Webster University names new director, continues growth

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From its beginning in 1998 with 13 students, Webster University's Ozarks regional campus has grown to about 150 students. The local Webster operation, which is located on the second floor of the Missouri State Bank building at 321 W. Battlefield, also has a new director. |ret||ret||tab|

Laura Ward, who previously served the university as the academic adviser and community relations coordinator for the Ozarks regional campus, was named director last month. She succeeds Terry Nigh, who resigned. Ward has a bachelor's degree in management and a master's degree in guidance and counseling from Southwest Missouri State Univers-ity. |ret||ret||tab|

Ward also is certified as a professional in human resources, and she has 10 years of experience as a human resources management professional. Ward said she's excited about her new position.|ret||ret||tab|

"I like the campus, I like the students, I like how the program is set up," she said. |ret||ret||tab|

Webster University offers master of business administration and master of arts programs, Ward said. The school's students are working professionals who are trying to meet career goals. |ret||ret||tab|

"A lot of our students just want to move up in the companies that they're with. They may have spoken with a supervisor (who) encouraged them to get their MBA because it will help them in the future," Ward said. "And then there's people who have been doing a job for maybe five or 10 years and want to take it in a different direction, either in the same field or a different field." |ret||ret||tab|

All of the classes offered at the local campus are held in the evenings, and the programs are flexible to meet busy students' needs, Ward said. |ret||ret||tab|

The campus only has five full-time staff positions. The school uses adjunct faculty to lead its courses professionals from the community who work part-time for the school, sharing their knowledge with the students. |ret||ret||tab|

"They take what's in the textbook and relate it to problems that can occur in the workplace. I think that in a textbook, the information is based on theory, and it's kind of abstract," Ward said. "They're able to take that abstract theory and relate it to workplace situations that arise, and how they'd deal with that."|ret||ret||tab|

Many of the adjunct faculty members approach the school about teaching courses. Others are referred to the school by other adjunct faculty members, and some are those that Ward meets when she's out in the community. |ret||ret||tab|

"A lot of people have always wanted to teach in the evenings, to teach a master's level course, but they haven't had the time," Ward said, adding that because Webster's courses are nine weeks long, and meet one night a week, it affords the instructors the opportunity to teach. |ret||ret||tab|

Ward said there are 12 courses required for the MBA program, which doesn't include the necessary prerequisites. The school offers prerequisite courses, but Ward said if a student has a related undergraduate degree from ano-ther school, some prerequisites can be transferred. The fee is $1,035 per course, and all degrees, except the master of arts in health services management, require 12 courses. The health services management degree requires 13 courses, Ward said. The school has several students who are getting their degrees with the help of employer reimbursement, she added. |ret||ret||tab|

There have been a lot of inquiries about enrolling for the next semester, and Ward is hopeful that the enrollment will grow. In fact, one thing she'd like to see happen while she's the campus director is for the school to outgrow its current location.|ret||ret||tab|

"Right now we can rearrange things to accommodate the needs of the students and faculty," Ward said. |ret||ret||tab|

Another goal Ward has is to implement some cohort programs, whereby Web-ster's instructors would teach onsite at businesses where there are several em-ployees who want to earn degrees.|ret||ret||tab|

"It's a reduced-rate program because they already have the facilities if we come to their site," Ward said. She said St. Louis-based Webster University has had several successful cohort programs at some of its 100 campuses around the world, but it hasn't yet been done here.[[In-content Ad]]