Webster named College of Wooster interim president

Wayne Webster, Ed.D., vice president for advancement, will serve as interim president of The College of Wooster, starting July 1 until the search for President Sarah Bolton’s successor is completed and the 13th president assumes office on or around July 1, 2023. The appointment was announced in an email from Wooster’s board of trustees chair Sally Staley on March 30.

“We are enthusiastic about Dr. Webster’s familiarity with the college’s strategic plan, his understanding of key priorities in the coming year, his collaborative spirit and his commitment to Wooster’s students, staff and faculty,” Staley said. “He knows Wooster well and has demonstrated an expert commitment to ensuring we remain a strong, vibrant and thriving campus community. The board trusts him to lead the college and to ensure Wooster’s stability and momentum over the next year.”

Wooster’s board of trustees voted and approved Webster following an internal search led by trustee Christopher Causey. The committee, made up of trustees and faculty, evaluated more than two-dozen nominees received through both formal and informal communications channels to ensure the best opportunity for support of Wooster students, faculty and staff.

“I am honored to be selected to serve and lead The College of Wooster in the next academic year as interim president. The unique sense of community that we promote and embrace is real, and I have seen us rally together during the pandemic to persevere during the most uncertain of times,” Webster said. “Wooster is also a place of innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and one of deep dedication to our mission. Our extraordinary academic program highlighted by our Independent Study is unparalleled, and what greater visible representation of the dedication of Wooster faculty, staff and students than to witness all the smiles and joy on the faces of our seniors on I.S. Monday.”

Webster has served as Wooster’s vice president for advancement for the past five years and is a trusted leader with more than 20 years of service advancing the missions of nationally ranked colleges and universities with 12 years of experience at the executive level.

“This next year offers an important opportunity to complete necessary work related to our long-term planning and to strengthen the Wooster community and its mission as higher education faces unprecedented challenges and opportunities,” Webster said. “I very much look forward to working closely with faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends to see this work through to a successful completion.”

Webster will assume the role of interim president following the departure this summer of Bolton, who leaves to become the next president of Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. Meanwhile, the search for Wooster’s next president continues with the goal of attracting a highly distinguished pool of candidates interested in advancing the mission of the college.

Learn more about the presidential search committee, search firm, upcoming listening sessions and more at www.wooster.edu/presidential-search.