August is here and it's time to welcome new and returning students to Webster University!
Welcome Message from the President & Provost
Dear Colleagues!

We are glad to have this opportunity to say welcome to the fall term and thank you for your continued dedication to doing the right thing for Webster students. In the coming weeks, we will enjoy many opportunities to renew our contact across the university community—in meetings, during meals, at welcome events for students and colleagues, and at the Fall Convocation on August 23rd—in person at Webster’s Loretto-Hilton Center or via livestream. 

This year’s convocation will focus on the impact we have on our students—the heart of our mission to meet an unmet need. Members of this community—faculty, staff, and students alike—are making a difference every day to support our students who show such amazing drive, curiosity, and enthusiasm to make a difference themselves. While those needs have evolved since Webster first awarded an A. B. to Florence Waddock in 1919, our pride in students’ accomplishment persists. In 2019, we will celebrate Webster’s 100th graduating class, a moment to cherish and to celebrate with confidence in our university’s future. 

Thank you to all who have worked so well this summer to develop and implement initiatives that will strengthen Webster’s academic and financial position. In the short run as well as medium and long term, this community is pulling together to assure a strong Webster for ourselves and those we serve. 

To encourage us all, we share these words written by our first graduate to describe her college experience: 

Happy is this parting Senior 
Having such an Alma Mater, 
Where the teachers and the students 
Each for each with love and longing 
Look upon these old traditions, 
On these days now too soon passing. 
Thus it was this Senior journeyed 
Through her years at dear Loretto; 
And for this she wrote her story, 
So that all might feel encouraged, 
Know what joy and pleasure forward 
And for those who are at College. 

Best wishes for a great year, 

Beth and Julian
Welcome Message from the WSA Chair, Maggie Dankert
Dear Colleagues,

Can you believe how quickly the summer has gone by? It has been busy with final recruitment numbers coming in and several Implementation Teams getting started, and all of us preparing for classes to begin. I hope everyone had a chance to recharge their batteries so we can take on the challenges and joys of the upcoming year. During this time of change, WSA is here to serve you. Thanks for everyone’s feedback in filling out our annual Staff Survey. Using your input, we have already begun planning for a year that will address the concerns you raised and continue advocating on your behalf. We are excited to start this new year with some familiar faces on our board, but also some new ones.

If you haven’t had the chance to meet us, be sure to stop by our first event of the year: a back-to-school social on Wednesday, August 15 th  from 1-3pm in the UC. We will be serving up ice cream as a thank you for all your hard work this past year and for all the work to come. I love the start of Fall semester because it is what many of us in higher education work for - the new student, arriving on campus or logging into their online class for the first time, excited to begin this new journey into their adulthood. Each one of you has an impact on our students and we appreciate all the ways you contribute to making their experiences great.

I look forward to working alongside you this year. Happy Start of Classes!

Maggie
Webster Wellness Updates
Beginning August 15, 2018, Webster University will be a tobacco and smoke free campus.


GORLOK GREATS
Nomination Period: August 15th - September 30th

The Gorlok Greats Award will recognize staff members whose achievements, whether an individual act or sustained effort of exemplary service, relate to Webster University strategies and support the University's values and mission.
Staff Professional Development Funds Update
2018-2019 Professional Development Funds: The Professional Development Fund Approval Committee is currently pending a budget. The committee is accepting applications from staff for professional development programs that occur through May 31, 2019, and will begin reviewing applications once a budget has been provided.
Cool off with the WSA On Wed. August 15
The WSA Board invites you to drop-in to the University Center Commons on Wednesday, August 15, 1-3 PM, for an ice cream sundae!

*Nondairy ice cream will be available for those with dietary restrictions.