Becoming Westminster University
President Dobkin shares the next chapter in Westminster’s story
By Bethami A. Dobkin, PhD
During our nearly 150-year history, Westminster has had various names: Salt Lake Collegiate Institute in 1875, Sheldon Jackson College in 1897, and finally Westminster College, first as a “junior college” offering both high school diplomas and an associate of arts degree from 1902-1949, and then as a baccalaureate arts and sciences institution in 1949. In the late 1980s, Westminster began offering its first graduate degrees, and from 1983 to 1998, Westminster grew from 400 to over 2,000 students.
At Westminster, we now pride ourselves on providing undergraduate students with a liberal arts education, one which offers our students broad areas of inquiry, flexibility, and the integration of academic disciplines. We offer graduate students professional growth and mentoring through academic programs that position them for new job opportunities and accelerated career success in both business and non-profit arenas.
Our core values have remained consistent across the decades: impassioned teaching and active learning, respect for diverse people and perspectives, collaboration and teamwork, personal and social responsibility, college-wide excellence, and high ethical standards. Our strategic positioning work, Westminster at 150, builds on these values and existing programmatic strengths to align our students’ educational experiences with their developing passions and career trajectories. Although we are positioning ourselves for increasing enrollment, we will continue to function as a small, comprehensive university in the foreseeable future.
Westminster’s legacy as a college reflects a proud history that continues to describe an important part of the undergraduate student experience. At the same time, over the years Westminster has evolved to include a more comprehensive range of programs, students, and services than might be captured in its identification as a college. Universities often include academic programs consistent with an undergraduate, liberal arts experience, but they are also commonly understood to offer advanced degrees in at least three academic fields that are administered separately from undergraduate programs.
We now offer over a dozen graduate and professional degrees, ranging from the Masters of Arts in Accountancy, Community and Organizational Leadership, and Teaching, to the Masters of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Doctorates of Nursing Practice and Nurse Anesthesia. Additional doctoral programs are currently under development. Up to one-third of our students continue to be enrolled in graduate and professional programs. As an objective descriptor of Westminster’s academic programs and structure, Westminster University more accurately describes us than does college.
Ample research suggests that students and employers more easily recognize the value of institutions that identify as universities. Becoming Westminster University captures the range of our offerings and aligns with the stature of the work being done by our students and faculty, as well as clearly distinguishing us from two other Westminster Colleges in the United States and from community colleges and providing clarity for international students.
The time has come for a transition from Westminster College to Westminster University. The transition provides clarity of mission and identity by aligning our name with our existing programs and functions, showcasing our investments in academic and institutional excellence, providing greater visibility and reputation, increasing post-graduation success and opportunities for students, and growing enrollment at both graduate and undergraduate levels. We are excited about becoming Westminster University and hope you share our anticipation of an even brighter future.
About the Westminster Review
The Westminster Review is Westminster University’s bi-annual alumni magazine that is distributed to alumni and community members. Each issue aims to keep alumni updated on campus current events and highlights the accomplishments of current students, professors, and Westminster alum.
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