Office of the Provost/Office of Academic Affairs

Memo
To:
CC:

From:
Re:

Date:

Directors, Academic Directors of International Campuses (for distribution)

Deans (for distribution)
Administrative Council
Webster-Thailand Review Team

Julian Schuster, Provost, Senior Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer

Site Reviews of International Campuses; Review Team Named for Thailand

Review
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 20112012, 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,
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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
CampusReview@webster.edu 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, chapman@webster.edu, 314-246-8755
Nancy Hellerud, co-chair, nancyhellerud@webster.edu, 314-246-7440
Joe Stimpfl, co-chair, jstimpfl@webster.edu, 314-246-7734
Jeanene George, Office of the Provost, jeanenegeorge96@webster.edu, 314-2468242