Forging a Path Along Utah’s Corporate Trail

Utah Business Magazine
By Sarah Ryther Francom
April 30, 2008

Forging a Path Along Utah’s Corporate Trail
A tradition of pioneering spirit has built Utah into one of the nation’s strongest states for business today. Each year, a group of lasting companies are profiled in Utah Business. The 12 companies that make up this year’s list have created a legacy of quality, integrity and service. The selected companies are exemplary not only for their longevity – each company reaches back at least 50 years – but for their commitment to Utah’s economy and community. Enduring through economic ups and downs, these companies have built a heritage along Utah’s corporate horizon.

Westminster College
Michael Bassis, President, 1875
Since its founding in 1875 as a preparatory school, Westminster College has evolved into an independent liberal arts college and is now considered to be one of Utah’s points of pride. “[Westminster] has grown into an institution that combines the best qualities of a small liberal arts college with the best qualities of a small university,” says Michael Bassis, president of Westminster College.

Today, the school offers 37 undergraduate programs and 10 graduate programs — programs that have earned the school national acclaim from the likes of U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review, among others.

But times weren’t always so rosy for Westminster College. In 1929, a devastating fire destroyed 14,000 books in the school’s library. In the 1970s, Westminster College faced near financial ruin. And, until the 1980s, the school’s iconic building, Converse Hall, was painted Pepto-Bismol pink. “It looked like a pink submarine,” jokes Bassis.

Since then, the school has received a major makeover, with new buildings and seven educational centers added and an expansion of its athletic program. “Our campus has really become something,” says Bassis. “But you need more than just the right look and feel to be a good school and that’s what makes us unique: we offer outstanding education.”

Bassis says that what makes Westminster exceptional are the school’s strategic teaching guidelines. “We have a very single-minded focus on our students and their learning. Our
faculty develops personal relationships with their students and our faculty cares about students as people,” he says. “In addition to the traditional subject matter, we teach subjects like critical thinking, ethical awareness, collaboration, integrative thinking and applied problem solving. Westminster emphasizes active and engaged learning. Our students learn through experience and collaboration.”

While Bassis says that he’s enjoyed watching the school’s evolution, what
he enjoys most is when students leave Westminster. “Students come into Westminster as shy and naïve individuals. When they graduate, they are self-confident individuals who have ideas about themselves and the world. I get the most joy out of watching them understand the contributions that they can make”

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