Bijeta Lamichhane
News Editor
On March 29, Chair of the Board of Trustees Sally Staley ’78 announced that Vice President of Advancement Dr. Wayne Webster will be serving as the interim president of The College of Wooster after the departure of current President Sarah Bolton. Webster will serve as the President of the College from July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2023, when Bolton’s successor is presumed to take office. This week, the Voice sat down with Webster to discuss his impact on Wooster in the last five years and his incoming role as the interim president.
Over the past five years, Webster has served as the vice president for advancement at the College and “led the public phase of the record-breaking $190 million Wooster’s Promise campaign,” mentioned Staley. Webster also helped to grow the College’s endowment by more than $140 million. When asked to describe his role at the College, Webster detailed, “Most of my day-to-day work is external in terms of working with alumni, families and friends to engage with the College in terms of philanthropy and volunteerism. But a lot of my work internally has been across campus around strategic planning and campus master planning.”
Webster highlighted that the administration is currently planning to address issues with Holden Hall, stating that “the Board of Trustees and the administration are talking about what are the next steps in terms of renovating and updating resident halls, and Holden is very much on the list of priorities.” He added, “I think we know that Holden is much overdue for some serious upgrades. And it’s definitely something that I think the Board and the College will certainly take a lot of time this year planning for a renovation.”
He then explained that in addition to working to plan major projects within campus, he also leads several efforts to raise the funds to make the projects a reality. “I have spent a lot of my career, both here at Wooster and other institutions, helping campus partners, faculty, staff and students to think about where we are at, and where we want to go,” Webster said. “Then, I help make those aspirations a reality. So, I think of my job as being 50-50 in terms of being 50 percent externally focused working with donors and volunteers, but then 50 percent helping campus think about who we are, where we want to go and what it is going to take to get there.”
Regarding his goals as the interim president, Webster mentioned that he will prioritize completing the projects that are already in motion. “There are a lot of good things that are already in progress that just need to be seen through to completion,” Webster explained. “Obviously, opening the [student] center next year, both the fall and spring phases, and seeing that through to completion, opening on time, and also opening in a way that achieves the goals is important.” He continued, “I also want to ensure we continue conversations on campus about budget and our strategic plan, making sure that we’re putting resources where they are most important.”
Webster also detailed his interest in addressing safety concerns on Beall Avenue. “I live on Beaver Street, just a block over, and I’ll continue to live in my house,” Webster said. “Being a part of the campus community, I’m aware of the challenges we have with Beall Avenue and making sure that it is a safe environment for our students, faculty and staff, is of real importance to me and the Cabinet.”
Finally, Webster expressed that he is looking forward to improving the academic experiences of students on campus through Pathways and experiential learning. “We are doing a lot of exciting things with APEX to improve experiential learning. This will be a key interest of mine and I think it would be a nice capstone to the strategic planning process that is well underway.”
He concluded, “When a new president comes, a lot of the initiatives that have been in motion for the last few years will hopefully be at a point where they’re completed.
Webster also addressed a number of ways that he plans to engage with students on campus and conveyed that he plans to utilize sporting events, meals at the student center and his time walking his dogs — Brackster and Brinkley — around campus to socialize with students. “I was a very involved student when I was in college, and when I interact with students here, there are a lot of interests across campus that I can somehow relate to,” he said. “So, I am excited about being able to have that balance where I know that a major part of my responsibilities lie with interacting with the campus in a really meaningful way. It is something I miss in my current work, when I get to interact with a student, it’s usually intentionally planned. I’m excited about the opportunities to be, to be engaged and approachable.”
At the end of the interview, when asked if Webster would be spotted around campus in Tartan clothing, Webster laughed and replied, “If requested.”
