Dear Colleagues,
Campus Updates
What an honor I felt on Saturday to be officially inaugurated as the 18th President of Westminster College. It was a grand weekend of events that brought many alumni, trustees, faculty, staff, donors, students, and special guests back to campus to celebrate their reunions and this historic occasion. I was a little embarrassed by all of the attention and fanfare, but it was a rare opportunity to celebrate the wonderful traditions and success of Westminster.
I would like to recognize Claire Martinez for her leadership in all of the event planning and Michelle Barber and Lexi Banks for all of the reunion weekend activities. Thank you to the Inauguration Committee and to Preston Chiaro as our honorary chairperson. Many, many thanks to all of you who worked so hard to put on the Campus Showcase as well. It truly exemplified the spirit of teamwork and inspiration that makes Westminster special. If you weren't able to attend the ceremony on Saturday, I have attached my inauguration speech. It expresses my hopes for the college and the goals I hope to accomplish as your president.
Westminster's Athletic Program is now competing in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference as an NCAA Division II provisional member. (More info at: http://rmacsports.org/#) Our new competitors in the RMAC are definitely stronger and more athletic and will require our teams to bring their very best to every competition. I invite you to attend one of the upcoming games and cheer on our Griffins!
Westminster College is proud to be a member institution in The New American Colleges and Universities (NAC&U), which is a national consortium of selective, small to mid-size, independent colleges and universities dedicated to the purposeful integration of liberal education, professional studies, and civic engagement. (http://newamericancolleges.org). This month three new members were added to strengthen the consortium: California Lutheran University, Roger Williams University and the University of New Haven. I believe our alignment with NAC&U is important way to remain connected to the national higher education landscape and promote nationally the great work we are doing at Westminster.
One of my priorities is to add to and enhance our strategic partnerships. Recently, I met with the Utah leader of Goldman Sachs, David Lang, who told me how valuable our graduates are to his firm. Goldman Sachs currently employs 124 Westminster alumni globally across 10 divisions and 9 cities, and many are in emerging leadership roles. What's more, the firm is growing its workforce in Salt Lake and would like even more Westminster students and graduates as interns and employees.
Upcoming Events
As September comes to a close, many of our staff have been busy completing reports (such as FISAP, IPEDS, and CLERY) that are required by federal and outside agencies. Along with our financial audits and our reports to credit rating agencies and various accrediting bodies, these reports provide a snapshot of our current condition. Many of them are accessible on our website, and I would encourage you to review them. I will be sharing information from the reports at the upcoming All College Meeting on October 8th.
Finally, I must also announce the upcoming departure of our General Counsel, Melissa Flores. Melissa has played an important role in a number of areas related to risk management, federal compliance, legal claims management, and diversity and inclusion initiatives. Her leadership in establishing and organizing the Title IX Symposium in particular has helped our campus to better understand Title IX and be leaders on this issue in our community. Melissa is moving on to Salt Lake Community Council as their General Counsel. I know you join me in wishing her all the best in her future endeavors and in thanking her for her service to Westminster College.
Campus Invitations
The All College Meeting is next week on October 8th from 3:00 – 5:00 in the Gore Auditorium. The agenda will include updates on enrollment, retention, and the budget as well as planning and priorities for the coming year. It is an important opportunity to be together as faculty and staff.
All the best,
Steve