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Ensign College

Coordinates: 40°46′16″N 111°53′57″W / 40.771187°N 111.899177°W / 40.771187; -111.899177
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Ensign College
Former names
Salt Lake Stake Academy (1886–1890)
LDS College (1890–1901)
LDS University (1901–1927)
LDS College (1927–1931)
LDS Business College (1931–2020)
TypePrivate college
EstablishedNovember 15, 1886; 138 years ago (1886-11-15)
Parent institution
Church Educational System
AccreditationNWCCU
Religious affiliation
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
PresidentBruce C. Kusch
Academic staff
20 faculty, 213 adjunct faculty (Fall 2023)
Students5,973 (Fall 2023)[1]
Location
Salt Lake City
,
Utah
,
United States

40°46′16″N 111°53′57″W / 40.771187°N 111.899177°W / 40.771187; -111.899177
CampusUrban, 10-story building, 151,582 square feet (14,082.4 m2)[2][3]
ColorsForest Green, Gold[4]
   
MascotLion[5]
Websitewww.ensign.edu

Ensign College is a private college in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Founded in 1886, the college is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and operates under its Church Educational System. It also includes an Institute of Religion and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.[6]

History

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Latter-day Saints' University in 1905
LDS Business College at the Triad Center, 2013

The Salt Lake Stake Academy was founded in 1886, with high school, normal, business and college courses of study. The school had 84 students upon its opening.[7] The first classes were held in the Social Hall.[8] By 1895 was offering a four-year course of study culminating in a Ph.B. degree.

LDS University never became a fully functioning university and was displaced as the church's preeminent higher learning center by Brigham Young University in the early 20th century. The college was closely linked with Latter-day Saints High School, which counted among the graduates George W. Romney (1926) and Gordon B. Hinckley (1928).

In 1927, the name of LDS University was changed to LDS College and then to LDS Business College (LDSBC), as the other higher-education functions were gone. Two of the school's presidents were James E. Talmage and Bryant S. Hinckley.[9][10]

For many years, the college was located in a former mansion several blocks east of the Salt Lake Temple, at 411 East South Temple. As part of the LDS Church's efforts to revitalize downtown Salt Lake City, it moved to the Triad Center in 2006.[11]

Russell M. Nelson, the LDS Church's current president, initially took classes at LDSBC but later transferred to the University of Utah to complete his studies.[12]

The college is named after Ensign Peak, where Latter-day Saint immigrants waved a flag two days after their first arrival in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake in 1847.[13] The college's slogan is "Developing capable and trusted disciples of Jesus Christ."[13][14]

On September 1, 2020, LDSBC was renamed Ensign College. In the fall of 2021, Ensign College will begin offering four-year Bachelor of Applied Science degrees in business management, information technology, and communications.[13][15]

List of presidents

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Ensign College in Salt Lake City, 2020

The following is a list of presidents of the institution:[16]

  • Karl G. Maeser (principal in charge): 1886–88;
  • Willard Done (acting principal): 1886–88;
  • James E. Talmage: 1888–92;
  • Willard Done: 1892–99;
  • Joshua H. Paul: 1899–1905;
  • Willard Young: 1905–15;
  • Guy C. Wilson: 1915–26;
  • Feramorz Y. Fox: 1926–48;
  • Kenneth S. Bennion: 1948–61;
  • R. Ferris Kirkham: 1961–86;
  • Kenneth H. Beesley: 1986–91;
  • Stephen K. Woodhouse: 1992–2008;
  • J. Lawrence Richards: 2008–17;
  • Bruce C. Kusch: 2017–present[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Ensign College". Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  2. ^ Tiffany Erickson (September 11, 2006). "New era at LDS Business College". Deseret News. Archived from the original on January 12, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  3. ^ "Parcel search Details". Assessor.slco.org. May 18, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  4. ^ "Logo Trade Sheet" (PDF). LDS Business College. January 26, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  5. ^ "LDSBC". Campus Explorer. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  6. ^ "Accreditation - LDSBC". Ldsbc.edu. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  7. ^ Williams, Carter. "Looking back at the ever-changing LDS Business College over the past 130 years". ksl.com. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  8. ^ "Salt Lake Stake Academy: Auspicious Opening of the New Latter-day Saints' School". Deseret Evening News. Salt Lake City. November 15, 1886. p. 2. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  9. ^ "President Gordon B. Hinckley". Ensign. March 2008.
  10. ^ D. Louise Brown. "College's Past Principals and Presidents Pay a Visit".
  11. ^ "LDS Business College moves next month". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  12. ^ Holman, Marianne (April 19, 2011). "LDS Business College graduation: Goals great, greater and greatest". Church News. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
  13. ^ a b c Walch, Tad (September 1, 2020). "Why the newly renamed Ensign College is the only Latter-day Saint school without the BYU name". Deseret News.
  14. ^ "About | LDS Business College". ldsbc.edu. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  15. ^ Walch, Tad (February 25, 2020). "LDS Business College renamed Ensign College on 'another day never to be forgotten'". Deseret News. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  16. ^ "The History of LDS Business College and its Parent Institutions 1886-1993, page 66". contentdm.lib.byu.edu. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  17. ^ "LDS Business College Names 13th President". mormonnewsroom.org. January 31, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2018.

Bibliography

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  • Beesley, K. H. (1992). LDS Business College. In D. H. Ludlow (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism. New York: Macmillan.
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