College status OK for now
Westminster president says name fits mission
School officials announced Saturday that, unlike public counterpart Utah Valley State College, which will become a university next summer, Westminster will retain the Salt Lake college's current name and status, which it has held for more than a century.
President Michael S. Bassis went against a task force's recommendation to move the school toward university status and told graduates at this year's commencement that no change would be made.
"In the end, the term 'college' tends to connote an intense, student-centered learning atmosphere in a small environment, which has been Westminster's strength," he said, adding that the school possesses characteristics consistent with the idea of how a college should be run.
The environment on the 28-acre campus, Bassis said, is small enough for the focus to be placed on teaching, research and interpersonal relationships between faculty, staff and the students, "which is what we're known for."
Last year, Bassis convened a task force to explore the option of a name change. The committee of 10 voted 7-3 in favor of changing the status — but not the mission — of the institution. Ultimately, however, the board of trustees agreed with Bassis that being called a college "captures Westminster's distinctive value and appeal," he said.
The four-year, accredited liberal arts school was founded in 1875 by Protestants in Salt Lake City, with a class of 27 students. It was a prep school formally called the Salt Lake Collegiate Institute. In 1897, college-level courses were offered under the name of Sheldon Jackson College. In 1902 the college changed its name to Westminster College, which it will remain "for the time being," Bassis said.
The issue of a name change has surfaced in the past, and the findings have been the same. The residential campus provides several graduate degree programs, which places it on a level with other universities, but the environment and what is offered to students fit the description for now, Bassis said.
Bassis said "neither 'college' nor 'university' most accurately describes Westminster today," but he said the decision — which was based on research and opinion from the campus, alumni and the community — is one he's content with and he believes students will be content with as well.
E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com
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