75th Anniversary for Salt Lake Community College

Salt Lake Community College in Salt Lake City, UT is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its founding in 1948.  You can visit the 75th Anniversary webpage to find information on upcoming events. There is also a short YouTube video, timeline, and other anniversary resources.

The institution was initially founded as Salt Lake Area Vocational School. The name changed to Salt Lake Trade Technical Institute in 1959 and to Salt Lake Community College in 1987.

Westminster College in Utah Adopts New Name

The trustees of Westminster College in Salt Lake City, UT approved a name change for the institution and it will be known as Westminster University.

Westminster was founded as the Salt Lake Collegiate Institute, a preparatory school. It began offering college classes in 1897 as Sheldon Jackson College. It adopted a new name as Westminster College in 1902. 

Southern Utah University Celebrates Anniversary

Southern Utah University in Cedar City, UT is celebrating the 125th anniversary of its founding in 1897.

You can explore SUU's history by visiting the 125th anniversary page with links to a calendar of events, timeline of institutional history, podcasts, artwork, videos, and more.

SUU was founded as the Branch Normal School. The name changed to Branch Agricultural College in 1913. It became the College of Southern Utah in 1953, Southern Utah State College in 1969, and finally, Southern Utah University in 1991.

You can travel through Cedar City and southern Utah on a scenic tour visiting historical sites associated with SUU's founding. The KSL.com website offers "Explore SUU's founding with a self-guided tour of southern Utah," that describes the route with locations in Cedar City and the surrounding area. The tour can be a full-day trip by adding additional locations in the region or you can drive the full loop in less than two hours.

Additionally, you can view a short historical reenactment, "Back Up the Mountain," that details the amazing story of determined men and women who founded SUU. The video was produced in the area and many cast members and extras are proud descendants of the university's founders.

LDS Business College Adopts New Name

The Board of Trustees of LDS Business College announced that the non-profit institution will become Ensign College, effective in September 2020. LDS Business College, affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is located in Salt Lake City, UT and serves just under 2,000 students.

Founded in 1886 as Salt Lake Academy, the name changed in 1888 to Salt Lake Stake Academy. The name changed again in 1889 to Latter Day Saints University, then in 1927 to LDS College and later in 1931, to LDS Business College.

Read more about the name change in "LDS Business College renamed Ensign College on ‘another day never to be forgotten’" published by the Deseret News on February 25, 2020 with reporting by Tad Walch.

You can also access copies of the History of LDS Business College and its Parent Institutions, 1886-1993, written by Lynn M. Hilton, on the Internet Archive.

1906 image of LDS Business College Source: Wyoming State Archives Digital Collection

Utah Colleges that have Closed, Merged, or Changed Names

This table below includes institutions that have closed, merged, or changed their names.  If you note a need for changing or updating information, please notify ray01brown@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

An index with links to separate pages for other states and countries is available.

There is a College History Garden Facebook group or you can view and follow multiple College History Garden boards on Pinterest or there is a board specifically devoted to Utah colleges.

Thanks for your interest and suggestions!

All Hallows College (UT)

Gary Topping, archivist of the Diocese of Salt Lake City authored an article on All Hallows College for the Intermountain Catholic.  The institution was in Salt Lake City and operated from 1886 until 1918.

Marc Hancock's "Catholicism has a rich, varied history in Utah" in The Deseret News on February 1, 2010 includes the above photograph of All Hallows College along with other related history.  The Utah State Department of Heritage and Arts also offers a similar photograph from 1916 of the institution through their digital archive.

An earlier 1890 photograph is available through the C.R. Savage Collection of the BYU Harold B. Lee Library Digital Collection.

Dixie State University (UT)

Benjamin Wood's article for the Deseret News on February 13, 2013 indicates that Utah lawmakers approved a move to university status.  The bill also includes a change in name to Dixie State University from Dixie State College.  The institution founded in 1911 began with LDS Church sponsorship. Control then shifted to the Utah Board of Education from 1935-1969 and then to the Utah State Board of Regents after 1969.

Dixie State College of Utah

Dr. Douglas D. Alder, a former president and professor emeritus at Dixie State College in Utah, now Dixie State University authored a history of the institution. The book covers the survival and growth of the institution from when it began with LDS Church sponsorship in 1911. Control then shifted to the Utah Board of Education from 1935-1969 and then to the Utah State Board of Regents after 1969. The article indicates that A Century of Dixie State College of Utah is available for purchase at the Dixie State Bookstore, the Dixie State Store, or the DSC Alumni Office. It can also be purchased online at Dixie State Bookstore. For more information, contact Randy Judd at (435) 652-7641.