Die Westminster University ist eine private Universität in Salt Lake City, Utah , USA. Sie wurde 1875 gegründet und umfasst vier Fakultäten.

Geschichte

Die Westminster University wurde 1875 als Salt Lake Collegiate Institute , eine Vorbereitungsschule, gegründet. 1897 bot Westminster unter dem Namen Sheldon Jackson College erstmals Hochschulkurse an . Benannt nach ihrem Hauptförderer, dem presbyterianischen Pfarrer Sheldon Jackson , war das College viele Jahre auf dem Campus des Collegiate Institute in der Innenstadt von Salt Lake City unter der Aufsicht der First Presbyterian Church of Salt Lake City ansässig.

Das College änderte 1902 seinen Namen in Westminster College, um eine breitere protestantische Bildung widerzuspiegeln. Der Name leitet sich vom Westminster-Glaubensbekenntnis ab , einem presbyterianischen Glaubensbekenntnis, das nach dem Londoner Stadtteil benannt wurde , in dem es verfasst wurde. Die University of Westminster in London ist eine eigenständige Hochschule im Vereinigten Königreich und steht in keiner Verbindung zum Westminster College.

Der Unterricht auf Highschool-Niveau wurde 1945 eingestellt, und Westminster wurde das erste akkreditierte zweijährige Junior College in der Intermountain-Region. 1935 passte Westminster seinen Lehrplan an, um die Voraussetzungen für ein vierjähriges Junior College zu erfüllen, und 1949 wurde es zu einer vierjährigen Universität für Geisteswissenschaften, die Bachelor-Abschlüsse in den Geistes- und Naturwissenschaften anbietet.

Am 19. September 2022 gab Präsidentin Bethami Dobkin bekannt, dass das Westminster College ab dem Herbstsemester 2023 den Namen Westminster University tragen wird , um dem umfassenden institutionellen Angebot der Hochschule Rechnung zu tragen. [ 5 ]

Studierende aller Religionen sind willkommen, da Westminster 1974 seine offiziellen Verbindungen zur Presbyterianischen Kirche abbrach. 2019 ersetzte das College sein traditionelles Wappen, einen Schild mit der Inschrift „ Pro Christo et Libertate “ („Für Christus und die Freiheit“), durch ein neues Siegel mit dem Motto „ Discendo Vita Abundantior “ („Durch Bildung reicheres Leben“). [ 6 ]

Campus

Giovale Bibliothek

Ursprünglich in der Innenstadt von Salt Lake City ansässig, zog das College 1911 auf seinen heutigen Campus im Stadtteil Sugar House um, der sich auf einem 10,93 Hektar großen Gelände befindet. [ 7 ] Der Emigration Creek fließt durch den Campus. Das Land wurde von Oberst William M. Ferry Jr. , einem Veteranen des Bürgerkriegs, gestiftet . [ 8 ]

Auf dem Campus befinden sich zwei Sporthallen, die jeweils mit einem Basketballfeld, einem Kraftraum und einem Studio ausgestattet sind.

Das größere der beiden Gebäude, das Eccles Health Wellness and Athletics Center (HWAC), verfügt außerdem über ein Hallenbad, eine dreistöckige Kletterwand und einen Squashcourt.

Da die Westminster University auf einem 11 Hektar großen Gelände im Herzen von Salt Lake City liegt, musste die Universitätsleitung angesichts der wachsenden Studierendenzahl umsichtig und klug vorgehen. Der sechzehnte Präsident des Westminster College, Michael S. Bassis, erkannte die Notwendigkeit, sich stärker in die Gemeinde Sugar House einzubinden und mit ihr in Kontakt zu treten. Während seiner Amtszeit erwarb er die östlich gelegene Garfield School mit dem Plan, sie in ein Kunstzentrum umzuwandeln. Im Februar 2017 wurde sie jedoch an die Elizabeth Academy, eine private Montessori-Schule, verkauft.

Bassis schloss außerdem einen Vertrag ab, um Westminster on the Draw in der 1300 East, direkt gegenüber dem Sugar House Park , errichten zu lassen . Das siebenstöckige Gebäude wird vielfältig genutzt. Das Erdgeschoss dient als akademischer Raum und Veranstaltungsfläche, das zweite Obergeschoss (Straßenebene) als Geschäftsfläche und die übrigen Etagen als Wohnraum für Studierende höherer Semester und Doktoranden.

Verwaltung

Westminster University has had nineteen presidents since its founding; the current president, Bethami Dobkin, was appointed in July 2018.[9] It has an endowment of $79 million as of June 30, 2020.[10] The Board of Trustees added Amy C. Wadsworth, the founding CAO of Salt Lake Arts Academy, after her retirement in June 2019, known for her historical novel reviewed by American western historian Will Bagley.[11][12]

Academics

Westminster University comprises four schools: the School of Arts and Sciences, the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business, the School of Education, and the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. It operates on a fall and spring semester system with a mini term in May and eight- and twelve-week summer terms.

