Latest news with #BethDobkin
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
History made: Westminster University honors its Class of '25 during school's 150th anniversary
Westminster University honors its annual graduating class of students every spring — but the Class of 2025 will forever hold a special distinction. This year, the private Salt Lake City university is celebrating its sesquicentennial. It was founded by the First Presbyterian Church in 1875 as the Salt Lake Collegiate Institute. The school's maiden cohort in 1875? Twenty-seven students. Westminster University has, of course, grown over the past 150 years. It's now large enough to offer a range of undergraduate and graduate degrees — but it remains small enough that most of the faces that a Westminster student spots around campus will likely be familiar. That dual dynamic was evident Saturday at Westminster University's graduation exercises for undergraduates on the school's Dumke Field. A ceremony for students awarded graduate degrees was held a day earlier. In her opening remarks Saturday, Westminster President Beth Dobkin said the 'Griffins' from the Class of 2025 enter a legacy 150 years in the making — and one that's built to meet the evolving needs of students, communities and workplaces. 'As we celebrate the sesquicentennial milestone, we honor those who came before you and look ahead to the future,' she said. 'Your time here has prepared you with the knowledge to think freely and with discernment. The wisdom to navigate complexity. The imagination to create a better future. And the agency to take action.' Beyond the skills acquired while pursuing their respective degrees, added Dobkin, Westminster's newest class of graduates have also learned the importance of building bridges, leading with humility and inspiring changes to serve all. 'You have the skills to launch careers and build a life of purpose as you carry Westminster's legacy forward and embrace new challenges with integrity and confidence,' she said. 'Keep learning and growing. The world needs your insight, creativity, passion and courage.' Juanita Galvis — who claimed a double major in marketing and international business — was Saturday's undergraduate student speaker. A native of Colombia, Galvis saluted her homeland's rich tradition of weavers who craft handwoven bags, tapestries and jewelry that represent generations of hard work and resilience. 'When I think of our journey here, I think of each of us as strands of yarn,' she told her fellow students. 'Coming from different places and backgrounds, we have intertwined at Westminster. 'We have come together to this beautiful campus, each to be part of this tapestry we now call home.' Galvis recalled arriving at Westminster University feeling tangled and confused — like threads in a tight knot — about which direction to follow. She battled uncertainty. She was the first in her family to attend college in the United States. She did not always feel wanted in every space. 'This was not the case at Westminster,' she said. 'I thank my marketing cohort and mentors because they taught me that my major can amplify voices and amplify the right messages — making space for those who often feel unwanted, such as fellow international students and students of color. 'Westminster has not only empowered my dreams, but defined them.' Galvis was initially hesitant to attend a small school. Those fears soon faded. 'I realized that Westminster is a campus with unmatched and unending opportunities,' she said. 'Because of Westminster's size and inclusivity, we are all interconnected. We have friends from all areas of campus, from all majors and from all departments. Because at Westminster, it is impossible to walk around without saying 'Hi' to at least three people.' The 'masterpiece' weaved at Westminster does not end with graduation, Galvis concluded. 'It is expanding with every step we take from here — we will carry this fabric of resilience and beauty. … I know that we are woven for greatness.' Friday's graduate student speaker was Melissa Badger, who claimed a master's degree in accounting. Badger arrived at Westminster University with several years of experience in the accounting field, but she pursued graduate studies to expand her professional opportunities. When she applied for graduate studies at Westminster, she never envisioned speaking in front of her fellow graduates. 'But isn't that the beauty of life?' she marveled. 'Taking a path to a specific destination and allowing it to unfold into more than you ever knew possible.' Westminster's graduation ceremony, added Badger, is 'the threshold to each of our legacies.' 'You're never too old or too young to continue to learn, grow and develop into greater mastery,' she said. 'Keep expanding your mind and your heart. Opportunity is all around — but it is up to each one of us to see it. 'Reach out our hands and claim it for ourselves and the communities we serve.' This year, Westminster awarded 320 degrees — 198 undergraduate and 122 graduate. Graduates represent 26 states and 21 countries and range in age from 20 to 63. Nine graduates are the first in their families to attend college. Several faculty awards were presented during the graduation ceremonies. Stephanie Stroud, an associate professor of theater, was awarded the Manford A. and June Shaw Faculty Publication Prize. Connie Etter, an associate professor of justice studies and honors, received both the Manford A. and June Shaw Faculty Publication Prize and the Excellence in Teaching Award of the Bill and Vieve Gore Endowment Trust.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
150 years old: Salt Lake City's Westminster University celebrates its sesquicentennial
