Most of you know that Westminster
is the only private, liberal arts college
or university in Utah. While there are
many schools of our type in other
regions of the country, there are only
a few like Westminster across the
entire Intermountain West. Schools
like ours build their reputations
on the power of their educational
environments—the power to create
informed, responsible, lifelong
learners. I believe, and I think the
evidence indicates, that Westminster
is enormously effective in carrying
out this mission.
An important key to our success
is that we support only those edu-
cational practices that are empiri-
cally linked to high levels of student
learning and development. Among
the most important of these are
maintaining high expectations for
President’s Message
student performance; promoting
student-faculty interaction; fostering
active, experiential, collaborative, and
cross-disciplinary learning; and pro-
viding an enriching and supportive
environment beyond the classroom.
Together, they constitute what many
have described as a unique approach
to learning. These practices are illus-
trated in many of the stories that you
will read in the pages that follow.
We go so far as to monitor
our adherence to these practices
each year, not only through data we
collect and analyze, but also through
a nationally administered survey,
the National Survey of Student
Engagement. The survey allows us to
benchmark our performance relative
to that of other schools across the
country. I trust you are not surprised
to hear that we perform exceedingly
President's Message �
well against these benchmarks.
Our unique approach to learning
is not inexpensive. But we are com-
mitted to keeping Westminster afford-
able by maintaining our tuition below
the national average and by offering
generous merit and need-based
scholarships and other forms of
financial aid. This report documents
that we are having great success
raising funds for more scholarships
and new buildings and that we
continue to be responsible stewards
of our financial resources. Indeed, we
are committed to making sure we
retain the title that U.S.News & World
Report has awarded us—“one of the
best educational values in the West.”
Working together over the last
four years to craft and implement
a new strategic plan has energized
the entire Westminster community.
Left: Michael S. Bassis
Developing a plan that builds on our
strengths and encourages bold initia-
tive has generated a new sense of
institutional pride. That, in turn, has
led us to adopt a new attitude. We are
no longer willing to be known as a
“hidden gem” or a “best-kept secret.”
As the college continues to increase
the quality of the educational experi-
ence it provides, the time has come
to gain a measure of national visibility.
Thus, a central thrust of the college's
long-range vision, articulated in our
strategic plan, is to become widely
recognized as a distinctive and dis-
tinguished institution—one of the
premier institutions of its kind in
the country. I came to Westminster
because I am personally and profes-
sionally committed to helping this
school become recognized within
and beyond the state of Utah as
a college of distinction and as a
model of educational excellence. I
believe we are well on our way
to doing just that.
I hope you'll want to find out
more about what we are doing. I
invite you to come to campus and
look around. Talk to the faculty
and the staff. Get a sense of the
place. And by all means, talk to our
students—they are not only our most
important product; they are our only
product, and one in which we have
enormous pride.
�
Contents
Board of Trustees 2005–2006
Jeanne AmbrusterGretchen Anderson Jesselie B. AndersonMartha Felt Barton (’80)Jack BehnkenJudith BillingsMichael Bills (’03)Curt P. CrowtherE.R. “Zeke” Dumke, IIIThomas H. EastwoodThomas A. Ellison, Esq.Bing L. Fang (’88)Thomas FeyRobert J. Frankenberg, ChairRobert A. GardaSusan Glasmann, Vice ChairAlan E. GuskinGeorge M. HaleyW. Eugene (Gene) Hansen, Esq.Colleen Kearns McCann (’90)Peter D. MeldrumWilliam (Bill) NelsonThomas G. NycumWilliam OrchowBecky B. PottsJoe ReynaNoreen RouillardAndrew J. SchillyDavid E. SimmonsCarter Stinton (’80)R. Anthony SweetVerl R. Topham, Esq.
The President’s Annual Report 2006 is published by the Office of Communications, Westminster College. Copyright ©2006, Westminster College. The Office of Communications is located in Bamberger Hall, 1840 South 1300 East, Salt Lake City, Utah. Telephone 801.832.2680, fax 801.801.832.3108, email: [email protected], Web: www.westminstercollege.edu/communication_office.
Writing Center Hones Skills
Learning Communities: A “Fresh” Look
Four New Centers Ignite Learning13 CenterforCivicEngagement15 DiversityCenter16 EnvironmentalCenter18 CenterforChina-AmericaBusinessStudies
Master Track—Tailored Mentoring for Graduate Students
Annual Report27 MonitoringOurProgress33 ABannerYearforFundraising39 2005–2006FinancialReport
Senior Team PresidentDr. Michael S. Bassis
Executive Vice PresidentStephen R. Morgan
Provost and Vice President for Academic AffairsDr. Cid Seidelman
Associate Provost for Student DevelopmentDr. Susan Heath
Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations Nancy Michalko
Vice President for Enrollment ServicesJoel Bauman
Executive Director of CommunicationsLaura Murphy
Special Assistant to the PresidentDr. Bob Seltzer
Special Assistant to the PresidentAnnalisa Steggell
Editors Robin BoonLinda BultCraig GreenHelen HodgsonLaura Murphy
WritersMichael BassisNancy MichalkoSteve MorganVirginia Rainey
DesignRoger Jones, Poolhouse Design
PhotographyJeff AllredJohn McCarthyMichael Schoenfeld
45
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21
13
9
5
2006 Honor Roll
The floor-to-ceiling windows
of Westminster College’s Writing
Center speak volumes about the
open attitude students find when
they walk through the center’s door.
Here, in the Information Commons
at the Giovale Library, writing
becomes a non-intimidating, col-
laborative process. Students and
writing consultants (who are also
peers) sit at tables, conversing about
such topics as economic theories
and philosophy, fleshing out ideas
and fine-tuning writing projects
that range from academic papers
to personal statements for graduate
school. The Writing Center’s mission
is to help students become better
writers while they maintain ultimate
responsibility for their writing. In
addition to working with students,
the center offers practical and theo-
Writing Center Hones Skills
retical, discipline-specific support to
faculty who teach writing or writing-
intensive courses.
“We take a holistic, non-evalua-
tive approach to writing,” says center
director Chris LeCluyse. “Rather than
function as editors or grammar
teachers, we talk about ideas and
organization. We help students take
a ‘big picture’ look at their writing.
That way, they learn to find their
own ‘aha!’ moments—to identify the
problems in their writing and learn
how to solve them.”
It wasn’t always so in the
writing centers of academia, accord-
ing to LeCluyse. “The concept has
been around for a long time,”
he says. “But for decades, writing
centers, also called labs, became
known as fix-it shops. Then, in the
1970s and 1980s, the pedagogy
changed. Writing center directors
began to realize that the concept
of a ‘fix-it’ didn’t really do anything
to help students internalize—that,
in fact, it was actually damaging.
Instead of treating writing as some-
thing that we all need to care about,
they treated it as a skill that you
either have or you don’t—like car
repair. Since that time, many (but
not all) writing centers really started
to fuse composition theory, rhetoric,
and thoughts about the choice of
language for your audience. They
began to acknowledge the idea that
we don’t learn in a vacuum—that
we learn through conversation, that
it’s unrealistic to think that you can
lock yourself in a cell and the muse
will descend upon you and wisdom
will burst forth. Writing is active, not
passive. So in the center, we think of
Writing Center Hones Skills �
Left: (From left to right) Sumiko MacDonald (’06), Dr. Christopher LeCluyse, and Mandy Webb (’07) take a break at the Writing Center.
ourselves as coaches—much as you
would work with a coach to hone
your skiing or golf skills. The coach
doesn’t do the work for you, but
certainly can help you improve and
finesse your skills.”
LeCluyse, who joined
Westminster in August 2006,
attended Oberlin College and
earned a PhD in English from the
University of Texas at Austin, with
a concentration in English language
and linguistics. He became involved
with the university’s writing center
and eventually took on the role of
administrator. After graduate school,
LeCluyse combined administra-
tion and teaching at the University
of Texas and at Southwestern
University. “When I decided to
make a professional move, half
my applications were to medieval
studies programs—one of my great
interests—and half to writing centers,”
he says. “I don’t think it’s surprising
that my best responses were from
writing centers. I’m happy to be here
at Westminster, where we have the
combination of a small, comprehensive
liberal arts college environment and
a writing center that is fully sup-
ported by the institution.”
