Born in the former Yugoslavia, Julian Schuster grew up wishing to become an actor. Although those celluloid dreams never quite came into focus, he is having an immense impact in his chosen field. Amid a challenging climate for higher education, Schuster is proud to report that enrollment at Webster grew 27 percent in 2023. Last year, Webster University also named a new chancellor, St. Louis native Tim Keane, the former dean of the University of San Diego’s Knauss School of Business.
PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
What has been your or your company’s most significant success over the last 12 months? Twenty-seven percent growth in enrollment.
What has you most excited about the future of your company or industry? Continued growth and global expansion.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why? More agility in order to quicken response to the market and environmental challenges.
What’s the toughest business challenge you’ve had to overcome (excluding the pandemic) and why? Demographic trends that negatively or adversely affect the entire industry.
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MENTORS & PEERS
To whom or where do you go for sound business advice? Members of my team.
What piece of advice has had the most significant impact on your career? Choosing the right team and enabling the people on it to work on executing the strategic vision of the institution.
If you could have dinner with any two area business leaders, who would you choose and why? Anthony “Kwame” Thompson and Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge—erudite, forward-looking, candid, and fun.
Who is the most interesting under-the-radar/emerging business leader in St. Louis and why? Neal Richardson, creator of economic development activities aimed toward establishing equitable economic opportunities.
What is one thing you would change about the St. Louis metro area business environment and why? Creating more opportunities for diverse and foreign-born individuals.
BACKGROUND
Where were you born? Yugoslavia
What was your childhood aspiration? To be an actor
What was your first job, and what did you learn from it? Manual worker at a publishing company. I learned to wake up early and work hard.
What educational degrees do you hold, and where were they earned? University of Belgrade: Ph.D. in Economics; MA in Economics–International Economics; BA in Economics–Finance and Accounting
HOBBIES & INTERESTS
If you were not in your current profession, what would you be doing and why? Entrepreneur running my own business.
What is your favorite St. Louis-area restaurant, and what do you typically order there? Cafe Napoli’s Veal Osso Buco
What is one book you think everyone should read (or podcast everyone should listen to) and why? Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Brilliant depiction of characters from diverse backgrounds—peasants and nobility, civilians and soldiers—as they struggle with the problems that transcend through time.
What’s your hobby/passion? Chess, classical music, travel
What is your most prized possession? Art collection
