Ensign College

Former names	Salt Lake Stake Academy (1886–1890) LDS College (1890–1901) LDS University (1901–1927) LDS College (1927–1931) LDS Business College (1931–2020)
Type	Private college
Established	November 15, 1886; 137 years ago (1886-11-15)
Parent institution	Church Educational System
Accreditation	NWCCU
Religious affiliation	The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
President	Bruce C. Kusch
Academic staff	19 faculty, 92 adjunct faculty
Students	2,200[1] officially enrolled
Other students	Also about 2,500 BYU-Pathway Worldwide students, remote learning[2]
Location	Salt Lake City , Utah , United States 40°46′16″N 111°53′57″W / 40.771187°N 111.899177°W / 40.771187; -111.899177
Campus	Urban, 10-story building, 151,582 square feet (14,082.4 m2)[3][4]
Colors	Forest Green, Gold[5]
Mascot	Lion[6]
Website	www.ensign.edu

Ensign College (formerly LDS Business College^[7]) is a private college in Salt Lake City, Utah. The college is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and operates under its Church Educational System. It also includes an Institute of Religion and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.^[8]

History

The Salt Lake Stake Academy was founded in 1886, with high school, normal, business and college courses of study. The school had 84 students upon its opening.^[9] By 1895 was offering a four-year course of study culminating in a Ph.B. degree.

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 20th century. The college was closely linked with Latter-day Saints High School, which counted among the graduates George W. Romney (1926) and Gordon B. Hinckley (1928).

In 1927, the name of LDS University was changed to LDS College and then to LDS Business College (LDSBC), as the other higher-education functions were gone. Two of the school's presidents were James E. Talmage and Bryant S. Hinckley.^[10][11]

For many years, the college was located in a former mansion several blocks east of the Salt Lake Temple, at 411 East South Temple. As part of the LDS Church's efforts to revitalize downtown Salt Lake City, it moved to the Triad Center in 2006.^[12]

Russell M. Nelson, the LDS Church's current president, initially took classes at LDSBC but later transferred to the University of Utah to complete his studies.^[13]

The college is named after Ensign Peak, where Latter-day Saint immigrants waved a flag two days after their first arrival in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake in 1847.^[2] The college's slogan is "Developing capable and trusted disciples of Jesus Christ."^[2][14]

On September 1, 2020, LDSBC was renamed Ensign College. In the fall of 2021, Ensign College will begin offering four-year Bachelor of Applied Science degrees in business management, information technology, and communications.^[2][15]

List of presidents

The following is a list of former presidents of the institution:^[16]

• Karl G. Maeser (principal in charge): 1886–88;
• Willard Done (acting principal): 1886–88;
• James E. Talmage: 1888–92;
• Willard Done: 1892–99;
• Joshua H. Paul: 1899–1905;
• Willard Young: 1905–15;
• Guy C. Wilson: 1915–26;
• Feramorz Y. Fox: 1926–48;
• Kenneth S. Bennion: 1948–61;
• R. Ferris Kirkham: 1961–86;
• Kenneth H. Beesley: 1986–91;
• Stephen K. Woodhouse: 1992–2008;
• J. Lawrence Richards: 2008–17;
• Bruce C. Kusch: 2017–present^[17]