LeCluyse adds, “Westminster
is also part of a bigger picture. A
lot of people don’t know this, but
Utah is very much on the map
when it comes to writing centers.
The Community Writing Center
in downtown Salt Lake is abso-
lutely outstanding; it’s considered a
national model. The Writing Center
at Utah State University is a leading
publisher of books on the subject,
and Clint Gardner at Salt Lake
Community College is president of
the International Writing Centers
Association.”
Students who work as peer
consultants in the Writing Center
under the direction of LeCluyse
represent almost all disciplines,
though the group is admittedly
heavy on English majors. Mandy
Webb, an English major with a
focus on secondary education, was
one of the center’s first employ-
ees. “I love working here because
of the learning aspect,” she says.
Ashley Babbitt, Freshman
“The Writing Center has exceeded my
expectations. The students working there
were helpful and knowledgeable. I was so
comfortable with the atmosphere that I
have returned several times. In fact, they
know me by first name. It has made every
difference in my writing. I have been to the
center for everything from writer's block to
a final proofread. Sometimes, it helps to talk
a paper over with someone, and the staff
at the Writing Center has been more than
willing to listen. It is the best resource on
campus, and it has helped me through my
first semester of college.”
The Writing Center Mission
Westminster College is a community of
learners with a long and honored tradition
of caring deeply about students and their
education.
At the Westminster College Writing
Center, we are committed to continuing
that tradition by challenging students to
engage complex ideas, investigate rhetorical
choices, critically examine issues of literacy,
and make informed decisions about their
own writing. Writing Center instruction
conforms to the Westminster College
Policy on Academic Honesty, insisting that
all academic work is the honest product of
each student’s own endeavors.
“Everything we do pertains to what
I want to do with my life, and it’s so
satisfying to see someone figure out
what their writing needs are. I think
peer interaction is just as impor-
tant as teacher feedback. I hope
someday to start a high school
writing center.”
Miles Fuller, an English major
with a minor in economics, is
a former student “client” who
became a consultant. “I want to go
to graduate school, and eventually
teach at a university, and part of that
desire comes from my experience
working here,” he says. “Our work is
not about digging someone out of
a hole. It’s more like helping them
figure out how to interpret what
they’re learning and how to express it.”
Currently, students who work
in the Writing Center must have
completed English 110 or an equiva-
lent course. They work between 5
and 15 hours per week and earn a
competitive salary. A portion of their
on-site hours is devoted to regular
training sessions so that they are
able to work with students across
�Writing Center Hones Skills
all disciplines—on issues from
organization to citing and quoting
sources responsibly.
In spring 2007, LeCluyse is
teaching English 300K, an introduc-
tion to composition theory and
writing pedagogy. Students who
take that course are also being
trained as Writing Center consul-
tants. In the future, the class will
be considered a prerequisite for
working in the center. “Teaching
this class will give me a chance to
steep students in the history and
philosophy of writing centers,”
says LeCluyse. “The students who
work in the center share a love
of writing and communicating
that love to others. This course
will add even more depth to their
understanding of the importance
of the work.” •
“Big Foot Ate My Baby” may
sound more like a tabloid headline
than a scholarly course, but once
you discover the thinking behind
Westminster’s rich new cur-
riculum for the college’s freshman
learning communities, it makes
perfect sense. In fact, that particu-
lar course combines Introduction
to Psychology and Elementary
Statistics in a fresh and compel-
ling way. Professors Paul Presson
and Bill Bynum created the course
with the goal of helping students
hone their critical thinking skills as
they explore the cross-disciplinary
connections between statistics and
psychology. And they help students
do just that by employing statistics
to weigh the evidence for or against
provocative ideas, claims, and beliefs
regarding paranormal phenomena,
Left: Joshua Wilson (’10) and Dr. Barbara Smith
Learning Communities: A “Fresh” Look
including the elusive “Big Foot.” And
that’s just 1 of 23 interdisciplin-
ary learning community courses
introduced during the 2006–2007
academic year, the first year in
which all freshmen were required
to join a learning community. All of
the Learning Community courses
consist of two courses in different
disciplines linked by a common
theme.
At Westminster, learning com-
munities—small, highly interactive
and experiential classes that take an
interdisciplinary approach to a wide
variety of topics—were created to
further three goals for freshmen:
(1) help them adjust to college; (2)
help them develop critical, analyti-
cal writing and presentation skills;
and (3) help them establish strong
relationships with other students
and faculty. Professors design
classes to stimulate lively discus-
sion rather than passive learning.
Writing assignments take the place
of tests, and some courses inte-
grate a service-learning experience.
Students and faculty typically meet
four times a week, so they have the
chance to form lasting bonds.
“With great support from
Associate Provost Susan Heath and
Dean of the School of Arts and
Sciences, Mary Jane Chase, Bridget
Newell, associate professor of phi-
losophy, and I had the opportunity
to introduce the learning commu-
nity concept to Westminster in fall
2003,” says Barbara Schulz Smith,
associate professor of psychology
and coordinator of the learning
communities program. “Based
on models employed at various
�Learning Communities: A “Fresh” Look
colleges around the country, these
types of courses bring us back to
our liberal education roots. And I
think they are especially important
for emerging adults. This is a time
for them to explore. By learning to
make connections between disci-
plines, students really do learn new
ways of looking at things,” she notes.
From a half-dozen courses
introduced in the first year, the
number of learning community
classes has now increased to
accommodate all freshmen. “Mary
Jane, Susan, Bridget, and I traveled
to Evergreen College in Olympia,
Washington (known for its inter-
disciplinary, collaborative academic
programs) in 2004,” says Smith.
“We took students from our very
first learning community with us
so that we could collaborate on
a long-term plan for the college.
Since then we’ve made significant
steps, and the faculty have really
embraced the concept. In fact, I
think that developing interdisciplin-
ary courses renews us. It makes
us think of things differently. We
think so much in our own discipline
that sometimes we really have to get
outside of that to know how everyone
is really thinking. It is more work, but
the payoff is learning something more
as a teacher—and you really see the
rewards when you see connections
going off in the students’ heads. Plus,
when professors are really passion-
ate about their topics, which they all
are, and then they approach them
from two directions, the students just
naturally carry more away from the
classes. Reframing the way we think
of things, comparing and contrasting
approaches—it really keeps us on
our toes.”
For nursing students, who natu-
rally form their own learning com-
munities by virtue of taking most of
the same courses, learning communi-
ties offer students the opportunity
to connect beyond their own groups
while fulfilling lower division require-
ments. Take “Public Interactions and
Chemical Reactions,” for example. It’s
particularly suited for pre-nursing
majors; it combines chemistry with
the art of public speaking as students
Josh Wilson Freshman Member of “In Our Own Words—Landscapes
of the Self” Learning Community
“I really like the atmosphere of my learning commu-
nity—a combination of Psychology 105 and English
110, Composition and Research. Our professors
usually have to cut our discussions off because
they could go on for hours. It has opened my mind
to lots of new ideas. Many people in our group are
from other cities and states; we even have a guy
from Bulgaria. Each person contributes a lot to
the atmosphere of the class, and you start seeing
things from new perspectives while you are par-
ticipating in class discussions, editing each other’s
essays or papers, and just seeing each other on
campus. On the social side, it’s been a great way to
make new friends through group projects.”
Below: Noemi Sohn, guest speaker at the “Speaking of Philosophy” learning com-munity, evokes smiles from Bryan Hale (front) and Parker Howell (back).
��Learning Communities: A “Fresh” Look
The following learning community descrip-tions, based on actual class descriptions, provide a glimpse of what Westminster students experience in these unique settings.
“ In Our Own Words—Landscapes of the Self ”: English Composition, Introduction to Psychology, and College Success
How do you define your self and voice, both verbally and through
writing, in the college community? What traits define personality,
and where do they come from?
Our act of self-discovery threads psychology, writing, and daily
college life together. The writing process helps us establish an
authentic voice while we explore the tools of psychology and our
daily actions to investigate why we behave as we do. So much of
contemporary theory teaches us about the establishment of identity
and the process of achieving a strong sense of self. In this class,
we attempt to discover landscapes of identity through writing and
through conversation about diversity, social and personal patterns,
movement, and behavior. Other components include service-
learning, writing workshops, library-research instruction, campus
exploration, and community-building activities.
“ Wilderness, Suburbs, and Action”: Composition and Research and Environmental Biology
These two classes combine the skills of college writing and research
along with the exciting exploration of the natural environment.
