WEBSTER GROVES — Webster University on Tuesday named a West Coast university leader and former Anheuser-Busch executive to guide the private college through a turbulent time for both the school and higher education.
Tim Keane, 65, will start Aug. 1, where he’ll be tasked with boosting Webster’s enrollment and revenue while improving morale among faculty and staff. He takes over from Beth Stroble, who led the university for 15 years before stepping down in December after questions arose surrounding her growing compensation.
Keane has spent more than 20 years in higher education, including at St. ÑÇÖÞÎÞÂë University and most recently as dean of the business school at the University of San Diego. He also has private sector experience, most notably with Anheuser-Busch.
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Webster said in a release that Keane has a record of growing fundraising and enrollment and is committed to innovation.
The university declined to disclose details of his compensation. The University of San Diego said he was paid $376,128 in 2022, according to its latest publicly available tax filing.
“I’m very excited about the possibilities,†Keane said in an interview Tuesday. “The marketplace has shown (Webster is) resilient.â€
Keane will become chancellor during a precarious time for Webster, which has lost more than $150 million in revenue and seen enrollment fall nearly 30% since the 2012 school year. He also returns to a state he sharply criticized in which he described his distress over the Missouri Legislature and its decisions regarding women’s health.
Webster has seen small improvements to enrollment over the past two years — though its gains are threatened by a nationwide enrollment crisis in which universities face more competition for fewer college-aged students in the U.S. and a smaller percentage going to college. Locally, Fontbonne University in Clayton said it plans to shutter by summer 2025 due to a lack of enrollment.
Moreover, a botched federal rollout of the revamped Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, has led to delays in financial aid awards and fears among universities that students will opt not to enroll or to delay their freshman year. The calamity already led to St. Charles-based Lindenwood University to lay off more than a dozen faculty and staff in preparation for a decline in enrollment.
But Keane said Webster is “uniquely positioned†to weather those challenges, highlighting the college’s international campuses, commitment to diversity and community support.
“I think we can overcome, just like everybody has to when they run into environmental forces that they can’t control,†he said. “You have to monitor it, you have to be aware of it and you have to begin building plans to address it in the best way you can.â€
A St. ÑÇÖÞÎÞÂë native, Keane grew up near Grant’s Farm and attended De Smet Jesuit High School. He spent two years at St. ÑÇÖÞÎÞÂë Community College at Meramec before earning a business degree from Rollins College in Florida, an MBA from the University of Richmond in Virginia, and a doctorate in public policy analysis and administration from St. ÑÇÖÞÎÞÂë University.
He also was drafted by the Tulsa Roughnecks, a professional soccer team, in the second round of the North American Soccer League draft. He and his wife, Judie, have been married for 41 years.
At SLU, Keane taught in the Chaifetz School of Business and led the Emerson Ethics Center. He is credited with securing more than $10 million in support of sustainability initiatives as well as a $3 million gift from the Emerson Foundation.
Keane then became the founding dean of a new college of business and economics at Regis University in Denver, where he helped raise $10 million for naming rights for the college. He was named dean of the University of San Diego’s business school in 2020.
Prior to his career in academia, Keane worked in marketing at Anheuser-Busch for nearly 20 years where he was the founding director of the brewery’s data analytics group. In 1999, he co-founded and led Entrada Technologies, a data collection software company focused on consumer-packaged goods industries. The firm worked with Frito-Lay before Entrada was sold to a Canadian firm.
Keane said higher education needs to make decisions faster and forgo five- and 10-year plans that quickly can become obsolete. He intends to spend his first 100 days as chancellor listening to faculty and staff about their concerns, where he promises to be transparent.
“The best thing I can do is start by engaging and involving them in crafting our next iteration,†Keane said.
Sumit Verma, chair of Webster’s Board of Trustees, will serve as interim chancellor until Aug. 1. The university said Verma will not be paid for that work.
“This is an exciting start to a new chapter in Webster’s storied history, and I believe the community will be as impressed with Tim as the board was when we offered him the job,†Verma said in a statement. “Tim’s core leadership competencies nicely align with the next stage of Webster’s global financial turnaround.â€