Westminster offers 38 undergraduate majors conferring BS, BBA, BA, and BFA degrees, which do not include its customized majors and pre-med, pre-law, and pre-dental programs. In addition to a number of post-baccalaureate certificate programs in various fields, Westminster also offers 13 graduate degrees: Master of Business Administration (MBA), Project-Based Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Business Administration in Technology Commercialization (MBATC), Master of Accountancy (MAcc), Master of Arts in Community Leadership (MACL), Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Master of Education (MEd), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Doctor of Nursing Practice - Nurse Anesthesia (DNAP), Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling (MSMHC), Master of Science in Nursing: Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN), and Master of Strategic Communication (MSC).[13]

Westminster University recently launched a new program within the Gore School of Business focusing on training students to be entrepreneurs. The Center for New Enterprise will offer graduate and undergraduate degrees as well as community education programs in entrepreneurship.

The university is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Programs throughout the university are accredited as well.[14]

Recognition

U.S. News & World Report ranked Westminster in its 2022 "Best College" guide in the following lists: "Best Regional Universities" (No. 18); "Best Value Schools" (No. 19); "Best College for Veterans" (No. 9); and "Best Undergraduate Teaching" (No. 15).[15]

Student life

The university has over 70 campus clubs and organizations. The Associated Students of Westminster is the student association on campus. The school newspaper is a bi-weekly called "The Forum". There is also a nationally recognized literary journal known as Ellipsis. The Estonian, Westminster's student yearbook, was last published in 1987. The university publishes an alumni magazine, The Westminster Review, on a bi-annual schedule.[16]

Athletics

The Westminster athletic teams are called the Griffins. The university is a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) for most of its sports since the 2015–16 academic year (which they were a member on a previous stint from 1967–68 to 1978–79 before suspending its athletics program); while its men's and women's alpine skiing teams compete in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) affiliated with the NCAA. The Griffins previously competed in the Frontier Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1998–99 to 2014–15.

Westminster competes in 15 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include alpine ski, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer and track & field; while women's sports include alpine ski, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, track & field and volleyball. Current non-NCAA sports include cheerleading, cycling, dance, men's soccer (club) and snowboard.[17]

Olympians

More than 50 Olympians have pursued their educational aspirations at Westminster, earning degrees along with 10 medals. The Griffins have competed in at least four Winter Olympic Games. Most of them as part of a 2005–2018 partnership between the college and U.S. Ski and Snowboard. Twenty-three Westminster students made up 10% of Team USA in Sochi and 18 students competed in the 2018 Pyeongchang games. In the 2022 Winter Olympics, 8 Olympians from Westminster represented four countries in Beijing: the U.S., Philippines, Ireland and Slovenia. One alum will compete in qualifying races for the 2022 USA Paralympic alpine skiing team.[18]

History

The intercollegiate athletic teams were formerly called the Parsons,[19] and Westminster was a member of the RMAC (in the NAIA), joining the conference in the summer of 1967 for football, basketball, and other team sports. A financial crisis at the school in 1979 caused it to discontinue intercollegiate athletics. Beginning in the 1990s, Westminster gradually began to restore its intercollegiate athletic program in the NAIA as the Griffins; it joined NCAA Division II in 2015 and returned to the RMAC, gaining full member status in 2018.