Students experience the outdoors of Utah and delve into the impor-
tance of giving attention to environmental issues. They journal their
views and reflect upon what they have learned. The class teaches
students how to incorporate college classes by bringing the skills
of each into the others. It’s an effective and interactive way to get
a start on the writing and research skills students are required to
develop at Westminster.
write and deliver speeches about
science and health-care-related issues.
“The purpose of learning com-
munities is to integrate knowledge,”
emphasizes Smith. “So I’m very
excited that Westminster is 1 of
20 colleges in the country recently
invited to join the National Project
on Assessing Learning in Learning
Communities, which is coordinated
and funded by the Washington
Center for Improving the Quality of
Undergraduate Education. We are
going to really look at what students
are learning and to find out if they
are indeed making cross-disciplinary
relationships—to ask whether we
are writing assignments so they can
do that. We need to assess whether
the quality of learning is truly
impacted by learning communi-
ties. ”Whatever the outcome,” Smith
says, “Now that learning communi-
ties are required, I like to call them
a ‘required opportunity’ because
really—they do give students a great
opportunity to interact, to learn to
integrate knowledge, and to grow.” •
Westminster College continues to
innovate, transforming initiatives into reali-
ties as we implement our 10-year strategic
plan. Each season we progress, and what
once existed as an ambitious, exciting idea
in the minds of many becomes a tangible,
exciting entity, full of potential. With the
leadership of Provost Cid Seidelman, one
area in which we made significant progress
during the past year was the creation of
four centers, each designed to organize
resources for the entire campus to stimulate
and support interest in a particular topic. The
four centers we recently established include the
Center for Civic Engagement, the Diversity
Center, the Environmental Center, and the
Center for China-America Business Studies.
A large part of our success—overall,
and in the development of these centers in
particular— involves making connections
with people whose visions match ours:
leaders willing to step up and put their
Left: (Left to right) Chris Tong, Director of the Center for China-America Business Studies; Aretha Minor, Diversity Center Outreach Coordinator; Kerry Case, Environmental Center Coordinator; and Gary Daynes, Director of the Center for Civic Engagement
Four New Centers Ignite Learning
sion forums on topics related to
responsible citizenship; and (3) to
encourage civic engagement as a
lifelong commitment.
Gary Daynes, director of the
center, has a long-time personal and
professional commitment to serving
his community and to helping other
citizens get involved and make a
difference. “My grandmother was a
social worker during the Depression
here in Utah,” he says. “It was an
unusual thing for a married woman
to do at that time. I always thought
that was cool. As a kid, I loved
hearing her stories about driving
her beat-up truck around rural Utah
and doing social work for the state.
She really was an influence in my
life.” Daynes, who served a Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
(LDS) mission in Central America,
experience, knowledge, and passions to work
for the greater good. We have been extremely
fortunate to connect with just such outstand-
ing leaders for our new centers. See what each
of these centers is designed to accomplish,
and meet the people who are helping lead
their evolution:
Center for Civic EngagementGary Daynes, DirectorThe Center for Civic Engagement
is designed to help our students
understand and practice respon-
sible citizenship. Initially, the
center has three primary goals:
(1) to encourage active citizenship
and service across the college by
promoting and facilitating com-
munity volunteerism and service
learning; (2) to organize, for both
the campus and the community,
lectures, workshops, and discus-
��Four New Centers Ignite Learning
says his eyes were really opened
when he lived and worked with
people who faced poverty every day,
especially during the Contra war. “I
could see up close the way global
politics played out in the lives of
everyday people,” he remembers.
A history major in college,
Daynes briefly considered a career
in politics. Instead, he decided
to further his studies, earning
a master’s degree and a PhD in
history from the University of
Delaware. He later joined BYU as a
faculty member where he quickly
and instinctively was drawn to
service-learning. “I experienced the
importance and impact of getting
students—and myself—out of the
classroom and involved with the
community one-on-one,” he says.
By then, his path was set. Daynes
served as coordinator of the Faculty
Service-Learning Community of
Practice and Associate Director of the
Freshman Academy, as Director of
Service-Learning for the Washington
Campus Compact, and as Executive
Director of the Utah Campus
Compact before finally landing at
Westminster. “I have long admired
Westminster,” he says. “It’s a small
and agile learning community, deeply
committed to the kind of education
I believe is most necessary in society
today—with active, hands-on learning
and students who graduate knowing
how to collaborate and to create
change for the good.”
In addition to focusing on
service-learning, Daynes says
he hopes “the Center for Civic
Engagement can encourage
students, faculty, and staff to pay
attention to the political system;
to advocate for bills or policies;
and to take a stand. I think all
well-educated humans should
have experience tracking legisla-
tion, corresponding with repre-
sentatives, writing letters to the
editor—engaging in society with
a real set of civic skills. Since the
center has just been recently estab-
lished, we’re still in the process
of creating forums for important
‘community conversations’ and
assessing exactly how and where
“Civic engagement is a continuum from
service and service-learning courses all the
way to advocacy and activism. They are all
appropriate and in line with Westminster’s
mission and the mission of the Center for
Civic Engagement.”
Gary Daynes
Director, Center for Civic Engagement
we are going to develop long-term
relationships with local nonprofits.
I see us having deep partnerships
with some, but also working with
a wide variety of groups on every-
thing from environmental to diver-
sity and social-services issues. It’s
all very exciting to me. Westminster
occupies a unique position. As the
only private, liberal arts college in
Utah, we are well-situated to be an
honest broker of conversations and
to work in ways other universities
cannot.” In the long run, Daynes
says his goal is to help educate
graduates who are still engaged with
their communities five years after
they leave college. “That,” he says, “is
the gold standard.”
Diversity CenterAretha MinorOutreach CoordinatorRecognizing that learning is
enhanced when students are
exposed to a wide variety of ideas,
perspectives, cultures, and people,
Westminster has identified increas-
ing diversity of all types on its
campus as a key strategic goal. The
creation of the Diversity Center
represents a major step toward
that goal. The goals of the Diversity
Center are to stimulate and facili-
tate learning about diversity, and to
advocate and support the diverse
populations on our campus with
a focus on ethnicity, gender, sexual
orientation, class, race, national
origin, and ability.
Aretha Minor, Outreach
Coordinator for the Diversity
Center, says that after working as
an administrator and an instruc-
tor in California and Utah, as well
as spending time in a high-profile
position at a San Francisco adver-
tising agency, she’s learned that
she likes to be a “background
player.” Gracious and quietly
powerful, Minor states that, “As
long as good things are happening,
and we are making an impact on
the lives of Westminster students
through the Diversity Center, I’m
happy. The rewards for helping
students understand and accept
diversity come from knowing
��Four New Centers Ignite Learning
that for each student we reach,
that student will go on to touch
someone else’s life.”
Minor, who works closely with
a Diversity Council composed of
students, faculty, and staff members
from several departments includ-
ing Student Life, Campus Ministry,
and Institutional Advancement, as
well as the provost and vice presi-
dent of enrollment, believes that
when it comes to issues of diver-
sity, “dialogue is the most essential
element we have in promoting
understanding. As Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr., said, ‘Different is not defi-
cient, it’s just different.’ It’s the fear
of the unknown that keeps us apart.
That can change when you make
an effort to get to know someone
who’s different—to explore
someone or something other than
what you are accustomed to. So
until we can come to a place where
we can share some of our deep,
maybe even dark feelings, we can’t
move forward. To address this
reality, the center provides a forum:
a place where students can share
their feelings and ask their ques-
tions about diversity without fear.
We want to provide a comfortable
space for students to meet and talk.
Right now, professor of psychology
Cathleen Power and I are working
with a group of students who want
to come together—not during class
time and not for academic credit—
they simply want to discuss issues
of diversity. Since the media drive
so much of what and how we think
about our world, we’re going to use
film and TV clips as starting points
for discussion.”
The Diversity Center helps to
develop strategies to recruit and
retain more diverse students, faculty,
and staff. It maintains a diversity
website and produces a monthly
newsletter. In addition, one of the
Diversity Center’s most visible con-
tributions to community dialogue
is its ongoing KeyBank Cultural
Diversity Lecture Series—discus-
sions followed by spirited question-
and-answer sessions. On March 30,
2007, the series will host an (In)Visible
(Dis)Ability Panel. “It’s our attempt to
‘show and tell’ what it means to have a
disability—to encourage people to think
about how important it is to integrate
people with disabilities into our com-
munities,” says Minor.
