Mary Baldwin University announced today that William “Will” Webb will become the university’s chief online officer and vice president of MBU Online, effective Nov. 1, signaling a major next step in the university’s 45-year evolution in educating adult learners.
Webb currently serves as assistant vice president for digital learning at Northeastern University in Boston, where he has managed a large portfolio of programs for non-traditional learners, and as part of a team of executives, developed key educational partnerships with Fortune 100 and 500 companies, and more. At MBU, he will work closely with the university board of trustees, executive staff, college deans, faculty, and staff to drive the expansion and enhancement of the university’s online learning programs.
“Will is a strategic and innovative thinker, an entrepreneurial tactician, and a creative and energetic leader of both people and programs,” said MBU President Pamela Fox. “He is bold and pragmatic. His career has been devoted to adult and non-traditional learners, and he has been on the pulse of the evolution of online learning across the entire spectrum, including enrollment and marketing, advising and student success, academic program development, instructional design — all driven by a primary commitment to the learning experience.”
MBU launched the first degree pathway for adult learners in the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1977. The program, known today as MBU Online, reflects its evolution as a flexible, remote learning option. Today, 40 percent of Mary Baldwin University students are earning their degrees through online coursework.
Webb brings to MBU a passion for supporting students with a holistic support system, based on understanding the many ways that people pursue higher education today. MBU administrators see Webb’s comprehensive approach to understanding the needs of today’s students and tailoring the university’s learning resources to support those needs as the key to creating successful, personalized learning in this new era.
“It’s more than taking students from one point to another and meeting them where they are, it’s about taking a 360-degree view,” Webb said. “Everyone’s path is different, so it’s critical to support students in all circumstances — to create both a holistic experience and a suite of services that allow them to meet their goals.”
For the past six years, Webb has worked in progressive areas of responsibility at Northeastern as director of online programs, senior director of experiential learning design and product development, and currently as assistant vice president for digital learning. Webb served previously as lead for instructional design at Southern New Hampshire University within their eLearning Group, where he led a large team of internal and remote designers in an academic initiative to implement a new curriculum framework utilized across across 130 programs serving 85,000 students.
For more information about MBU Online, visit the university’s website.
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