Nigerian Becomes First Black President Of Westminster College

Nigerian Becomes First Black President Of Westminster College

Nigeria’s Dr . Benjamin Ola Akande of St. Louis, Missouri , has been named the
21st president of the 164- year -old Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri .
He will take office July 1, succeeding Dr. George B . Forsythe , president since
2008, who is retiring after 10 years at Westminster .

Dr. Akande, a Nigerian- born American citizen , was introduced Friday, May 8, to a
large audience of about 200 faculty , staff and students .
He served as a professor of Economics and Dean of the George Herbert Walker
School of Business and Technology at Webster University in St. Louis. He also
leads Webster ’ s global Office of Corporate Partnerships .

“ We’ re proud to introduce Dr . Akande as president of Westminster College, ” said
Wallace L. Head , chairman of the Westminster Board of Trustees .

Dr . Benjamin Akande
“ We’ ve achieved our year -long goal of finding the most qualified person to lead
Westminster and to continue executing our strategic plan.
“ It includes developing leaders for a global community by establishing one of the
country’ s most internationally diverse colleges, and maintaining a graduate
placement rate that exceeds 95 percent , ” he added .
Raised in Nigeria, Dr . Akande came to the U . S . to attend Wayland Baptist
University in Plainview, TX, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in
Business Administration. He earned his Ph. D . in Economics from the University
of Oklahoma , and completed his post -doctoral studies at Harvard and Oxford.
Wallace Head said Dr . Akande was selected for his academic and administrative
qualifications and because “ he’ s a results -oriented leader with strategic vision
and proven experience in the areas of global strategy , marketing , and
leadership . ”
Akande said he proudly accepts this new challenge and looks forward to
continuing Westminster ’ s mission .
“ Westminster offers a distinctive destination for undergraduate education focused
on student achievement and diversity , which are critically important , ” he said .
“ We must prepare graduates to live and work in a world that is far more diverse
and richer in new opportunities than ever before . ”
Dr. Akande also recognised Webster University’ s administration and faculty for
the support and opportunity they provided the past 15 years.
Westminster College is the nation’ s eighth-highest ranked small liberal arts
college for percentage of international students. Westminster ’ s nearly 1, 000
students are from 28 U . S . states and 76 countries worldwide .