Any commemoration of Westminster University's 150th anniversary should begin with a historical question: How did a private university nestled in Salt Lake City's Sugar House neighborhood — 4,800 miles from Westminster, England — end up with its unusual and very specific name? The answer, local history buffs likely know, stretches back to the school's Protestant roots. In 1902, the school was renamed 'Westminster' as a nod to England's Westminster Confession of Faith. But the origins of the school's unusual name only adds to Westminster University's rich Utah history as students, faculty, staff, alums and Griffins sports fans celebrate its sesquicentennial this year. 'It's a great year, and I think it speaks to our enduring value and resilience,' Westminster President Beth Dobkin told the Deseret News. 'We've been through a lot — and we're capable of going through a lot more. And it's going to be a fantastic next 150 years.' Founded by the First Presbyterian Church in 1875 as the Salt Lake Collegiate Institute with an enrollment of 27 students, the school was originally a preparatory school. Later, it began offering college courses at what was then known then as Sheldon Jackson College, named for the school's founder, according to the university. A guiding Sheldon Jackson College principle was to enroll students 'without distinction of race, sex or religious belief'. That institutional commitment to welcoming students and faculty of all backgrounds , said Dobkin, remains fundamental at Westminster University. 'Part of our value comes from our inclusivity,' she said. 'We were one of the first institutions to pay women as teachers. That kind of thing is so embedded in the fabric of Westminster. It's part of what contributes greatly to our strength.' Originally located in downtown Salt Lake City, the school moved to its current Sugar House campus location in 1911 — nine years after adopting the name Westminster College. The fledgling school made regional higher education history when Westminster College became the first accredited two-year junior college in the Intermountain West region, according to the school. By 1935, it was a four-year junior college and, in 1949, began offering bachelor degrees in several majors. The school ended its denominational relationship with the Presbyterian Church in 1974. Then in 2023, the school became Westminster University, reflecting its wide range of graduate and professional degree offerings. Utahns living along the Wasatch Front have a variety of higher education choices, from the state's public flagship school — the University of Utah — to several other public, private, for-profit and religious schools. But Westminster continues to enjoy its own unique campus profile. With an enrollment of just over 1,100 student and a 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio, the school remains an ideal spot to enjoy a full college experience without getting lost in a massive campus filled with tens of thousands of students. Almost every Westminster student attends full-time. A fun, local side note: More than 50 Olympians have studied at Westminster University. At the most recent Winter Games in Beijing, eight athletes with ties to the Salt Lake City school competed in China. Westminster University's 150-year-old legacy of providing students with a broad education within the personable confines of a small school remains strong in 2025, said Dobkin. 'Students have long chose Westminster as a distinctive place where they can find not just a high-quality education, but one where they can apply what they're learning and be in close contact with faculty and other support systems,' the president added. Meanwhile, an institution of higher learning does not function for 150 years without developing a symbiotic relationship with its host community. Study old black-and-white photos and it's evident that Sugar House has physically grown up around Westminster. 'But along with that, there's a long history of service and connection to workplaces and industries,' said Dobkin. The service components defining, say, Westminster's Center for Civic Engagement, along with internships and local corporate partnerships, extends the student life cycle. 'Our students become embedded in the surrounding communities and workplaces as part of their education — and then nearly 90% of them stay and work in the surrounding areas once they graduate,' noted Dobkin. 'That kind of interplay between nonprofit and for-profit communities has been part of Westminster's history and will continue as its legacy.' While Utah offers a vast choice of higher education institutions, 'some students really need a smaller environment to thrive, and they need that ability to apply what they're learning immediately.' said Dobkin. The university's 19th president points to Westminster's nursing program as an example of the school's 'ethos of inclusion and access' that make it a solid fit for many. 'It's the opportunities to get deep-learning with other students and with their faculty that they can use right away.' Socially, Westminster's small size also allow student to engage and lead. 'If you have a club you want to start, or a business you want to launch, you can actually build it yourself here. That's something that's hard to find,' said Dobkin. The president remembers joining several faculty members for lunch not long after she was appointed Westminster's president in 2018. A fellow educator acknowledged that it's possible to get a solid education at an any of the local colleges and universities. 'But at Westminster,' the faculty member added, 'it inescapable.' That observation, said Dobkin, 'speaks to how faculty and staff care for students here.' Like all higher learning institutions, Westminster faces challenges in the coming years and decades. The school must adapt to and incorporate evolving technologies such as AI — along with the ever-changing needs of their students and the industries awaiting graduates. Dobkin believes Westminster University is positioned to meet those challenges — all while remaining committed to lessons that retain humanity, empathy and connection. She repeats what she frequently told students when she was teaching in the college classroom: 'It's not my job to tell you how to behave. It's my job to have you think about how your behavior matches your values — because that's where you start getting wisdom.' A school such as Westminster University, she added, doubles as a response to some who say higher education is no longer worth the time or the money. Financially, said Dobkin, the cost of education at private institutions has shifted downward over the past few decades. Westminster offers generous financial aid opportunities for students — particularly Utah residents from low-income families. Plus the school boasts a high four-year-graduation rate. 'For the last couple years, 97% or 98% of our students say that their degree added value to their professional pursuits. They are saying it was worth it.' But beyond the financial benefits, Dobkin believes Westminster continues to be place where one's beliefs and opinions are challenged. That environment offers a less tangible — yet equally critical — return on investment. 'Colleges and universities (remain) one of the best places to create responsibility, agency, maturity and the ability to build connections with people you wouldn't otherwise encounter. 'That's a building block to a democratic society.' Westminster University will host a series of sesquicentennial events throughout the year. Visit for details.
