Webster University
10/08/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/08/2024 11:27
Marianne test
Marianne test
Tim Keane, PhD, will join Webster on Aug. 1 as the University's chancellor. Ahead of his arrival, Tim answered several questions, ranging from his goals for Webster, to his leadership style, to his time as a pro soccer player, to how he spends his time outside of work.
What drew you to the opportunity to serve as Webster's chancellor?
I know Webster very well, having been born and raised in St. Louis. Webster is an iconic institution, around for more than a century.
There are times in every organization when people are challenged. I think the Webster community has come together. They've shown resilience. They've shown their innovativeness. More importantly, they've shown their intrinsic connection to the institution and the willingness to sacrifice to make it succeed.
Those connections, people's intrinsic love of Webster - it was the first thing that drew me.
What do you want faculty and staff to know about you?
I am extraordinarily excited to hear from them. I feel like our first 100 days together are going to be critical. I want to be present. I want to hear from them, their great ideas. I can't imagine a situation where we would not connect personally as quickly as we could.
I think faculty and staff should know that whatever decisions are made, we want their involvement. They'll understand why the decisions were made. Not everybody agrees on every decision that's made, but at least they'll understand the rationale as to why, and they'll have been informed about the process.
That's how I operate. So that's what they can expect from me.
How would you describe your leadership style?
Over my career, I've come to understand that long-term strategic planning in today's environment is probably obsolete. Things change so rapidly, and we're out of control of a lot of our environment. We have to constantly be monitoring, updating what we do, trying new things. And if they fail, that's fine. Failure is just a step in the innovation process.
I've come to this idea of iterative design where we include everybody transparently. We share data amongst one another. We decide on actions to take, and we take them together. But we also monitor the results and the outcomes.
I think that is challenging sometimes for higher ed. Higher ed is tradition-bound in many ways. Protracted deliberation oftentimes lends itself to losing competitive advantage and opportunities in the marketplace. And I think that's something that that we need to ensure happens. I think it's probably happening somewhat at Webster because of the innovation that you have embraced.
Get To Know Tim
What do you spend your time on outside of work? What are your hobbies, interests?
I like to exercise. I like to watch sports. I like to watch movies with my wife, Judie. I read a lot. I probably read three books a month, novels generally. Those things - exercise, watching, sports, movies, reading - they're a good escape for me.
I wake up at 4 a.m. I've done it since I was with Anheuser-Busch. I cannot stop from doing that. I must have been a farmer in a former life. I've had, I think, about a total of seven vacation days in the last four years. I am a bit of a workaholic. I don't expect others to do that, but they can count on me being at their disposal almost 24/7.
What are you reading now?
Right now, I'm reading a book by Steve Berry called the "Atlas Maneuver." Last week, I finished one by Don Winslow. I love Carl Hiaasen; that might give you insight into my sense of humor. John Grisham, I just finished his latest. It's funny, because as soon as I put one down, I'm picking up the next one.