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 |
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 | , , United States 40°46′16″N111°53′57″W / 40.771187°N 111.899177°W |
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]
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]
The following is a list of presidents of the institution: [16]
Gordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 1995 until his death in January 2008 at age 97. Considered a prophet, seer, and revelator by church members, Hinckley was the oldest person to preside over the church in its history until Russell M. Nelson surpassed his age in 2022.
Boyd Kenneth Packer was an American religious leader and educator who served as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2008 until his death. He also served as the quorum's acting president from 1994 to 2008 and was an apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve from 1970 until his death. He served as a general authority of the church from 1961 until his death.
Russell Marion Nelson Sr. is an American religious leader and retired surgeon who is the 17th and current president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Nelson was a member of the LDS Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for nearly 34 years, and was the quorum president from 2015 to 2018. As church president, Nelson is recognized by the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator.
James Edward Talmage was an English chemist, geologist, and religious leader who served as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1911 until his death.
LeGrand Richards was a prominent missionary and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served as the seventh presiding bishop of the LDS Church from 1938 to 1952, and was then called as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles by church president David O. McKay. Richards served in the Quorum of the Twelve until his death in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the age of 96.
Deseret Book is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the holding company for business firms owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Deseret Book is a for-profit corporation registered in Utah. Deseret Book publishes under four imprints with media ranging from works explaining LDS theology and doctrine, LDS-related fiction, electronic resources, and sound recordings such as The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square albums.
Sheri Linn Dew is an American author, publisher, the executive vice president of Deseret Management Corporation, and chief executive officer of the Deseret Book Company, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dew has also been a religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an inspirational speaker. In 2003, she was described as “the most prominent single [unmarried] LDS woman right now.”
Cecil Osborn Samuelson Jr. is an American retired rheumatologist and professor of medicine who served as the 12th president of Brigham Young University (BYU) from 2003 to 2014. Samuelson is an emeritus general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a former dean of the school of medicine at the University of Utah, and a former senior vice president of Intermountain Health Care (IHC). While he was president at BYU, Samuelson pushed professors and students to raise their expectations and encouraged mentored learning. During his presidency, student enrollment limits stayed constant, new sports coaches were hired, new buildings were built, and a hiring freeze during the Great Recession reduced faculty.
The Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center is a three-story building named for Gordon B. Hinckley which houses alumni association offices on the Brigham Young University (BYU) campus in Provo, Utah.
Bryant Stringham Hinckley was an American author, religious speaker, civic leader and educator. He served as a prominent mid-level leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the early 20th century. His books were primarily designed for a Latter-day Saint audience.
LDS High School was a secondary school in Salt Lake City, Utah operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The school was closely associated with Latter-day Saints' University, the last vestiges of which are now Ensign College, formerly known as LDS Business College. Both trace their beginnings to the Salt Lake Stake Academy, which started in 1886. The LDS High School name was adopted in 1927.
Church Historian and Recorder is a priesthood calling in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The role of the Church Historian and Recorder is to keep an accurate and comprehensive record of the church and its activities. His office gathers history sources and preserves records, ordinances, minutes, revelations, procedures, and other documents. The Church Historian and Recorder also chairs the Historic Sites Committee and Records Management Committee, and may act as an authoritative voice of the church in historical matters.
John Kay Carmack has been a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1984. He is currently an emeritus general authority and was the managing director of the church's Perpetual Education Fund from 2001 to 2012.
Warren Eugene Hansen was a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1989 until his death. He became a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy in 1989 and was a member of the Presidency of the Seventy from 1993 to 1998.
Lynn Grant Robbins is a co-founder of Franklin Quest Company and was a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1997 to 2022. As part of his general authority responsibilities, Robbins served as a member of the church's Presidency of the Seventy from 2014 to 2018.
The Church Administration Building (CAB) is an administrative office building in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States serving as the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the fourth-largest Christian denomination in the United States. Completed in 1917, the building is adjacent to Temple Square, between the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and the Lion House, on South Temple Drive. It differs from the Church Office Building in that it is much smaller and furnishes offices for the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It also houses offices for other general authorities and their personal staff.
Thomas C. Christensen is an American cinematographer, film director, and writer best known for his work on films related to the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration, Gordon B. Hinckley: A Giant Among Men, 17 Miracles, and Ephraim's Rescue. He has made films about the Martin and Willie handcart companies who traversed the plains toward the Salt Lake Valley in late 1856. Christensen is also a member of the American Society of Cinematographers.
Stephen L Richards was a prominent leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church and the First Counselor in the First Presidency.
Patricia Terry Holland was an American educator, writer, and religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was a counselor in the church's Young Women General Presidency from 1984 to 1986. From 1980 to 1989, Holland was "first lady" of Brigham Young University (BYU) where her husband, Jeffrey R. Holland, was president of the institution.
Joseph Layton Bishop Jr. is a retired administrator of colleges and other post-secondary educational institutions and a Latter-day Saint devotional and motivational author. His books include The Making of a Missionary and Peace be Unto Thy Soul.