最新杏吧原创

Julian Schuster said he is 鈥渙fficially retiring鈥� after 15 years at the university headquartered in 最新杏吧原创鈥� suburbs. His last day was May 31.

鈥淚t has been a long journey filled with joy and pride,鈥� Schuster wrote in an .

The Webster University Board of Trustees declined to renew Schuster鈥檚 contract last fall, sources previously told the Post-Dispatch.

He was offered a faculty position in the business school, but university spokesperson Patrick Giblin said Thursday that Schuster no longer works for Webster and will hold no future employment there.

Chancellor Tim Keane, in an email to the Webster community on April 25, said the university planned to merge the roles of chancellor and president.

鈥淕oing forward, I will assume the role of president and we will be eliminating the chancellor position,鈥� Keane said.

Schuster鈥檚 departure marks at least the third top leadership shift at Webster as the university works to recover from financial decline.

Keane became chancellor in August after Beth Stroble resigned in late 2023. And the university鈥檚 chief financial officer, Richard Meyer, was in early 2024.

Schuster and Stroble were among the highest paid university leaders in the region as they oversaw declining enrollments and financial troubles.

Between 2012 and 2022, Webster鈥檚 worldwide student headcount fell from 20,580 to 10,578.

The private university also reported significant deficits and got a judge to allow it to access over $30 million in restricted donations to strengthen its financial standing in 2024.

Webster officials have recently claimed a turnaround, with enrollments rising and its deficit declining by 40% over the past two years.

Keane, in his message to Webster鈥檚 community in April, said Webster was on track to have its first net positive fiscal year in a decade.

Schuster came to Webster in 2010 and served nearly a decade as provost. He was named president in 2019.

As president, Schuster was involved in the day-to-day operations of the university and championed Webster鈥檚 global presence through its international campuses. Webster launched numerous new programs under his leadership, including the region鈥檚 first master鈥檚 degrees in cybersecurity, according to Webster鈥檚 website.

Tax filings show Schuster made $887,300 in the fiscal year ending May 2024.