“I am really proud to be at
Westminster at this time when all this
is happening,” she says. “If students
can learn that their perspective is
not universal, if they pay attention to
other voices and fight for equality in
their day-to-day lives, we will have
done our job.”
Environmental CenterKerry Case, CoordinatorKerry Case saw the rural Colorado
community of her childhood
morph from mountain town to
wealthy suburb. The botched
transformation didn’t sit well with
her. “Our town underwent major
changes with very little planning
or structure, so we ended up with
things like huge housing develop-
ments in elk migratory paths—
paths the elk had been using for
millennia,” she remembers. “Of
course, that didn’t work. From the
Wind Power
On the basis of a student proposal developed in an economics class, Westminster
College recently made the decision to purchase 11 percent of the campus energy
needs from Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky renewable energy program. Students
worked with Utah Clean Energy, a local non-profit, to create a cost-benefit analysis
of Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky program. The result of Westminster’s Blue Sky
purchase amounts to the same environmental benefit as planting 176,775 trees or not driving
1,927,500 miles.
On the heels of this announcement, the college launched a challenge to the faculty,
staff, and students at Westminster, asking them to do the same in their homes. The
hope is that over the next six months, 11 percent of the faculty, staff, and students
at Westminster will sign up for Blue Sky. If 11 percent of the Westminster commu-
nity—307 participants—enroll in the Blue Sky program at home for one year, the envi-
ronmental benefit will amount to an additional reduction of 736,800 tons of carbon
dioxide emissions—the same as planting 72,360 trees or not driving 789,297 miles.
��Four New Centers Ignite Learning
time I was a very young person, I
have been aware of that interface—
of what happens between the natural
world and the way we humans want
to live in it.”
Case, who went on to earn a
master’s degree in environmental
studies and non-profit management
from the University of Oregon in
Eugene, says “I had an undergradu-
ate experience that I hope many
Westminster students will have.
A professor who taught a nature
writing course helped me synthesize
what I grew up with—a deep love of
nature, literature, and language. That
course really helped set the path for
where I am today.”
The former director of Utah
State University’s Utah House (a
green-living showcase), Case joined
Westminster in fall 2006 to oversee
the college’s new Environmental
Center and numerous “green
campus” initiatives. Designed to tap
into the environmental interests and
expertise that cross the spectrum
of the campus community, the
Environmental Center will serve as
a focal point for promoting environ-
mental awareness and responsibility,
enriching many curricular and co-
curricular efforts already underway
at the college. The center’s purpose
is education, not advocacy. The
goals of the center are to sponsor
lectures, discussion forums, and
problem-solving gatherings; to
serve as the Utah home for Roots
& Shoots; and to help the college
model environmental awareness in
its own operations.
To Case, that means “really
integrating the center into the
Westminster community and the
community at large. I’d like to see
us become a hub—a beacon if you
will—for environmental thought and
hands-on resources.”
Specifically, the center will
provide a variety of experiential,
co-curricular learning opportunities
for students, giving them hands-on
experience with local community
partners. It also aims to expand the
campus’s role as an environmen-
tal learning tool. “There are already
some great things going on,” Case
Above: The Pleasant Valley Wind Energy facility near Evanston, Wyoming, helps supply power for the Blue Sky program. Photo courtesy of Vestas Wind Systems.
Living Green
Even the act of watching water boil is fascinating when you’re standing in Nina and Michael
Vought’s new “green” home on Salt Lake’s east side. As Nina demonstrates the efficiency of
the Vought’s sleek induction stove, the water bubbles up in seconds in a steel saucepan, but
the stove and the pan’s handle stay relatively cool. That’s because the induction stove works
on a magnetic field, in which energy is created with a minimum amount of power, and the
only heat is in the pan, not all around it. Cool.
When the Voughts, faculty in Westminster’s theatre program, talk about the green home
they built from the ground up—complete with recycled oak, bricks, and a gorgeous beveled-
glass front door from the home that once stood in its place—a lot of the excitement centers
on natural heating and cooling systems. “We started out with the goal of living in an energy-
efficient house since our previous home required three furnaces to keep it warm,” Michael
explains. “After all, ancient cultures knew how to keep things cool in the summer and warm
in winter without air conditioners and furnaces. It wasn’t that difficult, but you might be sur-
prised at how new the concept seems to the building industry.” In the end, the Voughts did
the bulk of research and planning on their own. Today, their snug, yet high-ceilinged home
with its 12-inch-thick walls is a model of what an energy-efficient, green future can look like—
and the picture is gorgeous. Stylish and airy with a south-facing view over Red Butte Creek,
the home takes advantage of passive and direct solar heat and a superb air-flow system that
keeps it cool in the summer, all the while circulating clean, fresh air.
As faculty and active members of Westminster’s community, the Voughts often share their
home, hosting vegetarian dinner parties for students and showing them firsthand what it
means to “live green.”
says. “Westminster participates in the
Blue Sky program to purchase wind
power (see sidebar); EnergySolutions
has provided a grant for a dem-
onstration garden on campus—a
‘bee, bird, and butterfly’ garden
where educators will learn to teach
children about basic ecology and
interactions between living and
non-living things. They can see
what a healthy ecosystem looks like
and what our role is in maintain-
ing it. We’re involved in creating
water-wise and native plantings,
all in line with Westminster’s land-
scape master plan. As an institu-
tion of higher learning, we can set
an example by becoming ‘early
adopters’ of things like solar heat.
Westminster is home to a group of
very bright, strong students who
are interested in these issues, and
they are creating their own propos-
als about what they want to see on
campus. That should shape a lot
of what will happen through the
Environmental Center,” she notes.
“We want to link students with the
community in meaningful ways:
getting them involved in restora-
tion projects—maybe some really
intense internship opportunities. We
will explore ways for students to get
involved at local and state govern-
ment levels, too.”
“Everyone is really interested
in seeing the center bring in stake-
holders from all sides and giving
students a chance to ask their ques-
tions, to engage with people who
are a little polarized around some
of the issues around transportation,
energy, water—just choose from the
laundry list of issues here in Utah.
To me, that’s key.”
Center for China-America Business StudiesChris Tong, DirectorGore School of Business Professor
Chris Tong admits that since the
Center for China-America Business
Studies (CCABS) was formally funded
in June 2006, “Things are moving fast.”
That’s not surprising, coming from
the Hong Kong native who is incred-
ibly focused and passionate about the
fact that “the action in the business
Michael and Nina Vought enjoy their
remarkably energy-efficient home.
��Four New Centers Ignite Learning
world is in China.” Tong attended
Westminster as an undergraduate and
earned his PhD at the University of
Utah. He went on to teach economics
at the Hong Kong Baptist University
for 10 years and is fluent in both
Mandarin and Cantonese.
“We are in the position to
educate American students, our local
community, and businesses about
the Chinese culture and economic
needs,” states Tong. Additionally, with
its membership in the World Trade
Organization and projected economic
growth of almost 10 percent annually,
“China is going to require a lot more
expertise and resources to help their
economy grow over the next 15 to
20 years. “I believe that we, as well
as many other universities, have the
technology and resources to provide
that training. That’s what the CCABS is
all about, about teaching and learning—
on both sides of the globe.”
The CCABS has three key goals.
One is to establish student and
faculty exchange programs with top-
tier Chinese universities. Along with
Associate Professor of Economics
Aric Krause and Interim Dean of
the Gore School of Business, Jim
Clark, Tong has already been instru-
mental in creating a web of recipro-
cal relationships between Chinese
institutions and universities and
Westminster College. “We’re in the
process of negotiating these agree-
ments,” explain Tong and Krause,
both of whom have made several
trips to China. “By spring or summer
of 2007, we should have three to five
exchange contracts in place, and we
can start the exchanges by fall 2007.”
Another objective is to serve
as a resource for information on
China-America business opportuni-
ties, practices, and investments for
Westminster MBA students and the
regional business community. “We
plan to bring Chinese experts and
dignitaries to Westminster to speak to
students as well as the local business
community,” says Tong. “We also want
to be a resource on Chinese culture.
You cannot profit from doing business
in China if you look only at making
dollars. You have to understand the
people and the culture. We will teach
that here as well as taking delegations
to China to learn firsthand.”
