[Webster University Ghana]
Christa Sanders Bobtoya: “I have lived and worked in international education in Ghana for over 15 years and I have witnessed the positive impact studying in Africa has had on students from across the African diaspora.”
Photo: Webster University
Ghana’s Webster University offers US accredited graduate and undergraduate programs.
Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) traditionally have a mission to meet the educational needs of Black students, provide a safe space for them to grow, learn and express themselves and foster mutual respect for Black culture among a broader population.
Although not an HBCU in the traditional sense, Webster University Ghana, located in Accra, the capital city of Ghana boasts a holistic education program that marries academics with culture, history, and a continuously evolving aesthetic and worldview that is both African and global. Studying at this American university on the African continent offers an educational experience buttressed by the cultural richness of Africa’s first independent country.
“A proud graduate of Spelman College, I know firsthand the value of the HBCU experience and a culture that builds confidence prepares students to contribute to their communities. As the Director of Webster University Ghana, the only US accredited university in Ghana, my staff and I are creating an educational environment that fuses the enriching community culture of an HBCU with the globally centered directive of Webster and the heritage of a contemporary African city. I have lived and worked in international education in Ghana for over 15 years and I have witnessed the positive impact studying in Africa has had on students from across the African diaspora,” says Christa Sanders Bobtoya, the Director of Webster University Ghana, who takes management responsibility for Webster’s only campus in Africa.
A Philadelphia native who received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Spanish from Spelman College and completed her Ed.M and M.A. degrees in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in cross-cultural studies/multiculturalism from Columbia University, Sanders Bobotoya has lived and worked in Ghana for the past 16 years and previously lived in Spain, Germany, and Brazil. She spent her first decade in Ghana managing New York University’s (NYU) 6th global site, also the university’s first study abroad program on the African continent.
Webster University Ghana offers US accredited graduate and undergraduate degrees accredited by the National Accreditation Board of Ghana and the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) in the United States (US). All Webster University students receive a degree issued from the US and, regardless of specific degree area, follow the same curriculum worldwide.
The home campus in St. Louis, Missouri, which issues the degrees, has an impressive track record of 105 years of providing high-quality American education. The campus in Ghana boasts a growing number of undergraduate academic majors and on the graduate level, a Master’s of Business Administration, MA in Human Resource Management as well as an MA in International Relations.
“As we all are adjusting to a new normal especially in the field of education the pandemic has presented, it is imperative that students from the African Diaspora especially know that they have an alternative for obtaining a high-quality international education in an environment devoid of the racial and social unrest in many US cities. Our unique university experience provides an opportunity to enhance global academic partnerships and provide an avenue for Africans/Diasporans to collaborate on research and exchanges right here on the continent while on their journey of becoming global citizens,” concludes Sanders-Bobtoya.
The University also offers students an unmatched opportunity to study abroad during their course of study for either a nine-week term, semester, or an entire academic year at any of Webster University’s international campuses that include Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, the US, Thailand, China, Greece, the UK, and Uzbekistan.
Webster University offers the flexibility of 5 enrollment intakes every year, allowing new students to begin their collegiate journey when it best suits them. Prospective students may apply at any time during the year and start in August, October, January, March, or May.
“I can’t think of a better opportunity for students of African descent to obtain a degree that meets the highest standards of global academic excellence, filtered through an African lens within an African context, than attending school at Webster University’s Ghana campus,” says Dr. Michael Williams, Webster Ghana’s Academic Director, a Washington DC native and also an HBCU alumni who earned his BA at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Sociology, and his MA and Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. and has lived in Ghana for 25 years.
Education at Webster Ghana is undergirded by its strong emphasis on both creative and critical thinking; cornerstones that fortify every course of study, adding value to every Webster degree.
