The Ghana campus will be the first American university with a full residential campus in the African country's capital of Accra.
ST. LOUIS, Sept. 19, 2012 -- Following an extensive feasibility study and site visits, Webster University is planning to open a campus in Ghana for the 2013-2014 academic year. Webster’s campus will be located in Accra, the nation’s capital, on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. Webster will be the first American university to establish a full residential campus with undergraduate and graduate programs in this important part of the world.
“Webster University’s mission to transform students for individual excellence and global citizenship compels us to find new ways to open the world to our students,” said Webster University President Elizabeth (Beth) J. Stroble. “At the same time, Webster’s 97-year history is marked by taking high-quality education to where it is needed to meet students’ needs and to build capacity in locations across the United States, Europe and Asia. The addition of a sub-Sahara campus to our international network will bring a new and distinctive dimension to the University and further establish Webster as the premier American university for global education.”
Ghana’s National Accreditation Board has set forth a mission of using quality education delivery to accelerate the nation’s socio-economic development. The government is focusing on many goals including increased access to all levels of education, improving infrastructural facilities, quality teaching and effective outcomes.
“Ghana is an important African country, from historical, political and educational points of view,” said Julian Schuster, Webster University senior vice president and provost. “Webster’s mission and strategic goals align very well with the needs of the Ghanaian education system. Webster’s presence in Ghana will enhance the global component of our curricula as well as build Ghana’s educational capacity. This is a continuation of Webster’s purposeful and intentional strategy of bringing the benefits of high-quality, American-style higher education to the broadest possible spectrum of the world’s people and nations.”
As Webster’s international network reaches the continent of Africa, the University learned about an important connection from its past. Since 1993, the Loretto Africa Project has thrived in Ghana. The Sisters of Loretto have planned, built and furnished a school that educates more than 700 pre-kindergarten and elementary-age children in Akokoamong.
A nation with abundant resources, Ghana has a growing middle class, a growing economy, a strong focus on infrastructure, and a multi-party democratic government that has had many peaceful changes of power after elections.
The country has an educated, English-speaking workforce, competitive wages, a low crime rate, good transportation connections and a true warmth of its citizenry toward foreigners.
Ghana also has one of the most youthful markets in the world. Fifty-four percent of its population (24 million) is under the age of 20.
There are a host of U.S.-based companies in Ghana, including ADM, UPS, Price Waterhouse Coopers, DHL, FedEx, KPMG, KFC, Pfizer, Motorola, Coca-Cola, IBM and ACS.
Going Global
Webster University is one of the world’s first truly global universities. The first signal of Webster’s future global orientation occurred in 1919, when two French students enrolled at its Webster Groves, Mo., campus in suburban St. Louis. Webster initiated an international student program 80 years ago, bringing students from many different countries to its home campus.
In the following two decades, nearly 200 faculty members and students went abroad or came to Webster, primarily from Asia, Europe and South America. Today, Webster University is one of the only universities in the world that has brick-and-mortar campus locations in international locations.
- Geneva, Switzerland; opened in 1978
- Vienna, Austria; opened in 1981
- Leiden, the Netherlands; opened in 1983
- London, United Kingdom; opened in 1986
- Shanghai and Chengdu, China; opened in 1996
- Hua Hin/Cha-am, Thailand; opened in 1999
- Accra, Ghana; 2013 (coming soon)
A recognized leader in global education, Webster University is participating in the American Council on Education’s (ACE) Internationalization Laboratory, joining seven other universities in its 2011-2012 cohort. The Internationalization Laboratory provides the unique opportunity to share best practices with other institutions and to benefit from the expertise of ACE senior staff.
In fall 2012, all incoming freshmen are enrolled in a new core curriculum in which all academic programs have an international component to the instruction.
With its home campus in St. Louis, Webster University (www.webster.edu) is the only Tier 1, private, non-profit U.S.-based university providing a network of international residential campuses. Founded in 1915, Webster University’s campus network today includes metropolitan, military and corporate locations around the world, as well as traditional campuses in Asia, Europe and North America. The university is committed to delivering high-quality learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual excellence
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