Westminster will also provide
summer leadership and manage-
ment training for Chinese mid-
level executives. “Chinese business
people have excellent engineering,
mechanics, and mathematics skills,
but they need to learn more about
teamwork and negotiation and lead-
ership in a market economy. Those
are things Westminster’s faculty can
provide in short-term, intensive
training sessions on our campus or
in China,” says Tong.
The CCABS has also established
strong ties with Governor Jon
Huntsman’s Office for Economic
Development and the Utah World
Trade Center. It is also working
with Salt Lake County Mayor Peter
Corroon to find a “sister city” in China.
And that’s just the beginning.•
World ViewAs part of their Westminster MBA program, students join faculty on a 10-day international trip. Here’s what one recent graduate had to say about his journey.
“Our MBA trip to Prague, Vienna, and
Budapest included scheduled tours of some
really fascinating places—from embassies to
factories. But we were also purposely given
time on our own to explore, to take the cities
in on our own terms. At first, I wasn’t so sure
about that, but once I got over there, it turned
out to be one of the most valuable elements
of the trip. For me, it was all about talking to
people—on the streets, in the ‘mom and pop’
stores, and, of course, in the various compa-
nies we visited. I also remember just sitting and
watching the huge barges on the Danube, realizing
that their ‘freeways’ are rivers—and, of course, that
changes the way a country does business. But
you really have to see things like that for yourself
to understand the context…you have to immerse
yourself in these places, see and feel them, look
around with your eyes wide open. I came back
more convinced than ever that it’s an exciting world
out there—full of opportunities.”
Dean Offert, Zero Halliburton marketing manager,
Westminster MBA, June, 2006
Right: Dean Offert (MBA ’06), flanked by Zero Halliburton cases, recalls his international MBA trip.
One participant likens
Westminster’s MBA Master Track
program to “having your own board
of directors to help guide your pro-
fessional life.” Another says, “It’s a
journey of self-discovery through
the eyes of those around me.” Long-
time Master Track mentor Janet
Haskell, former president of Myriad
Genetics and current executive con-
sultant, describes the program as “a
guided tour through the young pro-
fessional’s phase of ‘who am I, and
what do I want to do with my life?’”
With mentors such as Haskell
on board, it’s no wonder partici-
pants, including Jessica Payne, look
back on the program as a transfor-
mational experience. “It changed the
way I operate in my day-to-day life,”
she says. In Jessica’s case, that may
be an understatement. In addition
Left: Lee (MBA ’05) and Jessica (MBA ’05) Payne met in Master Track and later married.
Master Track—Tailored Mentoring for Graduate Students
to discovering her professional
passions, she met her husband, Lee,
in Master Track. “My professional
situation today has been directly
influenced by my experiences in
Master Track—I have been fortu-
nate enough to find a position that
fulfills all aspects of what is impor-
tant to me,” says Payne, who now
guides and mentors MBA students
in Western Governor University’s
online program.
Lee Payne was attracted to
the entrepreneurial component of
Master Track when he was finish-
ing his first year of the MBA in
Technology Management program
at Westminster. “I had long consid-
ered starting my own company, but
had a lot of questions about that
process and opportunity and the
risks involved. I was hoping the
Master Track program would help
me along that path and provide me
relationships with seasoned, suc-
cessful entrepreneurs,” he notes.
“And of course, it certainly did that.”
“The program was incredibly
transformational, but perhaps not
in the way people who haven't
been a part of it would think. It
has had far greater impact on who
I am as a person and how I view
life in general than it has regarding
career decisions, though of course
it impacts both. For example, I’m
far more thoughtful and conscious
about making both personal and
professional decisions. Having said
that, as a result of Master Track, I
knew I wanted to be a part of a very
small, high-tech company, and I am.
The relationships I established with
mentors and peers have been abso-
2�Master Track—Tailored Mentoring for Graduate Students
lutely instrumental in my career to
date (post Westminster) and my life in
general. My mentor, Bob Frankenberg,
shared more than 30 years of deep
experience with me, and he shared
invaluable industry contacts. To this
day, I am amazed when I look at his
contact list—to think he would have
that kind of trust and faith in me.”
Payne is currently Director
of Business Development for
Mindquest, a 10-person software
development company. “Once you
have the experience of being a
mentee, then you truly appreci-
ate being a mentor—you come
full circle,” he says. Since graduat-
ing, Payne has become involved
with Westminster’s new Alumni
Mentoring Program (see sidebar),
has become a Big Brother, and is
involved as a professional mentor at
Weber State College.
As the program’s co-founder
David Spann puts it, “Much of our
program’s success derives from its
uniqueness: Master Track focuses on
personal and career-development
issues. The key is for the group to
help find and unlock each indi-
vidual’s opportunities and poten-
tial and see where they take that.
Unlike most mentoring programs,
ours is a nine-month experience
that includes both group meetings
and individual corporate mentor-
ing sessions once or twice a month.
And we operate with strict group
confidentiality. As a result, people
in the group have gone on to start
up new companies, publish books,
make decisions about changing
careers—even marriage and having
kids. In short, they’ve found their
intention and fulfilled it.”
Along with Harvard MBA and
business consultant Dick Fontaine,
Spann, a senior management
consultant and now president
of Agile Adaptive Management,
Inc., launched Master Track in
October 2001. “Our original model
came from a blend of Pepperdine
University’s program, called ‘The
Executive Committee,’ and my
intent as [then] MBA director to
create a mentorship program, for
Westminster’s MBA students,” says
“Only 12 current MBA students or
alumni are accepted into the Master Track
program each year. This select group makes
a total commitment to participate in the nine-
month, non-credit program. Due to this total
commitment, extraordinary trust is developed
amongst the group, and this trust allows for
each individual to mature on both a profes-
sional and personal level. All conversations
are confidential, and no judgment is passed.
Master Trackers are mentored by Utah's top
business leaders and entrepreneurs who offer
a great networking opportunity. These relation-
ships also give mentees an opportunity to learn
and listen to the personal and professional life
struggles that have accompanied their mentors’
great successes.
When you ask Master Trackers about the
program, they say words like, ‘family,’ ‘magic,’
and ‘it changed my life.’ ”
Ann Mackin, Director
MBA Program Gore School of Business
Spann. Fontaine, whose passions
have included mentoring CEOs
to be effective leaders during the
rapid-growth phases of their com-
pany’s life cycle, has since moved
out of state and is no longer directly
involved in the program. Dr. Kirk
Wessel, a full-time Westminster
faculty member, has stepped up to
join Spann in the role of professional
coach and facilitator. “Kirk absolutely
shares David’s dedication and enthu-
siasm for Master Track,” says MBA
Program Director, Ann Mackin.
Master Track Alumni Post-graduation, many mentees
want to continue to nurture the
close ties they developed in the
MBA Master Track program. Recent
graduate Vaughn Marie Gouff says,
“The completion of Master Track
was bittersweet for me. I felt the
accomplishment of many lessons
learned and the satisfaction of
reaching the end of the journey.
But then there is the feeling of
loss to think that you no longer
have this time with the people you
2�Master Track—Tailored Mentoring for Graduate Students
have come to love, trust, and share
support with. So why should it
end?” That’s why Gouff, along with
Ann Mackin and Jim Clark, of the
Gore School of Business, is cur-
rently in the process of developing
a Master Track Alumni program.
“Alumni see many opportunities to
not only continue building our own
experiences, but to become mentors
ourselves, supporting the future
success of upcoming Westminster
students,” she says.
Gouff, who worked at NPS
Pharmaceuticals during her Master
Track tenure, was paired with
mentor Ned M. Weinshenker,
then-director of the Life Sciences
Cluster in the Utah Governor’s
Office of Economic Development.
This win-win match is typical of
Master Track. “With his background
in science, finances, business, and
management, Ned has a wealth
of experience and know-how,
which he shared willingly with me,”
notes Gouff. “He helped me to see
various perspectives in a corporate
setting, as well as the relationships
Above: Ned Weinshenker, mentor, and Vaughn Marie Gouff (MBA ’06) continue the lifelong mentoring process over coffee.
with the different roles within a
company. He also provided me with
insights in negotiating, leading, and
driving results for the company.
His coaching and my involvement
in Master Track gave me so many
lifelong gifts.
