Webster University is a private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, Missouri. It has multiple branch locations across the United States and countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa.[8] In 2021, Webster enrolled 6,741 students.[9] The university has an alumni network of around 170,000 graduates worldwide.[10]
History
It was founded in 1915 by the Sisters of Loretto as Loretto College, a Catholic women's college, one of the first west of the Mississippi River.[11] One of the early founders was Mother Praxedes Carty.[12] The college's name was changed to Webster College in 1924.[13] The first male students were admitted in 1962.[14] The sisters transferred ownership of the college to a lay Board of Directors in 1967; it was the first Catholic college in the United States to be totally under lay control.[15] In 1983, Webster College's name was changed to Webster University.[13]
Webster was involved in the early racial integration battles in St. Louis. During the early 1940s, many local priests, especially the Jesuits, challenged the segregationist policies at the city's Catholic colleges and parochial schools. The St. Louis chapter of the Midwest Clergy Conference on Negro Welfare arranged in 1943 for Webster College to admit a black female student, Mary Aloyse Foster, which would make it the city's first Catholic college to integrate.[16] However, in 1943 Archbishop John J. Glennon blocked that student's enrollment by speaking privately with the Kentucky-based Superior General of the Sisters of Loretto.[17] The Pittsburgh Courier, an African-American newspaper with national circulation, discovered Glennon's actions and ran a front-page feature on the Webster incident in February 1944.[18] The negative publicity toward Glennon's segregationist policies led Saint Louis University to begin admitting African American students in summer 1944.[19] In the fall of 1945, Webster College responded to pressure by admitting Irene Thomas, a Catholic African-American woman from St. Louis, as a music major.[20]
Webster University campus in LeidenThe Campus of Webster University Geneva, Switzerland.
Webster University's home campus is located in Webster Groves, a suburb of St. Louis.[15] Many of the domestic campuses are located near military bases; some are located in various metropolitan areas. The international campuses are located in several European countries including Switzerland, Austria, Georgia, and The Netherlands; several are also located in Asia and Africa, such as in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Ghana and China.
In 2015, Webster released a report on its Thailand campus citing several issues, including badly inadequate facilities and a culture of distrust between students and the administration.[36] The report also cited several strengths on the campus, including strong academics and financial stability, saying "recruitment, marketing and admissions" are an area of strength for the campus.[37] One month after the internal report was issued, a campus ombudsman was appointed to address the communications issues and to bring the Thailand campus more in-line with the home campus' policies.[38]
Webster's Baseball Team has made back to back trips to the Division III World Series placing fifth in both 2012 and 2013. They also made the Division III World Series in 2015. They made it to the regional Division III championship in 2014 but was defeated in the first round.[40] Major League pitcher Josh Fleming played for Webster.[41]
Webster's chess team has won more national titles than any college team in the country and has been ranked #1 continuously since 2012.[42]
Student life
Webster University, in Fall 2014, enrolled 5,010 undergraduate students and 17,190 graduate students.[43] The average SAT composite score for the undergraduate class was 1,194. The average ACT composite score was 24. Students come from 49 states and more than 122 countries.
Webster University St. Louis has a student newspaper called The Journal and a student radio station called The Galaxy. The Galaxy was re-launched online in 2007.[44] Webster University has other e-newsletters such as Webster Today and departmental publications.
Webster University recently allowed the formation of the first Greek organization on its St. Louis campus, with the founding of the 152nd Chapter of Delta Upsilon and the founding of the Gamma Zeta Chapter of Delta Phi Epsilon.
R. Alan King, military veteran (Panama and Iraq) and author of Twice Armed: An American Soldier's Battle for Hearts and Minds in Iraq – Winner of 2008 William E. Colby Award;
^Donald J. Kemper, "Catholic Integration in St. Louis, 1935–1947," Missouri Historical Review, October 1978, pp. 1–13.
^Ted LeBerthon, "Why Jim Crow Won at Webster College," Pittsburgh Courier, February 5, 1944, p. 13.
^"Pressure Grows to Have Catholic College Doors Open to Negroes," Pittsburgh Courier, February 19, 1944, p. 1; "St. Louis U. Lifts Color Bar: Accepts Five Negroes for Summer Session," Pittsburgh Courier, May 6, 1944, p. 1.
^"Missouri College Admits Race Girl," Pittsburgh Courier, October 13, 1945, p. 1.
^"Colleges". Webster University. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
This includes institutions outside of the city limits of St. Louis which have "St. Louis, MO" postal addresses. Note multiple places with "St. Louis, MO" postal addresses are not in the St. Louis city limits.
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