From Salt Lake Stake Academy to Ensign College: A History of Innovation and Adaptation

Since their beginnings in the 1800s, universities sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have sought to provide higher education that combines study and faith in Jesus Christ. One such institution, now known as Ensign College, has a rich and evolving history rooted in Salt Lake City, Utah. From its humble beginnings as the Salt Lake Stake Academy to its current status as a global educator, the college has undergone numerous transformations in name, location, curriculum, and mission. This article explores the history of Ensign College, highlighting its key milestones, challenges, and contributions to the Church Educational System (CES).

Early Beginnings: The Salt Lake Stake Academy (1886-1890)

Ten years before Utah became a state, a group of local businessmen gathered together to pull together the resources and the support needed to form a college located in downtown Salt Lake City. Their purpose was to create a place where secular and spiritual knowledge could coexist in an educational setting. The story begins in 1886, when the Salt Lake Stake Academy was founded under the direction of LDS Church President John Taylor. Karl G. Maeser - an educator who had already helped to organize other academies - was asked to help develop the new academy and became the college's first president in 1886. The academy opened its doors on November 15, 1886, in the basement of the Social Hall in downtown Salt Lake City. An article from the Deseret News from that date describes the opening. The school room was filled with students, every seat being occupied. The official enrollment number was 84 students for the school’s first term, according to Lynn Hilton in "History of LDS Business College and its parent institutions," published in 1995. The Salt Lake Stake Academy was modeled after the Brigham Young Academy. Various speakers shared their remarks of the school, one likening it to the “offshoot of a nucleus” Brigham Young had created with the Brigham Young Academy (now BYU) in 1875. The school offered high school, normal, business and college courses of study. With enrollment expanding beyond that, the school moved to the Eagle Gate Schoolhouse - just down the street for temporary use shortly after, Hilton wrote.

Transition and Growth: LDS College and LDS University (1890-1931)

In 1890, the Salt Lake Stake Academy was renamed to LDS College. A business curriculum was added in 1896. The school added a typing program in 1900. It was renamed LDS University in 1901 before reverting back to LDS College in 1927 for four years. In 1902, a campus of large buildings was constructed where the Church Office Building now stands. LDS University never became a fully functioning university and was displaced as the church's preeminent higher learning center by Brigham Young University in the early twentieth century. The college was closely linked with Latter-day Saints High School, which counted George W. Romney (1926) and Gordon B. Hinckley among its alumni. The college even sponsored athletics - primarily basketball beginning in 1900 - until 1931, under the “Saints” team nickname. The women also had tennis, hockey, baseball and basketball teams.

Focusing on Business: LDS Business College (1931-2020)

In 1931, it became the LDS Business College after lower grades (a grade 9-12 high school) of the college were dropped during the Great Depression as a cost-cutting measure. The only department that remained was the Business Department. Thus, the addition of “Business” to the name. Student enrollment, which began at 84 in its first semester, has risen and fluctuated ever since - dropping the most in 1931 when the college dropped its grade school courses. While the Great Depression caused a dip in enrollment, other moments affected enrollment. For many years, the college was located in a former mansion several blocks east of the Salt Lake Temple, at 411 East South Temple. After being there for 60 years, the school moved to the Wall Mansion where it stayed for 44 years, until the college moved to the current Triad Campus, located at 95 N. 300 West, a few blocks west of Temple Square. In 2006, the college moved to its current location at the Triad Campus, located just a few blocks west of Temple Square. Some of the other buildings in downtown Salt Lake that housed the college include: Social Hall, the Lion House and the Templeton Building located on South Temple and Main St.

According to Craig V. Nelson, vice president of advancement for LDS Business College, the school is more global than it has ever been, and has seen - for the most part - a constant growth since its beginnings. In 2006, prior to moving into the Triad Center, the student population was about 800, according to Collett. "We have seen a 52 percent growth rate from 2006 to today," he said. "What that statistic says is that the kind of institution we are today speaks to the many students for whom a two-year get-in-and-get-out education to start the next part of your life is exactly what they need. We have been doing that for the last 125 years."

The school's focus today, Collett said, is getting students jobs. While the school morphed from grade-school education to a business college based on the economy, the school adds new areas of emphasis to adapt to the growing changes in America’s labor needs now. For example, it has recently added or expanded in areas such as cyber security, social media and medical coding and dropped secretarial degrees in the 1990s when that became a dying field. What is taught at the school - even with its small size - is much like how the school has evolved over the past 130 years. "It just depends a lot on the changes in the economy and who is hiring what," Collett said. "For most colleges, it would take them years to start a curriculum, so being a little bit smaller, we’re a little bit more agile."