Notable alumni

  • Maude Adams – first American actress to play Peter Pan on Broadway;[20] theatrical lighting and color photography researcher; LGBTQ luminary
  • Mildred J. Berryman – pioneering researcher of the lesbian and gay community in post-WWI Utah[21]
  • Maddie Bowman – 2014 Olympic gold medalist in ski halfpipe; Team USA, Freestyle Skiing; Two-time Olympian for the US (2014, 2018)[22]
  • Les Brown – Tight end for the Miami Dolphins[23][24]
  • Janet H. Clark -Minnesota state legislator[25]
  • Joss Christensen – 2014 Olympic gold medalist in slopestyle; Team USA, Freestyle Skiing; One-time Olympian for the US (2014)
  • Alex Deibold (2019) – 2014 Olympic bronze medalist in snowboardcross; Team USA, Snowboarding; One-time Olympian for the US (2014)
  • Jim Eliopulos – Linebacker for the New York Jets
  • Kaitlyn Farrington (2012) – 2014 Olympic gold medalist in halfpipe; Team USA, Snowboarding; One-time Olympian for the US (2014)[26]
  • Otto Harbach – Broadway lyricist/librettist[27]
  • David Litvack (1994) – Utah State House Representative for the 26th district and Alumni Board member[28]
  • Devin Logan (2023) – 2014 Olympic silver medalist in slopestyle; Team USA, Freestyle Skiing; Three-time Olympian for the US (2014, 2018, 2022)
  • Jonathan Midol – 2014 Olympic bronze medalist in ski-cross; Team France, Freestyle Skiing; One-time Olympian for France (2014)
  • Colby Stevenson – 2022 Olympic silver medalist in big air; Team USA, Freestyle Skiing; One-time Olympian for the US (2022)
  • Michael Stockton (2011) – Professional basketball player for Budivelnyk of the Ukrainian Basketball Super League[29]
  • Geoff Stradling – Hollywood composer and orchestrator for TV series and movies. Stradling frequently works on movie scores with Ladd McIntosh, a former Westminster professor who led the Westminster Jazz Band to numerous awards in the early 1970s[30]
  • Spencer West – Motivational speaker and disability advocate[31]
  • Vic Wild – 2014 Olympic gold medalist in parallel giant slalom; Team Russia, Snowboarding; One-time Olympian for Russia (2014)
  • Richard D. Wood (1977) – Molecular biologist and winner of the 1998 Meyenburg Prize[32]

References

  1. ^As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  2. ^"404 Not Found".{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  3. ^"Westminster College: Westminster Fact Sheet". Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved December 18, 2008.
  4. ^"Westminster College". Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  5. ^Houck, Michael (September 19, 2022). "Westminster College will be Westminster University in 2023". KSL-TV. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  6. ^Westminster College. "History". [1] Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  7. ^About Us | Westminster College | Salt Lake City, Utah
  8. ^"The Woman's Board | Westminster College | Salt Lake City". westminstercollege.edu. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  9. ^Trojan, William (June 21, 2015). "Westminster Announces New President and Board of Trustees Members". UtahPulse.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  10. ^U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  11. ^Salt Lake Arts Academy (APR 2023). SLArts' History - Founding Chief Administrative Officer. SLArts Wikipedia URL still valid April 26, 2023: Salt Lake Arts Academy.
  12. ^Bagley, William Grant (2020). Book review: Resolution (v2.0) by Amy C. Wadsworth. See Wikipedia: Will Bagley.
  13. ^Westminster College Academics. "[2]". Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  14. ^Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). "[3]". Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  15. ^National Universities Rankings. U.S. News & World Report. "[4]". Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  16. ^"Westminster Review". westminstercollege.edu.
  17. ^"Westminster Athletics". westminstergriffins.com/. Westminster Griffins Athletics. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  18. ^"Eight Olympians from Westminster to Represent Four Countries in Winter Games." (January 25, 2022). Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  19. ^"Parsons home – at last". Deseret News. October 28, 1968. p. C1.
  20. ^Engar, Ann (1994), "Adams, Maude", Utah History Encyclopedia, University of Utah Press, ISBN 9780874804256, archived from the original on June 20, 2023, retrieved March 25, 2024
  21. ^Quinn, D. Michael (1996). Same-Sex Dynamics among Nineteenth-Century Americans. University of Illinois Press. p. 77. ISBN 9780252069581.
  22. ^"Maddie Bowman". United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on January 21, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  23. ^Monson, Gordon (April 18, 2012). "Monson: Utah no-name comes out of nowhere to sign with Miami Dolphins". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  24. ^Hanzus, Dan (April 19, 2012). "Former accountant chases NFL dreams with Dolphins". NFL.com. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  25. ^Minnesota Legislators Past & Present Janet H. Clark
  26. ^Kragthorpe, Kurt (February 19, 2014). "Olympics: Utah's Westminster College influential in Sochi". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  27. ^ „Otto Abels Harbach“ . Utah.gov: History to Go . Utah Division of State History. 31. März 1995. Abgerufen am 9. September 2021 .
  28. ^ „David Litvack“ . Good4Utah.com . Abgerufen am 23. April 2014 .{{cite web}}CS1-Wartung: Veralteter Archivierungsdienst ( Link )
  29. ^ „Michael Stockton Westminster Griffins Biografie“ . Abgerufen am 5. Oktober 2017 .
  30. ^ Jolley, Craig (8. Februar 2005). " Ladd McIntosh kennenlernen ". Alles über Jazz.
  31. ^ Matray, Margaret (27. Mai 2012). „Spencer West: Das Mögliche neu definieren“ . Casper Star-Tribune Online . Abgerufen am 28. Februar 2021 .
  32. ↑ „Die Preisträger“ . Meyenburg-Stiftung (auf Deutsch). 30. April 2005 . Abgerufen am 19. Juni 2016 .