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Show WEBER STATE COLLEGE PROFILE f Former WSC Pres. William P. Miller watches as former Utah Governor George D. Clyde signs the bill making Weber State a four-year school. Historical Perspective Weber State College was founded at Ogden, Utah, as Weber Stake Academy on January 7, 1889, by the Weber Stake Board of Education of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The 1933 Utah Legislature established Weber as a state junior college and placed it under the control of the Utah State Board of Education. In 1959 the Utah Legislature authorized the addition of upper division courses, which action resulted in the first junior class in 1962-63 and the first senior class in 1963-64. The 1969 Legislature created a Utah System of Higher Education and placed Weber along with all other state institutions of higher learning under a State Board of Regents and an Institutional Council, the members of which are appointed by the Governor of the State. Accreditation Weber State College is a member of the American Council on Education and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. It is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, and the National Council of Accreditation of Teacher Education, and is listed by other state and national accrediting agencies. Several academic programs have been accredited by the accrediting association of their respective professions. College Mission Weber State College provides learning opportunities appropriate to a comprehensive institution of higher education, welcoming learners from all regions and nations. The chief mission of the College is to meet the educational needs of Utah through roles assigned by the State Board of Regents in the liberal arts and sciences and a variety of vocations and professions. Primarily committed to quality undergraduate education, the College's selection of degree programs includes some advanced professional preparation. Students are admitted on the basis of demonstrated competence in skills that assure a reasonable chance of success in both college and career. Curricula emphasize further development of such skills, together with acquisition of knowledge and development of character. Eligibility for degrees requires meeting established standards of competence through outcomes assessment. Instructional programs are designed to prepare students for immediate employment or further study, at the same time equipping them through liberal education for lifelong learning in a changing world. The process of learning is emphasized, as well as accumulation of knowledge. Organized around traditional disciplines, the College also cultivates opportunities for faculty and students to transcend disciplinary boundaries. Extensive personal contact between faculty and students creates an enriched learning environment both in and out of the classroom. Weber State College responds to its changing Utah environment through public service activities, as well as through conventional and innovative instruction. In order to insure the vitality needed for effective teaching and service, faculty engage in scholarship, research, artistic expression, and other professional pursuits. The College serves as a cultural center for its region and seeks to be a leader in addressing the particular needs of its students, stimulating community economic development, and improving public education. Organization and Administration The ten-member Institutional Council has the responsibility of implementing the roles assigned by the Board of Regents, including the appointment of personnel and the enactment of rules and governing regulations. The College is administered by the President, the President's Staff, the Faculty Senate, and the faculty. To achieve its purposes, Weber State College is organized into seven resident schools with forty-three departments, and a Division of Continuing Education. An Honors Program and a Learning Center provide individualized assistance to students. Comprehensive College Weber State College takes pride in being recognized as a total or comprehensive college which provides programs for students with all interests and educational goals. Weber State College offers undergraduate liberal education in the arts, humanities, and sciences; authorized professional work in education, business and technology; specialized training in the allied health sciences and trade-technical education. While maintaining its role as an undergraduate institution, Weber State College has also been authorized to offer a master's degree in education and in accounting. In filling its role, Weber State College also provides a wide range of co-curricular activities, including drama, athletics, music, forensics, student government, etc. The Campus An enrollment of approximately 11,000 day and evening students is housed in forty buildings on a campus of 356 acres. Approximately 90 percent of the total building space has been constructed since 1960. Excellent laboratories, an outstanding Fine Arts Center and a spacious library are special features. A well-trained faculty of nearly 500 serves a student community enrolled from all areas of Utah, from nearly all the states, and from many foreign countries. The measure of the quality of this institution is the degree to which its policies, plans and acts respond to its public trust |