Webster University President Elizabeth Stroble

Webster University is pleased to announce President Elizabeth (Beth) J. Stroble is one of 35 women honored by Diverse Magazine. In her 10th years as president, she has become widely recognized as a champion of diversity and inclusion, and an advocate for first-generation, international and nontraditional adult students.

The 35 women selected from across the U.S. include college presidents, provosts, deans, faculty members and those working to make a notable difference. “These women are intergenerational, prolific and committed to providing access and opportunity to students,” said Jamal Eric Watson, Ph.D., Executive Editor, Diverse Education Magazine.

During her tenure, President Stroble has solidified Webster’s reputation as a global university, with a network of campus locations around the world. Most recently, the network of international campuses and sites has expanded to include Ghana, Greece and Uzbekistan.

President Stroble and the Webster University Leadership Team have also earned recognition as one of the best employers in St. Louis for women; doubled the number of endowed scholarship funds for diverse populations; increased the number of fully endowed scholarship funds to recruit international students; increased scholarship support for study abroad students by a factor of five; created the University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion; and convened a high-attended annual diversity and inclusion conference now in its fourth year.

“We have learned a great deal about how to create welcoming communities across the globe since initiating our first groundbreaking summit,” said President Stroble. “We encourage thought-provoking and forward-moving conversations that help to transform talk into action toward more inclusive environments.”

The 2019 Diversity and Inclusion Summit presented a powerful and insightful consortium of experiences with guest speakers, lectures, panel discussions, and a theatrical performance. Highlighting the conference was a keynote presentation by the esteemed Marilyn F. Booker, managing director and head of the Urban Markets Group at Morgan Stanley. Also speaking at this year’s conference were Jackie Joyner-Kersee, six-time Olympian, founder & CEO of Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, and Neal Richardson, head of financial education at U.S. Bank, co-founder and president of Dream Builders 4 Equity.

“We, as board members, are very proud of President Stroble receiving this recognition,” said Lynn Britton, president of Webster University board of directors, president and chief executive officer of Mercy Hospital. “Beth’s leadership skills and unswerving commitments have both challenged and propelled this university to embrace a greater global, diverse mission.”

With its home campus in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Webster University (www.webster.edu) comprises an action-oriented global network of faculty, staff, students and alumni who forge powerful bonds with each other and with their communities around the globe. Founded in 1915, Webster is a private non-profit university with students studying at campus locations in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa and in a robust learning environment online. The university is committed to ensuring high-quality learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual excellence.