Jonathan Webster Grows into Role as President of La Salle University’s Student Government Association

No one who was at La Salle University’s Opening convocation for freshmen would have guessed that Jonathan Webster was once withdrawn. Addressing the audience as president of the University’s Student Government Association, the Hazlet resident was confident and eloquent.  

“I tended to be shy,” says Webster, a senior management major and graduate of Christian Brothers Academy. “On a personal level, La Salle helped me so much, because everyone here is so open. I’ve grown.” 

And as for addressing about 800 freshmen and their families, “I wasn’t nervous about making the speech,” he said. “I was ready to do it.” 

He talked about the need for students to be prepared to make sacrifices, about the challenges they will face both in school and after graduation, to make the most of their time at La Salle. 

“His message to the students, telling them that they needed to become actively engaged on campus, was exactly what the students needed to hear,” said Marianne Gaus, a La Salle management professor. “One of the strongest recollections I had was that the parents of our incoming freshmen should be encouraged.  It is so hard to leave your "baby" on a campus.  But on stage was an articulate, charming young man, only a few years older than their children.  If this was the type of person La Salle attracted and empowered, their children were in the right place.”

During his three years at La Salle, Webster has joined the SGA and was elected to its top post for this year. He’s been an active member of the Alpha Chi Ro fraternity, and as a freshmen he attended its national convention in Texas. “It was my first plane ride,” he said. 

He plans to attend law school – and now believes he’s matured so that he’ll have a presence in court. And if anything exemplified that, consider what happened during his speech to the freshmen. 

Webster was going to quote from President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration speech, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.’ 

“Ask not what you can do for your country,” Webster began, getting the lines mixed up. He caught himself, paused and said, “Sorry, I’m a Republican.” The crowd gave him a rousing cheer for his quick-thinking and wit.