The Old Westminster Magic
Alum reflects on the transition to Westminster University
By Richel Raich-Cantu (’09 Westminster Alumni Board Chair)
If there’s one thing we alums know to be true, it’s that Westminster is a magical place. It’s not just that our mascot is a mythical creature or that many corners of our campus feel like they could be the backdrop for a film about the world’s most famous wizard. Westminster is a community of people who are deeply dedicated to each other’s pursuit of learning.
Westminster is also a place with a long history of progress and evolution. Take our upcoming transition to Westminster University, for example. It isn’t even our first name change! Sheldon Jackson College was our beloved alma mater’s moniker for five years until, at the turn of the twentieth century, it took on its current name of Westminster College.
Despite such changes, Westminster has retained its magic. It’s always been home to talented, dedicated faculty and staff, small class sizes where students wrestle with new ideas, and those incredible views of mountains that boast the greatest snow on earth. That will all continue to be true once Westminster takes on its new last name: University.
Still, I admit to feeling some uncertainty when President Dobkin first shared the news about the proposed name change. I went to Westminster College. It’s the name on the diploma hanging on my wall and the name on all my favorite ASWC t-shirts that I sewed into a blanket. Mostly, though, Westminster College is an important part of my story—a story with many chapters.
There was the difficult conversation with Dean Ferne that was the start of a mentorship that helped me get to and through graduate school. There was the book I read in Dr. Rubinfeld’s class, Amazing Grace by Jonathon Kozol, that planted the seed that has grown into my beloved career in education. There was planning events as the ASW Vice President that prepared me for my leap out of the classroom. And that’s just my work life! I also met my two best friends at Westminster, who now make up the trio my mom has nicknamed “Trichelica.”
My uncertainty has faded, however, because I know nothing can change what Westminster has given me. In fact, becoming a university brings with it some incredible benefits for us as graduates. President Dobkin has highlighted research that shows institutions like Westminster have seen an increase in prominence and reputation when they made the leap from college to university. That bump in visibility and standing also tends to mean a boost in earnings for graduates of those institutions.
But most importantly, Westminster will never lose its special magic. With a new name that better communicates to the world how we’ve evolved over the years, faculty at Westminster University will continue teaching deeply engaging courses on topics from o-chem to econ to social problems. Students will continue moving into Hogle in the fall and moving out after graduation, having become a better version of themselves. Those 27 acres nestled in the heart of Sugar House will remain our home away from home. I hope I see you there soon.
About the Westminster Review
The Westminster Review is Westminster University’s bi-annual alumni magazine that is distributed to alumni and community members. Each issue aims to keep alumni updated on campus current events and highlights the accomplishments of current students, professors, and Westminster alum.
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