Past faculty members and alumni include many known names in the Church. Elder James E. Talmage who served as an apostle was the principal from 1888-1892; Willard Young, the son of President Brigham Young, was the principal from 1905-1915. Bryant S. and Ada Bitner Hinckley, parents of President Gordon B. Hinckley, were on the faculty staff in the early 1900s. Elder Russell M. Nelson attended LDS Business College to learn shorthand prior to his studies at other universities.

A Sesquicentennial Celebration

2011 marked the 125th anniversary of LDS Business College. In an effort to celebrate the legacy of the college and to welcome in the future, a celebration was held on the college's campus on Sept. 21. A crowd of students, faculty and community members gathered to the college's current campus to sing "Happy Birthday" and participate in games and activities. Included in the celebration was a launch of 1,000 table tennis balls from the roof of the LDS Business College, with 125 of the balls marked with prizes.

"We stand on the shoulders of those who went before us in a very meaningful way," said J. Lawrence (Larry) Richards, LDS Business College president. "We reverence that history, and as we stand on the shoulders we see new horizons."

"The college has changed much since 1886, but in other ways it hasn't changed at all," said President Richards. "It continues to focus on skills … [for] the marketplace and the spiritual skills to contribute to the kingdom of God. Those who come here and are willing to be taught by the Lord will take away spiritual development and an anchoring for the rest of their lives."

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Although the purposes are the same as they were in 1886, the faces of LDS Business College have changed immensely over the past few decades. Today, the student body comes from all 50 states, as well as 64 countries outside of the United States. "The more students you meet, the more stories you hear," President Richards said. "Some are wonderful stories and some are of hardship, where with the Lord's help, these students will be lifted up. Students come from all economic and social backgrounds, but as their hearts are united, they are able to teach and learn in the Lord's way. It is wonderful."

It is through education - combining the secular with the spiritual - that individuals are able to build up the Church around them and become who the Lord would have them become, said President Richards. "The key to Church growth is leadership, and the key to leadership is education," he said. "LDS Business College has a rich tradition of teaching people to make a contribution immediately."

Leadership Transition

Since taking the helm in 2017, LDS Business College President Bruce C. Kusch and his administrators have steered the school through many ups and downs.

A New Era: Ensign College (2020-Present)

On September 1, 2020, LDSBC was renamed Ensign College. Elder Paul V. Johnson, a General Authority Seventy and Commissioner of the Church Educational System, announced the changes to the two-year school on Tuesday, February 25, at a campus devotional for students and faculty in the Assembly Hall at Temple Square in Salt Lake City.

"LDS Business College has always been ‘a unique and treasured part of the Church Educational System,’” Elder Johnson said. The changes announced do not change the nature of the institution. They build upon the college’s deep commitment to students and position it to better bless their lives in new and meaningful ways. [Ensign College] offers its students much more than programs in business and this name change will be a catalyst for re-introducing the College and all that it offers.”

With the other changes that have been approved and announced, the Board of Trustees felt this was the appropriate time to change the name of the College.

The Significance of the Name "Ensign"

On July 26, 1847, two days after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young and several other men hiked to the top of a mountain he had seen in vision prior to beginning the trek west. That spot, Ensign Peak, rises just north of where the College is located. From their vantage point, 1,000-feet above the valley floor, Brigham Young described his vision and the men began to lay plans for the future city. It was given that name because it was a symbol of the spirit of international outreach and the ancient promise that here one could learn the ways of God. Throughout its 134-year history Ensign College has provided such an environment.

President Bruce C. Kusch explained during that devotional in February that the scriptures use the word “ensign” to describe the new and everlasting covenant, a symbol of peace, a guide to the gathering of Israel and a light as a standard to the nations. As students come to the college to learn and study and then go forth as disciples of Christ, they become standard bearers for His gospel.

President Kusch went on to explain. “An ensign is defined as a banner, a standard, or a symbol,” he said. “The scriptures use the word ensign to describe the new and everlasting covenant, as a symbol of peace, as a guide for the gathering of Israel, and as a light to be a standard to the nations. As we embrace a new name, I invite each of us to think more carefully about that light and being a standard of righteousness. The Savior reminded the Nephites that He was the light they were to hold up to the world. Students come from all over the world to this college to study and to learn, and our graduates can be found throughout the world. Becoming capable and trusted disciples of Jesus Christ is how we hold Him, His example, and His everlasting gospel up as a light, as a standard, and as an ensign everywhere we go.”

