In the News: Stroble on pandemic, athletics, equity, military at Pulse of STL

Webster University Chancellor Elizabeth (Beth) J. Stroble was interviewed on The Pulse of St. Louis with Shirley Washington for a wide-ranging discussion that aired on KPLR and Fox 2 over the weekend of May 8-9.

Watch via the video below or through this link to The Pulse.

During their talk, Stroble discussed a variety of topics, including:

• how the University and students handled the pandemic, including daily safety measures to enable on-campus activities, and the success of athletic teams all conducting inter-collegiate competition this spring;
• the 2021 commencement and honorary degree recipients Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Jinny Browning;
• the annual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Conference and related initiatives;
• Webster’s mission and inclusion efforts, including the expansion to Ghana last decade and long-running initiatives to offer educational opportunities to members of the military;
• the partnership with ARDN, raising awareness and promoting global human rights efforts to eliminate violence and discrimination against women and girls;
• and much more.

“We had to wait to start any kind of intercollegiate athletics until the NCAA gave us the green light," she said. Once that approval was received this spring, "that meant playing every sport — which usually happens in three distinct seasons — at the same time," requiring frequent testing and extra steps to keep student athletes safe during the pandemic.

Referencing the number of Webster teams that have won championships and individual honors in this compressed season, Stroble said, "I am really proud of them. It’s a testament to what our students are capable of when tested by the most extreme challenges.”