, in 2014-2015, we
will conduct comprehensive reviews of our international campuses.
This initiative is a next step in the process of continuous
improvement of academic and administrative units and programs begun
in 2011; it is also an initiative aligned with all four of the
strategic planning themes 1) Global Innovation; 2) Global,
Student-Centered Experience; 3) Network of Academic and Operational
Excellence; 4) Sustainable and Strategic Development. Reviews will
be staggered. We will begin with Webster-Thailand immediately; the
sequence and timing of the next reviews will be announced in
upcoming weeks. Background In 2011, Webster University began to
conduct reviews of units, departments, sites and academic programs.
The purpose of the reviews is to provide a view of how well we are
delivering services and programs, to solicit recommendations for
improvement, and to collect baseline data and information for
purposes of future planning and review. Comprehensive Academic
Program Review and Prioritization was completed in 2011-2012,
reviews of the extended domestic (metropolitan and military) sites
were completed in 2013, and administrative and academic support
units (including Financial Aid, Human Resources, and Academic
Advising) have been completed, are underway, or are forthcoming.
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International Campus Review and Webster-Thailand For the
international campuses, as with other reviews, we will tailor the
process to meet the specifics and needs of the campuses. Our
experience with domestic site review and academic program review
will allow us to conduct comprehensive reviews of the international
campuses including the administrative aspects (e.g., facilities,
financial, staffing) as well as academic (e.g., program quality and
vibrancy, academic support services). For each international campus
review, a team representing administrative and academic units will
be convened. Because the reviews will involve travel, and because
it is important to include people with direct experience at the
campus, the same team will not review all campuses. Webster
Thailand will be the first international campus to be reviewed.
Provost Schuster has named the review team, which has a two-fold
charge: 1. To set a framework, or template, for review of all
international campuses. This framework will list the common areas
for review (administrative and academic) and common baseline data
to be collected from each campus. In addition, with understanding
of the uniqueness of each campus, areas of interest or concern
outside of the common areas will be included for each campus. 2. To
review Webster-Thailand, addressing the common areas identified by
the task force as important to all international campuses as well
as areas of interest or concern identified as unique to Thailand.
The working list of areas includes: infrastructure (e.g.,
facilities, IT, HR, staffing), safety, academics, academic support,
faculty, student life, admissions/recruitment/enrollment management
and communication. Goals of the review, as noted above, include
determining what we are doing well and what areas can be improved.
As we move into strategic planning aligned under the four themes
mentioned above, we want to ensure that each international campus
is an integral part of the Webster global network of academic and
operational excellence. The Webster-Thailand Review Team, Timeline,
and Process The Review Team for Webster-Thailand will begin its
work immediately and their report is due to the Provost in Spring
2015. Members include: John Buck, Associate Dean of Students and
Director of Housing & Residential Life; Grant Chapman,
Associate Vice President and Director of International Programs;
Greg Gunderson, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; Nancy
Hellerud, Vice Provost; Kit Jenkins, Professor, Communications
& Journalism Department; Peter Maher, Professor, Math/Computer
Science Department; Pat Masidonski, Associate Dean, George Herbert
Walker School of Business & Technology; Danielle MacCartney,
Associate Dean, Division of Liberal Arts & Sciences Programs,
College of Arts & Sciences; Gil Morales, 2
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Manager, Facilities Operations; Craig Mundle, Director, Internal
Audit; Joe Stimpfl, Professor, Religious Studies Department. The
Review Team will operate under the following guidelines: 1. Data
Collection: To the extent possible, data will be generated in St.
Louis, to provide commonality and to avoid taxing international
campus staff. For example: enrollment reports and financial
reports. However, where data is not available in St. Louis,
international campuses will be asked to provide information. 2.
Information Collection: Members of the Review Team will be
contacting and interviewing people at the international campus and
in units and divisions across the Webster network. The time and
cooperation of those contacted is appreciated and expected. In
addition, people who are not contacted but wish to provide
information to the Review Team will be able to do so. It is
understood that some information may be sensitive in nature.
Retaliation for reporting factual information is prohibited, and
anyone who feels retaliation has occurred should inform a committee
member or the Office of the Provost. In addition, anyone who feels
he/she has been the subject of unfounded allegations should inform
a committee member or the Office of the Provost. Next Steps The
Review Team for Webster-Thailand has met once. The team is
constructing the framework for the review, dividing into sub-teams
around specific areas (e.g., finance, facilities, student life),
and collecting initial baseline information. Because the
international campus review process will include multiple campuses
and multiple review teams with co-chairs, a dedicated e-mail
account [email protected] has been established for the
process, providing a central location for compiling information for
the review team. International campuses will receive additional
notices about information collection for the reviews. Webster
Thailand administration, faculty and staff will receive additional
notices about the work of the WUT Review Team, including a schedule
of potential visits of some members to Thailand. They will also
receive updates and reports on initial common data (e.g.,
enrollment), with opportunity to review, correct and comment on
trends and findings before the final report. For questions, contact
a review team co-chair or the Office of the Provost: Grant Chapman,
co-chair, [email protected], 314-246-8755 Nancy Hellerud,
co-chair, [email protected], 314-246-7440 Joe Stimpfl,
co-chair, [email protected], 314-246-7734 Jeanene George, Office
of the Provost, [email protected], 314-246-8242 3
