Ensign College is a

private college Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

, United States. Founded in 1886, the college is owned by

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church) and operates under its

Church Educational System The Church Educational System (CES) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) consists of several institutions that provide religious and secular education for both Latter-day Saint and non–Latter-day Saint elementary, sec ...

. It also includes an

Institute of Religion An Institute of Religion is a local organization that provides religious education for young adults (ages 18–30) who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), with those of other religions also welcome to partic ...

and is accredited by the

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) is an independent, non-profit membership organization recognized by the United States Department of Education since 1952 as an institutional accreditor for colleges and universities. ...

History

The ''Salt Lake Stake Academy'' was founded in 1886, with high school,

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, business and college courses of study. The school had 84 students upon its opening. The first classes were held in the Social Hall. 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 Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

in the early 20th century. The college was closely linked with

Latter-day Saints High School LDS High School (previously known as Salt Lake Stake Academy or Latter-day Saints' High School, and sometimes spelled Latter-day Saints High School) was a secondary school in Salt Lake City, Utah operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

, which counted among the graduates

George W. Romney George Wilcken Romney (July 8, 1907 – July 26, 1995) was an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as chairman and president of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, the 43rd gove ...

(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. For many years, the college was located in a former mansion several blocks east of the

Salt Lake Temple The Salt Lake Temple is a Temple (LDS Church), temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sa ...

, at 411 East South Temple. As part of the LDS Church's efforts to revitalize downtown

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

, it moved to the

Triad Center The Triad Center is a complex of office buildings in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Originally planned as a large development, containing several office and residential buildings (including the tallest buildings in Utah), the proj ...

in 2006. Russell M. Nelson, the LDS Church's current

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

, initially took classes at LDSBC but later transferred to the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

to complete his studies. The college is named after

Ensign Peak Ensign Peak ( ) is a dome-shaped peak in the hills just north of downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. The peak and surrounding area are part of Ensign Peak Nature Park, which is owned by the city. The hill's summit is accessed via a popular hiking tr ...

, where Latter-day Saint immigrants waved a flag two days after their first arrival in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake in 1847. The college's slogan is "Developing capable and trusted disciples of Jesus Christ." 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 A Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS or BASc) is an undergraduate academic degree of applied sciences. Usage In Canada, the Netherlands and other places the Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) is equivalent to the Bachelor of Engineering, and is cl ...

degrees in

business management Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

information technology Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...

, and

communications Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

List of presidents

The following is a list of presidents of the institution: * 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

References

Bibliography

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

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ensign College 1886 establishments in Utah Territory Church Educational System Education in Salt Lake City Universities and colleges established in 1886 Properties of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah Universities and colleges accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Universities and colleges affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Universities and colleges in Salt Lake County, Utah Private universities and colleges in Utah

History

List of presidents

See also

References

Bibliography

External links