Dr. Webb served as dean of the College of Education (Baton Rouge) at Southern University and A&M College System: Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport (Community College), and online from 1998-2000. She co-founded and co-directed the Center for the Study of Academy Achievement in Learning Environments, part of a Stanford University Complex Instruction Institute Consortium, University of Kentucky System: Lexington from 1994-1998. Fluent in Spanish, she was also program director for Language Education Programs at the University of Kentucky from 1992-1998. Earlier in her career, she served at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Indiana University, Bloomington, and Coppin State University in Maryland.
Dr. Webb has earned numerous awards, including Teacher of the Year, by the California School of Education doctoral students at Alliant International University. Among her numerous accolades and international awards honoring her advocacy for diversity, inclusive leadership and mentoring, Dr. Webb was named one of the Top 25 Women in Higher Education and Beyond by Diverse Issues in Higher Education Magazine. As a reflection of her commitment to addressing women’s issues in higher education, she served as Chair of the American Council on Education’s Women’s Network Executive Council (WNEC) and is a Presidential Sponsor for the ACE affiliated Women’s Network of Ohio. In addition, Dr. Webb has been honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana University’s School of Education and serves on the School of Education Dean’s Advisory Board. Dr. Webb serves on numerous Boards and Councils. Among them is the Board of Directors for the American Council on Education (ACE). Moreover, she is a member of the William V. S. Tubman University Foundation Advisory Board (Harper, Liberia), and is a Board member of Every Child Succeeds and Women Walking West in Cincinnati. Her latest board appointment is with the University of Cincinnati’s Hoxworth Blood Center Community Advisory Board.
Dr. Webb has a successful record of fundraising and building relationships and partnerships throughout her career. She served on accrediting peer visit committees for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, as well as holding numerous committee leadership positions throughout her career. Dr. Webb has been a leader in her fields of study and has spoken at conferences nationally and internationally. She has published numerous articles in the areas of urban education, sociolinguistics, and language learning. Her career has been one of service at complex systems, and primarily at institutions serving adults returning to higher education and emphasizing experiential learning-based instruction. She also served at universities that were founded to provide equity of access to higher education for students of color. At Antioch University, she and her leadership team initiated programs that grew undergraduate and master’s degree programs. She secured corporate funding for academic program development and launches and developed private and public sector partnerships, including programs with PNC Bank and the Greene Foundation of Kettering Health Network. She was instrumental in Antioch University’s collaboration with Sinclair Community College in Mason, Ohio, and established articulation agreements with four additional non-competing regional community colleges. She launched the Workforce Development, Community Education, and outreach initiatives for Antioch University with Dayton’s immigrant communities, and established the Antioch University Midwest campus Veterans Affairs Liaison Office.
An international lecturer, author, linguist, and poet, Dr. Karen Schuster Webb holds three degrees from Indiana University-Bloomington: Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish, her Master of Science degree in Education, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in English Education: Second Language Studies. In addition, she also completed work at the Complex Instruction Institute of Stanford University. On a personal note, Dr. Webb is the proud mother of two adult children, Ramona, who resides in California, and Wallace III, who lives in Ohio.
Dr. Webb said upon her appointment to the presidency, “I am humbled and honored to have been selected as the sixth president of Union Institute & University—a university living its mission to engage, enlighten, and empower students to achieve a lifetime of learning and service. Indeed, it is a privilege to follow Dr. Sublett, whose leadership has provided Union with a firm foundation, as well as a reputation for commitment to excellence, innovation, and community outreach. I look forward to joining the partnership reflected by the exceptional Union community of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and Board of Trustees to continue Union’s distinguished social justice legacy as a world-class university.”
