Westminster Announces Four Exciting New Academic Programs

Undergraduate and graduate programs to begin in the fall of 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Krista DeAngelis, (801) 832-2682 

May 4, 2009

SALT LAKE CITY– Westminster College is pleased to announce the creation of four new academic programs to begin in the fall of 2009. The new programs focus on specialized fields of study and program designs that are pertinent in today’s world, such as the Spanish culture and language, community leadership, accounting and real-world problem solving.

“While many colleges and universities across the country are cutting programs in the face of budget cuts, Westminster has chosen to add very relevant programs to help students succeed in our modern world,” said Michael Bassis, Westminster College president.

The new programs include:
Undergraduate: Westminster Scholars and Spanish-Latin American Studies

Graduate: Master of Arts in Community Leadership and Master of Accountancy

Westminster Scholars:
The Westminster Scholars program takes the problem-based learning model and applies it to a liberal education core curriculum. It is one of the only programs of its kind in the country. It will offer a selective cohort of academically talented students a chance to complete their liberal education courses in a challenging, hands-on, collaborative learning environment designed to develop their critical, creative, and analytical thinking. These motivated students will participate in small, problem-based learning courses limited to 20 students. The problems explored in these courses will come from current real-world situations and will challenge students to actively learn and apply their knowledge to develop solutions. Faculty will serve as mentors and facilitators, assisting students as they work independently and in teams to find resources and apply theoretical frameworks and concepts to the problems.

Problem-based learning has been a core of the curriculum of many medical schools, including Harvard Medical School, helping to prepare, as the Council on Competitiveness described, “a whole generation with the capacities for creative thinking and for thriving in a competitive culture, able to work in multidisciplinary teams,…to be comfortable with ambiguity, recognize new patterns with disparate data,…and to be inquisitive and analytical.” At Westminster it provides an exciting new model for satisfying liberal education requirements.

Spanish-Latin American Studies:
As the college’s newest undergraduate major, the Spanish-Latin American Studies program will consist of courses in the Spanish language as well as enhanced Latin American and Spanish history and literature classes. The program design is fully interdisciplinary, incorporating language, culture, and literature. The broad range of electives allows students the flexibility to design their major around their special interest, such as art, business, culture, literature, or world politics. The program requires an international experience, which will provide students with an opportunity to immerse themselves in the language and culture.

Master of Arts in Community Leadership (MACL):
An MACL degree gives students the ability to lead and manage non-profit organizations, develop successful social service and community outreach programs, and organize grassroots efforts and dialogue. One unique feature of this program is that it prepares people to work in a wide variety of settings, ranging from corporate philanthropy and non-profit organizations, to governmental positions and grassroots groups. Program coursework teaches management, leadership, communications, advocacy and educational skills. The degree program is based on collaborative efforts from Westminster’s Schools of Business, Nursing and Health Sciences, Education and Arts and Sciences.

“Graduates of the Master of Arts in Community Leadership program will know how to engage citizens in democratic decision-making at a time when we have important decisions to make as a country and as local communities,” said Peggy Cain, program director of the MACL. “Graduates will have a wide skill set for leading organizations and guiding community work at this exciting point in time.”

Master of Accountancy (MAcc):
The MAcc is designed to meet the needs of students who are interested in a professional career in accounting. The program is unique because it recognizes the highly integrated relationship between the disciplines of accounting and information systems that have evolved in the recent past. Students completing this program will be well prepared to sit for the CPA exam and positioned for the fast track to leadership roles in either public accounting or corporate environments.

About Westminster:
Westminster is a nationally recognized, comprehensive liberal arts college. With a broad array of graduate and undergraduate programs, Westminster is distinguished by its unique environment for learning. Westminster prepares students for success through active and engaged learning, real world experiences and its vibrant campus community. Westminster’s unique location, adjacent to the Rocky Mountains and to the dynamic city of Salt Lake, further enriches the college experience. For more information, visit http://www.westminstercollege.edu or follow WestminsterSLC on Twitter.