Meet Dean Karen Webb

Karen Schuster Webb, Ph.D. Systemwide Dean Alliant International University Graduate School of Education

Karen Schuster Webb joined Alliant International University's Graduate School of Education in July 2000. Previously, she served as dean of the College of Education at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and as program chair of language education at the University of Kentucky. She has also held faculty positions at Howard University and Indiana University. Dean Webb serves on the Board of Examiners for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and is a member of the National Council of Teachers of English standing committee on Teacher Preparation and Certification. Her research and publications are in the areas of applied linguistics, inclusive pedagogy, and discourse pragmatics.

Dean Webb's philosophy for the Graduate School of Education is based, in part, on the idea of SANKOFA, which derives from a proverb of the Akan people of Ghana. The words San (return), Ko (go), and Fa (look, see, take) suggest that success depends on an intelligent and patient quest for knowledge that is informed by the wisdom of the past. It means building on your strengths as you move forward into the future. Under Dean Webb, GSOE helps students to recognize the importance of identifying their own strengths and those of others, so that all can achieve their goals.