An example of how Master
Track came into play for me was
when I found myself in an intense
and challenging professional discus-
sion. Rather than feel intimidated, as
I would have before I participated in
Master Track, I found myself calmly
assessing the situation and focused
on the issues at hand. With clarity, I
confidently made a stand to defend
my position and my actions. The
discussion ended without question.
If I had not had that focus and
confidence, it would have been
an emotional and uncomfortable
experience. But rather, I was able to
demonstrate professional leadership
and apply the skills I’ve developed
to identify my intent, to take the
appropriate actions to bring success
to my intent, and to defend my
actions. It is a satisfying realization
Alumni Mentoring
While graduates are enjoying the benefits of
Master Track programs, Westminster alumni
are also “giving back” to current undergradu-
ates through the college’s Alumni Mentoring
Program. Launched in 2005, the program
focuses on academic counseling, career explo-
ration, and networking. To learn more about
the program or to becoming a mentor, visit
www.westminstercollege.edu/alumni_friends
and click on “Getting Involved,” or contact
alumni board member and committee chair of
the mentoring program, Annalisa Steggell, at
801.832.2551.
2�Master Track—Tailored Mentoring for Graduate Students
of what I can do. I feel that, as a
person, I have emerged from the
shadows into the light. I am not an
observer, but have become a maker
and a doer.”
Master Track forMaster of Professional Communication (MPC)Professionals Martha Felt Barton, founder of the
Martha Felt Group and member of
Westminster’s Board of Trustees,
was one of the first mentors in the
MBA Master Track program. A well-
connected professional who made
her name in high-tech marketing
communications and then sold her
company to a national buyer, Barton
has gone on to establish the college’s
second Master Track program. Tailored
to MPC students and graduates, the
new program was launched in 2005.
Although based on the MBA
model, the MPC program draws
from a broader array of mentors. “I
was happy to partner with Senator
Karen Hale as facilitator,” says
Barton. “She comes at communica-
tions from a different angle than I
do, as she ran a newspaper before
going into politics. So between us,
we have matched participants—
some less experienced students
and some in mid-career—with PR
professionals, broadcast journal-
ists, novelists, magazine writers,
ad agency executives and creative
directors, grant writers, technical
writers, and corporate and political
communications professionals. As
facilitators, our role is to question
participants’ assumptions, to
provide a format for give and take,
and to help them look at different
approaches to their lives and work.
Lisa von AppWestminster MPC candidate
“Where else can a graduate student receive
mentoring from Salt Lake City’s most success-
ful, well-respected communications leaders? In
my opinion, the most meaningful aspect of the
MPC Master Track program lies in the realiza-
tion that these busy individuals—including the
leaders—volunteer their time and knowledge
to help students excel in their professional
endeavors and achieve their goals.
Initially, I had reservations about the program
for me individually. I do not work in a traditional
corporate setting and have no desire to do so,
nor do I view myself as a future communica-
tions leader. Freelance writing and editing are
my passion, and my primary focus at this time
is completing my MPC field project: research-
ing, writing, and editing a true-crime story.
My preliminary doubts evaporated, however,
when Martha and Karen paired me with the
most amazing and suitable mentor: Carolyn
Campbell. Carolyn is an award-winning writer
with three books and more than 600 magazine
articles published. She has offered invaluable
guidance and expertise, which will perpetuate
my successful completion of this book.”
Master Track offers them a time to
think hard and explore, to learn
from people who are much further
down the career path—all in a sup-
portive, confidential environment.
There are not that many safe places
to do that in your career. Here, you
have career professionals who have
been highly successful, all rooting
for you and making you think
about your next steps.” •
As a not-for-profit educational
institution, we don’t measure our
success by the rise and fall of our
stock price. Rather, we measure
our success by the quality of the
learning that occurs on campus (in
and out of the classroom), the satis-
faction of our students and alumni,
the value of their Westminster
degrees, and their ability to get into
top graduate schools and to have
meaningful careers. As we approach
the start of the third year since the
campus-wide approval of our 10-
year strategic plan, we also measure
our success by the progress we’ve
made in the implementation of this
plan. By all of these measures, we
believe the 2005–2006 academic
year was an exceptional one for
Westminster.
Left: A diminutive violinist at the entrance to the Jewett Center for the Performing Arts
Monitoring Our Progress
tical business skills. With Salt Lake’s
vibrant cultural arts community,
demand for this interdisciplinary
major is great.
At the graduate level, we added
a Master of Science in Nursing
Education (MSNED). This program
helps respond to the ongoing
shortage of nurses by training
nurse educators for roles in either
academia or health-care settings. In
2007, we plan to introduce a Master
of Science in Counseling Psychology
and a Master of Arts in Teaching.
In addition to our new
academic programs, we revamped
the liberal education program
for all undergraduate students.
Changes to the freshman program
require students to participate in a
learning community (see page 9),
complete a basic writing course, and
Distinctive Educational ProgramsThe pages of this annual report
detail the success of our writing
center and the new freshman
learning communities. Additionally,
several new academic programs,
Environmental Studies and Arts
Administration, were added as
undergraduate majors in the last
academic year. The Environmental
Studies program epitomizes
Westminster’s hands-on approach
to learning. It combines “bookwork”
with fieldwork by taking advantage
of our unique ecology to create
learning opportunities in the moun-
tains, in the desert, and at Great
Salt Lake. The Arts Administration
major—the only one of its kind in
the Intermountain West—allows
students to pursue their passions
for the arts while also gaining prac-
2�Monitoring our Progress
complete an information literacy
workshop during the freshman
year—all designed to promote
student success and engagement.
Other changes to the liberal educa-
tion curriculum add requirements
in the areas of cultural diversity and
living arts. These modifications are
notable because they support
our college-wide learning goals,
core values, and commitment to
educate the whole person.
Student Engagement As we add or modify our academic
programs, our focus is on learning
designs that are active, collaborative,
experiential, and cross-disciplinary.
According to independent sources,
we continue to improve student
engagement through this emphasis.
The National Survey of Student
Engagement (NSSE) is an annual
survey of more than 500 colleges
and universities that measures
student engagement to assess
how well students are learning. It
assesses educational performance
by measuring the following: level of
academic challenge, active and col-
laborative learning, student-faculty
interaction, enriching educational
experiences, and supportive campus
environment. Westminster exceeded
the scores of other colleges in
all of the areas critical to student
learning. Perhaps most important, in
every dimension, in every category,
our students’ perception of the
degree to which Westminster both
challenged and supported them
increased from the freshman to the
senior year.
Another testament to our
unique approach to learning is the
recent accreditation of our School of
Education by the Teacher Education
Accreditation Council (TEAC). TEAC
accredits teacher education programs
through the audit of evidence of
student achievement. TEAC’s goal is to
support the preparation of competent,
caring, qualified professional educa-
tors. Its evidenced-based review is well
aligned with our own perspective on
assessment and achievement
of learning goals.
Recognition and Visibility Increasingly, Westminster’s unique
approach to learning and our new
initiatives are gaining notice. We
were included for the first time in
the 2007 issue of the Princeton Review’s
361 Best Colleges. Inclusion in this
well-respected college guidebook
puts us among the top 15 percent
of all four-year colleges in America.
Earlier in the year, we were also
included in the Princeton Review’s
America’s Best Value Colleges. Other
accolades include being ranked a
top-tier college for the 12th year
in a row by U.S.News & World Report
and being ranked 14th in their
category of “Great Schools, Great
Prices.” Newsweek/Kaplan included
us as one of their “369 America’s
Hottest Colleges,” saying we were
one of the “most interesting
schools” in America.
Westminster was also singled
out in several major media outlets
in the past year, including the Wall
Street Journal, USA Today, and even
Family Circle and Powder magazines.
More important than these
ratings and media coverage is
what they say about the kind of
students we attract and the value
of a Westminster education. For
the incoming 2006–2007 class, we
had a record number of inquiries
and applications. The freshmen who
entered the college this past fall—the
second largest class in our history—is
second to none in terms of quality.
It includes 5 National Merit final-
ists and semi-finalists, as well as 14
National Hispanic Scholars, 3 National
Achievement finalists and semi-final-
ists, 7 Sterling Regional winners and
runners-up, and 9 class valedictorians.
We are also proud of the increased
geographic and ethnic diversity of
the incoming class. One-third of the
incoming students are from outside
of Utah, representing a total of 9
countries and 30 states. And more
than 20 percent of the entering class
is from traditionally under-repre-
sented groups. We believe that this
kind of diversity lends a richness
and depth that are essential for our
students’ educational experience.
