Westminster University

Westminster University is a private university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was founded in 1875 and comprises four schools. History Westminster University was founded in 1875 as the Salt Lake Collegiate Institute, a preparatory school. Westminster first offered college classes in 1897 as Sheldon Jackson College. Named in honor of its primary benefactor and a Presbyterian minister, Sheldon Jackson, the college operated for many years on the Collegiate Institute campus in downtown Salt Lake City under the supervision of the First Presbyterian Church of Salt Lake City. The college changed its name to Westminster College in 1902 to better reflect a more general Protestant education. The name is derived from the Westminster Confession of Faith, a Presbyterian confession of faith, which was named for the district of London where it was devised. The University of Westminster, London is a separate higher education institution in the United Kingdom and is not affiliated with Westminster College. High school level classes ceased to be offered in 1945, and Westminster became the first accredited two-year junior college in the intermountain area. In 1935, Westminster modified its curriculum to qualify as a four-year junior college and in 1949 became a four-year liberal arts university offering baccalaureate degrees in the arts and sciences.