Akande has first day as Westminster president

Benjamin Ola Akande met with faculty and staff members during his first day as president at Westminster College.
Benjamin Ola Akande met with faculty and staff members during his first day as president at Westminster College.

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Ben Gladstone and Jennifer Stanley

Benjamin Ola Akande stepped onto Westminster College's campus as the new president of the school Wednesday. He is ready to start this new chapter by spending time with the campus and the community.

Over the course of his first day, Akande was meeting with various faculty and staff members at Westminster, and when the school year begins, he wants to get to know the student body. Akande said he doesn't have a concrete agenda for the school until he has the opportunity to meet the "family."

"Presidents always have plans, but it's important to get to know the place," Akande said. "Today is day one, planning comes later."

Born and raised in Nigeria, Akande didn't come to the United States until he was 17, where he began his collegiate career. Akande has spent many years in education, attending Wayland Baptist University in Texas and then later teaching a micro economics class at the same school. In his last position, Akande was the dean of the George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology at Webster University in St. Louis.

His original ambition was to become a teacher, but his experiences began to lead him away from a place at the front of a classroom.

"As time went on I got the opportunity to go beyond the classroom and impact the direction of the institution," Akande said.

Akande came to Westminster after learning about the school's mission and his decision was solidified after an impressionable introduction to the campus by one of the security guards who knew about the school's history - a history he believes has transformed the lives of many generations.

"Westminster has a rich history; who we are and what we stand for won't change," Akande said. "I didn't come to Westminster to change it, I came to lead it."

During his time as president, Barney Forsythe worked on enhancing the quality of academic and co-curricular programs, which further down the line, helped build the Westminster identity. Now that Akande is stepping in, Forsythe believes he will be able to continue building the Westminster brand, while also bringing in new ideas.

"He has a lot of creative and entrepreneurial ideas that he's going to bring to the school," Forsythe said. "He's the right guy at the right time for the job and I'm excited about his presidency.

Forsythe is also hopeful that Akande will use his business expertise to continue building the undergraduate mission, while also building on the school's international presence.

"Westminster is a good place with respect to the Fulton community and I'm confident that he will take Westminster to the next level by building on those relationships," Forsythe said.

Although Akande is excited about the new opportunity at his feet, he believes Westminster has already achieved a level of greatness that cannot be outdone.

"Where do you go from success? I say we go for significance and it's time to show what significance looks like," Akande said.