2�Monitoring our Progress
Our graduates realize the value
of a Westminster degree as they
enter the workforce and graduate
schools each fall. Research by the
Utah Foundation showed that
Westminster graduates have among
the highest starting salaries of all
college graduates in the state. These
high salaries were credited, in part,
to the large number of students
who complete internships as part
of their undergraduate education.
Additionally, students who choose
to continue their education have
been accepted into top graduate
programs at schools such as
Georgetown University, University
of California–Berkley, University of
Chicago, New York University, and
the University of London.
2006–2007 Outlook Proud though we are of our accom-
plishments to date, we continue to
be mindful that we have a lot to do
to fully realize the vision of our stra-
tegic plan. We are fortunate to have
many champions for our initiatives
among both the faculty and the
staff. We are optimistic that we will
continue to make great strides while
maintaining the elements that char-
acterize a Westminster education:
a unique approach to learning, a
positive track record of success, and
a welcoming campus community. •
A Snapshot
of Institutional Progress
2 new undergraduate majors: Environmental Studies and Arts Administration
1 new graduate program: MSNED
30percent of incoming students from out-of-state
22percent incoming students from under-represented groups
4 new centers: Diversity, Environmental, Civic Engagement, and China-America Business Studies
22new learning communities
2 new athletic teams: men’s lacrosse and women’s soccer
699 students graduating in the 05–06 academic year
Unique Approach to Learning
��
Institutions like Westminster are
highly dependent upon the generos-
ity of donors to fund new initiatives,
new programs, and, most importantly,
scholarships that make our unique
approach to learning accessible to
more students. As we enter the third
year of implementation of our strategic
plan, philanthropic gifts are even more
important for their ability to transform
the college, its students, and the world.
This year’s report highlights just some
of the gifts that are helping us realize
our vision. A complete list of donors is
included in the Honor Roll section of
this Annual Report.
The 2005–2006 fiscal year was
a very strong fundraising year for
Westminster College. The Office of
Advancement and Alumni Relations
raised $16,087,545 in new gifts and
pledges—the second-highest level of
A Banner Year for Fundraising
donations and pledges received by
the college in a single year.
The Science CenterThe college received its largest gift
ever: $10 million for the sciences
from John and Ginger Giovale, Class
of 1965. The $10-million donation
kick-starts a fundraising process for
a 60,000-square-foot science center
with a $25 million price tag ($20
million for construction, $5 million
for endowment). This gift is a long-
term investment in a program with
a wonderful track record of prepar-
ing the next generation of scientists.
In Ginger’s words, “I have always
believed that a good education can
not only have a positive influence in
transforming an individual’s life,
but also the country and, indeed,
the world.”
The new science building that
the Giovales’ gift will fund will be a
hands-on, interdisciplinary, lab-rich
learning environment and a dazzling
architectural and educational cen-
terpiece of the campus. The building
will support Westminster’s goals to
provide scientific literacy for all of our
students, as well as to prepare our
science majors to pursue successful
careers in science or science-related
fields, such as medicine and nursing.
The vision for the new science
center attracted the attention and
support of several other significant
donors.
The Peter and Cathy Meldrum
Foundation has considerable interest in
seeing our new science center con-
structed. Peter, President and CEO of
Myriad Genetics, chairs Westminster’s
Science Advisory Task Force and is a
��A Banner Year for Fundraising
Left: Nancy Michalko, Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations
ScholarshipsStudent scholarships provide access
to a Westminster College educa-
tion for many deserving students
who would not be able to afford
their education without financial
assistance. Over 90 percent of
Westminster students rely on schol-
arships or financial aid to help pay
for their educations; the average
scholarship awarded is $7,380.
One example of the many
scholarships created by our donors
is the Founders Scholarship funded
by Zions Bank, which annually
provides four full-tuition scholar-
ships. The students who receive
these scholarships are selected for
both their academic excellence as
well as their outstanding service
to the community. The Zions Bank
Founders Scholarship is integral
to our academic mission and our
goal to ensure that students of all
economic backgrounds are able to
attend Westminster.
member of the college’s board of
trustees. As a distinguished scien-
tist and entrepreneur, Mr. Meldrum
knows that as Utah companies
tackle some of our greatest chal-
lenges, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s
disease, and osteoporosis, more
young scientists will be required
to continue these efforts. Since the
majority of Westminster gradu-
ates stay in Utah, Meldrum realizes
that an investment in the science
center is not only an investment in
Utah’s economic strength, but it also
provides a pipeline for tomorrow’s
scientific leaders.
The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles
Foundation challenged the college
with a $1 million pledge toward the
last dollar of the building. For more
than two decades, the George S. and
Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation has
made gifts throughout the state of
Utah to improve the lives of all its
citizens. When we near completion
of our fundraising on this important
building, this contribution will be a
fitting capstone.
The current scholarships available to
Westminster students from all sources—corpo-
rations, foundations, and individuals—number
215 and include institutional, endowed, and
restricted scholarships. Several examples
of our generous scholarship donors are
listed below:
• George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles
Foundation
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints Foundation
• Marriner S. Eccles Foundation
• Marilyn Peak Pannier and Clyde Pannier
• The Woman’s Board of Westminster College
Center for the EnvironmentThe EnergySolutions Foundation con-
tributed $200,000 to Westminster
College for students to work on
environmental improvements
on campus. The EnergySolutions
Foundation was established to fund
projects dedicated to cleaning up
and enhancing Utah's environ-
ment for the benefit of current and
future generations. The foundation's
donation to Westminster will fund
several important environmental ini-
tiatives on campus. The picturesque
Emigration Creek that runs through
the south end of the campus will be
enhanced with interpretive gardens.
Additionally, our environmental
biology students will study the fea-
sibility of reintroducing Bonneville
cutthroat trout to the creek. This
native species was driven away by
damage from storm runoff that
severely compromised its habitat.
Work has already begun to remove
invasive plants and replant with
native trees and shrubs. The gift also
funds a bridge over the Emigration
Creek to the new site of the college’s
Environmental Center.
NursingThe Bamberger Foundation generously
donated $400,000 for the School
of Nursing and Health Sciences
to enhance the advanced practice
nursing education programs and
to help expand enrollment at the
master’s level at Westminster College.
Westminster’s Master of Science in
Nursing Education (MSNED) prepares
nursing professionals to become
nurse educators in staff develop-
ment roles or in higher education.
Our Master of Science in Nursing
Anesthesia (MSNA) program will
prepare advanced practice nurses
to administer anesthetics, which
is a critical nursing role, particu-
larly in rural hospital settings. And
Westminster’s Master of Science in
Nursing (MSN) trains working pro-
fessionals to become Family Nurse
Practitioners with a holistic approach
to primary patient assessment, diag-
nosis, and care. Advanced practice
nurse practitioners play a crucial role
in our changing health care system
by providing professional primary
patient care in Utah’s urban and rural
��A Banner Year for Fundraising
clinical settings in collaboration with
other medical professionals.
The Bamberger Foundation
has been a long-time partner to
Westminster, supporting many of our
programs since 1977.
Health, Wellness, and AthleticsThe Behnken Field House in the
Dolores Doré Eccles Health, Wellness,
and Athletic Center was a gift to the
college from Jack and Nancy Behnken.
A longtime friend of the college and
parent of a Westminster graduate,
Jack has served on the Board of
Trustees since 1987. The field house
is home to the Westminster Griffins’
winning men’s and women’s basket-
ball teams and women’s volleyball
team, and it provides an important
recreation space for all students. The
field house is also used for campus
gatherings such as the career fair,
freshman orientation, and the col-
lege’s summer event.
Sorenson Legacy Foundation funded
a dance and exercise studio in the
new Eccles Center. The Beverly
Sorenson Studio is the home to
Other examples of donors who gener-
ously support the School of Nursing and Health
Sciences are listed below:
• Dr. Ezekiel R. and Edna Wattis
Dumke Foundation
• Intermountain Health Care
• Wells Fargo Bank
dance, yoga, total body condition-
ing, and a variety of other exercise
programs. It is also used for special
programs and training. The room
features a mounted bar for stretch-
ing and dance purposes that runs the
length of the north wall and a state-
of-the-art sound system that includes
wireless microphones. The studio
serves students, faculty, staff, and
alumni and is a location for outside
community groups such as Art Works
for Kids. The goal of the studio is to
create a supportive space for experi-
ential learning, dance, movement, and
wellness programs for the community.
