ST. LOUIS – Webster University’s Board of Trustees has appointed Dr. Tim Keane as the new Chancellor, as announced in a press release from the University. Dr. Keane currently serves as the dean of the Knauss School of Business at the University of San Diego.
Dr. Keane, 65, is from St. Louis and has experience in both the private and higher education. He has success in fundraising, growing enrollment, and entrepreneurial achievements. He will start on August 1.
“I am looking forward to returning to St. Louis and working with the outstanding faculty and staff at Webster as we continue to strengthen Webster’s financial well-being, growing our domestic and international enrollment, and finding new ways to meet the needs of the students,” Keane said, in the press release. “I am so impressed by what is in place at Webster now and the highest priority for me is to learn more from all of those in the global Webster community. I’m excited to hear their ideas on how we build on the wonderful foundation at Webster and accelerate the current trajectory of enrollment growth the Webster team has recently achieved.”
Dr. Keane’s academic journey began in 2003 at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, where he launched a Center for Leadership and Ethics and contributed to the business school’s initial AACSB accreditation.
In 2006, he joined Saint Louis University (SLU) as director of the Emerson Ethics Center. He later founded the Center for Sustainability and was instrumental in developing a Master of Sustainability program. He secured over $10 million for sustainability projects and a $3 million donation to establish a leadership institute.
In 2015, Dr. Keane became the founding dean of the business school at Regis University in Denver. He initiated the Anderson College of Business, securing a $10 million naming rights gift—the largest in Regis history—and an additional $1 million for an entrepreneurship incubator and innovation center.
Webster’s Board of Trustees conducted a comprehensive search for the new chancellor, gathering feedback from the Webster community and conducting numerous interviews with candidates. Vice Chair Gay Burns said, “Tim really stood out with his extensive success in private enterprise and academia.”
Since 2020, Dr. Keane has been the dean of the Knauss School of Business at the University of San Diego. During his tenure, he helped raise over $40 million in donations and oversaw the design and construction of an $80 million, 120,000-square-foot facility for the business school.
The Knauss Business School was recognized as one of the top business schools in the country, and Dr. Keane was named one of the most influential businesspeople in the San Diego area multiple times by the San Diego Business Journal.