Office of the President
Meet Dr. Torti
President Sylvia Torti is an accomplished academic leader, ecologist, and writer. She joins Westminster University following her appointment as president of the College of the Atlantic–a private liberal arts college located in Bar Harbor, Maine which is guided by the philosophy of investigating and improving relationships between human beings and social or natural communities.
As an award-winning ecologist and writer, President Torti has a 30-year publication record that includes peer-reviewed scientific research, pedagogical research, and creative fiction and nonfiction. Her work has been recognized nationally and has led to numerous invitations to speak and teach around the world.
President Torti is looking forward to joining Westminster University and returning to Utah, a place where she has deep family and community connections. Along with her partner Scott, she enjoys running, biking, and exploring Utah.
Dr. Torti's Achievements
During her time as president, Dr. Torti developed a 5-year strategic plan for the future of the college, stewarded and built donor relationships—which resulted in over $3M of new gifts for operational support and student scholarships—and completed a cultural and economic impact report to assess the college’s value to the community and the state.
During this time, President Torti was also a member of the presidential leadership for Endeavor Foundation Lab Colleges, a consortium of nine institutions dedicated to improving the mental health and well-being of students at small liberal arts institutions. As part of this role, she oversaw a portion of a $5.22M gift for student mental health programming and collaborated with leaders at partner institutions to integrate best practices and novel programs.
Prior to her role at the College of the Atlantic, President Torti served as dean of the Honors College at the University of Utah from 2012–2023. Her time as dean saw remarkable growth in program resources, student success, and faculty participation. Under her leadership, the budget of the Honors College increased from $2.1M to $4.3M, and the number of program faculty and staff members nearly tripled. She oversaw a 150% increase in honors degree completion, and increased student participation in governance through mentorship. In addition, she doubled the diversity of the student body–from 15% to 30% of students who came from diverse backgrounds–and tripled the percentage of out of state students from 11% to 30%.
Her achievements as dean also include the development and teaching of Ecology & Legacy, an Honors College Integrated Minor that focuses on human and nonhuman relationships and encourages students to think critically about ecosystem well-being in connection to societies and cultures.
President Torti's experience includes her role as the director of the University of Utah’s Bonderman Field Station from 2009 to 2011. She leveraged her background as an ecologist and academic leader to strategically plan and develop the field station to serve the needs of students and faculty in the natural sciences, arts, humanities, architecture, and engineering fields. This involved securing donor funds, building strong relationships with the local community, developing infrastructure, and coordinating research, education, and outreach programs.
"At Westminster, we are committed to futures thinking and hold an unwavering belief in the power of human intelligence. We will send our students into the world, beyond the Wasatch Front, with the confidence and ability to look closely, to listen well, and then do something useful.”
Dr. Torti's Vision for Westminster
Unite and energize the Westminster c0mmunity around shared goals and mission.
Create and execute a sustainable business model, including growing enrollment.
Expand fundraising and partnership efforts to foster new collaborations and revenue.
Articulate and amplify Westminster's story of nurturing an integrative education.
Higher education should inspire students to use their imaginations for self and society.
Students find their way in life, see their place and value among disparate beliefs
and thoughts. Knowing what others know. Valuing what others bring. Doing what is only
possible with others. Higher education is more than the first step toward a job; it
is about developing personal meaning for the kind of life one will lead and building
capacities to use one’s talents for the common good.”
Dr. Sylvia Torti
The next president has an exciting opportunity to steward and build upon Westminster
University’s legacy, reputation, location, and considerable assets to shape a resilient
and differentiated future. The role is to unite creativity with pragmatism, vision
with strategy, and to ensure that the joy of learning is cultivated and celebrated.”
Dr. Sylvia Torti
I believe in collective intelligence. I never consider myself the person who knows
all of the answers. I try to create groups of people where everyone's expertise can
rise, and everyone feels comfortable to give their opinion and challenge one another
in pursuit of a common goal.”
Dr. Sylvia Torti
What excites me the most is being part of an institution that I've admired for so
many years. I moved to Salt Lake City in 1993, and I've known of Westminster since
that time. I've known a number of graduates from Westminster. I've hired graduates
from Westminster. I've known faculty who have taught at Westminster. It has a terrific
reputation as a place of teaching, learning and scholarship. It also has a strong
track record of involvement in the community. A small institution that has a large
impact in the community is exciting.”
Dr. Sylvia Torti
Every community has its own culture. I have a sense of Westminster's values and the
community of care that exists here. I've known about that for a long time, but understanding
the deeper culture of the place is really important. I'm excited to get to know people
and the culture.”
Dr. Sylvia Torti
That's why I do this work—students. I had such a great undergraduate and graduate
education myself, and I believe that educating the next generation is one of the most
important things we do as a society. Higher education is a place of creating new ideas
and new knowledge.”
Dr. Sylvia Torti
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Emmalee Szwedko
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Sylvia Torti
President
Sylvia Torti
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