Webster’s Ghana Campus to open, classes to begin January 2014

Webster University’s new Ghana campus was approved by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), it was announced today. Student recruitment will begin immediately and classes will start Jan. 14, 2014.

The approval by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) will ensure Webster University graduates in Ghana will hold degrees that will be recognized in both Ghana and the United States, making it easier for them to seek work in either country and pursue study in either country. Earlier this year, Ghana’s Ministry of Education gave approval for the programs that will be offered at the Accra campus.

The opening of the Ghana campus also creates opportunities for students, faculty, as well as businesses and organizations in St. Louis who now will have a direct connection to study and develop opportunities in Accra, Ghana.

“With this important location, we continue in the footsteps of our founders who provided access to higher education in areas of greatest need, meeting students where they are,” said Webster University President Elizabeth “Beth” J. Stroble. “As we near the close of our first century and prepare to celebrate our Centennial in 2015, we may take great pride in adding Accra, Ghana to the list of places that Webster students call home.”

In addition to its Ghana and North American locations, Webster University also has traditional residential campuses in Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Thailand and the United Kingdom, as well as a global network of international partners in more than two dozen other locations.

“Webster’s presence in Ghana will be impactful and felt throughout the region,” said Julian Schuster, the provost, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Webster. “Enhanced educational opportunities through robust Webster University programs will further develop and build capacity in this important and fast growing part of the African continent.”

St. Louis-based Webster University, founded nearly 100 years ago, has been accredited since 1925 by HLC, a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and one of six regional accreditors of institutions of higher education in the U.S. In July, Ghana’s Ministry of Education accredited programs offered at the Webster new Accra campus, which currently is housed in two large, renovated buildings, complete with classrooms, lecture halls, and libraries.

Students will benefit the most from the dual recognition. By having a degree that is recognized in both Ghana and the U.S., Webster University Ghana students will have more options for their future, they will more easily be able to find employment, network, and pursue further educational opportunities anywhere around the world, Schuster said.

The Accra campus also will provide more opportunities for current students from any of Webster’s worldwide campuses to study abroad. Nearly one-third of Webster’s currents students and faculty take advantage of the University’s global presence and study or teach in another country. With the new Ghana campus opening up a fourth continent for the Webster community, it is anticipated that students and faculty from other campuses will visit Ghana, while students in Ghana likely will study for a semester or two in Asia, North America or Europe.

The campus also creates a direct link between St. Louis and Ghana.