Bachelor of Applied Science Degrees

In addition to the name change, Ensign College will begin to offer a limited number of Bachelor of Applied Science degrees with focus and concentration on preparing students with the in-demand skills employers are requesting, beginning Fall 2021. The College will retain its two-year accreditation status.

Elder Johnson went on to announce that beginning in the fall 2021 semester, Ensign College will offer a limited number of four-year bachelor of applied science (BAS) degrees. It is anticipated that BAS degrees will be offered in business management, communications, and information technology. This type of degree is unique in its focus on preparing students with the in-demand skills employers are requesting.

President Bruce C. Kusch has expounded on this subject by saying that “80 percent of our students are enrolled in programs that require them to transfer. We began to feel like there was a need we could fill that wasn’t being filled anywhere else. Many of our students were transferring to nonchurch schools. Many of our students would prefer to stay and finish a degree with us. It will be more affordable for them, and because of personal circumstances, many are not in a position to move to attend another school. This led us to propose offering a limited number of bachelor’s degrees. We believe this will complement the offerings by the other CES schools.

The primary difference is the applied nature of the curriculum. The programs will be very focused on job readiness, just like the two-year programs. Ensign College works closely with employers to make sure graduates get real-world experience through projects and internships. The instructional model immerses students in real-world environments from the very beginning of their time with the institution.

Expanding Online Reach

Ensign College will serve a broader audience throughout the Church by offering much of its unique job-ready curriculum online. LDS Business College has been offering online courses for several years now, so it’s not really an entry but an expansion. Three of the existing certificate programs are being offered now through BYU-Pathway Worldwide and BYU-Idaho online.

Elder Johnson also announced that Ensign College will also begin serving a broader audience throughout the Church by offering much of its unique, job-ready curriculum online, facilitated primarily through BYU-Pathway Worldwide. Following Elder Johnson’s remarks, President Kusch said, “Currently, and many of you may not know this, but currently, there are hundreds of students around the world already taking online courses that were created here at LDS Business College. We will have the opportunity of extending the blessings of learning to thousands in the not-too-distant future.

Ensign College’s curriculum will continue to be unique within the Church Educational System in its focus on job-ready skills. There are members of the Church around the world that will benefit from having access to the College’s curriculum online.

Medical Billing and Coding is one of the programs that will soon be offered online. They are also looking at a Project Management. The Associate of Science degree will eventually be available online, as will the BAS degrees. They may also offer several of the Applied Associate of Science degrees online.

Ensign College will award the credit for BYU-Pathway Worldwide students enrolled in Ensign College programs. The two institutions will enter into a service agreement. Ensign College will continue to develop its curriculum as it does today. A fundamental difference will be that all certificates and degrees offered by Ensign College will be labeled as Ensign College curriculum. Additionally, as mentioned above, Ensign College will be the institution granting credit and providing transcripts.

Students who come to the Salt Lake City campus will be able to complete certificates and degrees online. The same online courses, certificates, and degrees offered through BYU-Pathway Worldwide will be available to the students. The only exception is for international students who have a limit on the number of online courses they can take as a condition of their student visa status.

With the recent changes, President Kuch can feel that same optimism even more keenly. According to school administration projections, between 2,500 to 2,600 BYU-Pathway students will be enrolled in Ensign College courses for the fall. “Several years from now, that could be 10,000 students on a semesterly basis.

Looking to the Future

Elder Johnson concluded his announcement by stating that “the school’s mission and its charge to produce graduates who are spiritually well-grounded and professionally prepared will not change. President Kusch followed Elder Johnson’s charge by reminding the LDSBC family gathered that there is much to be grateful for: “Now, as you have heard this announcement for these adjustments, I would imagine that our hearts and minds are filled with thoughts, emotions, I hope a great deal of excitement, but above all, I hope that each of us is filled with a deep sense of gratitude and thanksgiving. With the approval and the support of the First Presidency, who are the officers of the board of trustees, and the full board of trustees, the Lord has bestowed a glorious blessing upon this institution and us.

Speaking at the 1899 commencement exercises of then LDS College, Karl G. Maeser declared that its future would be more glorious than its past.

We anticipate this will have a positive effect on our retention, as many students will be able to stay and finish a bachelor’s degree with us if they choose. We also anticipate that these changes will have a positive impact and influence on choosing Ensign College. We certainly hope to see modest growth as a result of the changes. We believe we can serve more students with our existing staff. Because we use adjunct faculty to teach much of our curriculum we can respond to enrollment growth quickly as that becomes necessary.

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