President’s Innovation NetworkThe President’s Innovation Network
(PIN) is a venture fund to support
the continuing renaissance of
Westminster College, its innovative
initiatives, and its quest to become
a community of learners worthy of
national recognition. During the fiscal
year, 24 members joined—each com-
mitting to an annual gift of $10,000.
In 2006, biology major, Rick
Campbell (‘76), DVM, joined the
President’s Innovation Network. In
1983, Campbell established Willow
Creek Pet Center in Sandy, Utah. The
center is known for its leadership
in veterinary medicine and offers
state-of-the-art medical and surgical
procedures. When asked about his
PIN donation, Dr. Campbell had
this to say: “I believe in Westminster,
the faculty, and the leadership of
President Bassis so, for me, there
is no better investment than in
Westminster College. And when I
consider the impact that Westminster
has had on my life and my career, it’s
the least I can do.”
Once PIN funding was available,
selecting proposals to be funded
was no easy task. On an academic
level, the selected proposals had
to have the potential to be a new
and powerful way to learn, both in
and out of the classroom. They also
had to capture enough interest on
campus to be viable and have the
champions among faculty and staff to
build and sustain them. Finally, they
had to support and strengthen estab-
lished programs so that they would
Additional donor funding for the Dolores Doré Eccles Health, Wellness, and Athletic Center includes the following:
• The R. Harold Burton Foundation
• Henry W. and Leslie M. Eskuche
Charitable Foundation
• WTF Foundation
��A Banner Year for Fundraising
have the political and intellectual
support necessary to survive in their
initial stages and, ultimately, flourish.
President Bassis selected three
such projects for PIN funding in
2006: the Center for China-America
Business Studies, the Environmental
Center, and the Center for Civic
Engagement. The PIN funding has
already fueled the start-up costs and
brought the centers to life. For more
detailed information on the new
centers, turn to page 13.
The Annual FundAlumni, parents, corporations,
foundations, and other friends of
the college generously donated
$2,576,768 in annual operating
dollars to the college. The funds are
expended within the year of the gift
and generally support scholarships
and academic programs. The annual
fund is critical to the ongoing success
of the college.
The college is still challenged to
increase the rate at which its alumni
give to the annual fund. Alumni gifts
demonstrate appreciation for a strong
education and can help attract funds
for Westminster from foundations
and corporations. They are also a
measure that influences our ratings
in college guidebooks, like U.S.News
& World Report. While the college has
had a 131-year history, the majority
of alumni have graduated from
1990 through 2006. These younger
alumni can stimulate enormous
progress for Westminster by increas-
ing their participation in the annual
fund. All donors who contributed to
the annual fund are included in the
Honor Roll.
Planned GiftsAlumni and friends demonstrated
their loyalty to Westminster by
including the college in their estates
in record numbers. The Converse
Society, Westminster’s legacy society,
added 17 new members in 2005–06,
a 15 percent increase. These chari-
table bequests will one day provide
support for a variety of programs
on campus including scholar-
ships, undergraduate research, and
support of the college endowment. In
addition, Lottie and Bill Felkner and Burton
Wheatlake created charitable gift annui-
ties that will provide income for the
rest of their lives. All Converse Society
members are gratefully acknowl-
edged in the Honor Roll.
We are very grateful to the many
individuals, foundations, and corpora-
tions that helped make 2005–2006
a successful fundraising year. As an
independent college, Westminster
relies on gifts from its alumni,
parents, and friends to create new
programs and to provide the finan-
cial support that sustain our level of
excellence. Though the college can
boast of 23 years in the black, private
gifts and grants continue to provide
essential funding to many of the
programs described in this report. •
Westminster College enjoyed
another successful year in fiscal 2006.
The college realized its 23rd consecu-
tive year of operating surplus, which
demonstrates a strong and steady
record of fiscal discipline in managing
the resources of the institution.
Stable enrollment, strong fund-
raising, the addition of several new
buildings, and positive endowment
returns added considerably to the net
assets of the college, growing the total
net assets to almost $114 million.
Total assets increased to almost $160
million while total liabilities decreased
to $45 million.
Total revenues from all sources
increased by 23 percent—from $44.4
million to $54.5 million—primar-
ily due to an increase in net tuition
revenues and contributions. Total
expenses for all funds increased by
2005–2006 Financial Report
7.5 percent—from $39.7 million to
42.7 million.
Net tuition revenues increased
by 3.4 percent—from $29.3 million
to $30.3 million—and accounted
for 56 percent of total revenues.
Overall enrollment for the fiscal
year declined slightly, from 2,482
to 2,447; however, the tuition-rate
increase for the year, offset by
slightly higher tuition discount-
ing, helped realize the 3.4 percent
increase in net tuition revenues.
The college’s undergraduate
tuition rate is still very competitive
at 95 percent of the national average,
earning the college a “Best Value”
ranking in fiscal 2006 from U.S.News &
World Report. The college’s institutional
discount rate was 29.9 percent for
fiscal 2006, which is slightly above
that of peer institutions.
The college had the second-
best year in its history in terms of
fundraising. The largest single gift in
the college’s history, $10 million, was
pledged last year for the new science
center. Funds have also been raised
for the endowment fund, which
reached a record high of $56.3 million
at the end of June 2006.
The investment performance
of the endowment fund realized
a net return of 8.6 percent for the
fiscal year and an average of 11.2%
over three years, which compares
favorably to other endow-
ments comparable in size in the
National Association of College
and University Business Officers
(NACUBO) Endowment Survey. The
positive investment results added
$4.3 million in income and appre-
ciation for the fiscal year.
��2005–2006 Financial Report
Left: Steve Morgan, Executive Vice President
Total expenses were up 7.5
percent from the prior year, which is
slightly above the Higher Education
Price Index of 5.0 percent for the
same period. Several significant cost-
saving initiatives implemented during
the year allowed funds to be shifted
from general administrative support
to the instructional and academic areas
that sustain student learning. One of
the goals in the strategic plan is to
spend more for student learning and
less on administrative costs, and these
reallocations help realize that goal.
Progress on the campus master
plan continued in 2006 with the
opening of the new 80,000-square-
foot Dolores Doré Eccles Health,
Wellness, and Athletic Center and
the Dumke Athletic Field. The new
facilities provide a home for the
growing School of Nursing and
Health Sciences and add enhanced
recreational and athletic facilities to
the campus. The new center includes
a swimming pool, three full-size
gymnasiums, racquetball courts, a
weight room, fitness equipment,
and a three-story climbing wall. The
new athletic field is state-of-the-art
and accommodates a wide range of
athletic activities year round—from
soccer to lacrosse. Underneath the
field are 380 parking stalls that have
added much-needed parking for
students and guests.
Another notable accomplishment
in 2006 was the college’s early repay-
ment of $5.8 million in short-term
taxable notes issued to help fund the
construction of some of the new facili-
ties until multi-year pledges were paid.
As the only independent private
college in Utah and one of the few in
the Intermountain West, Westminster
will face a series of significant chal-
lenges in the future. National trends
suggest declines in the potential
student population and increased
competition for the shrinking pool
of students from private, for-profit
institutions as well as from state-
supported colleges and universities.
Federal funding for student aid is
not expected to increase, and an
increasing proportion of federal
spending will be diverted to com-
munity colleges. At the same time,
4�2005–2006 Financial Report
there will be pressure to restrain
tuition increases. Therefore, over
the next few years, we expect some
peaks and valleys in enrollment
and revenues. We are confident
that as our visibility and reputa-
tion continue to grow, we will be
even more successful in attract-
ing students from other states.
Fundamentally, we have faith in the
mission of the college, confidence in
our ability to manage its resources,
and a firm belief that Westminster
will continue to be an exemplary
community of learners for many
years to come. •
4�2005–2006 Financial Report
Our VisionWe will be nationally recognized as an exemplary community oflearners, distinguished by our
distinctive educational programs,our record of preparing graduatesfor success in a rapidly changingworld, and our commitment to
continuous improvement,effectiveness, and value.
1840 South 1300 EastSalt Lake City, UT 84105
801.484.7651Toll Free 800.748.4753
www.westminstercollege.edu
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