Westminster College (Missouri)

Westminster College is a private, selective, liberal arts institution in Fulton, Missouri, USA. It was founded by Presbyterians in 1849 as Fulton College and assumed the present name in 1851. The National Churchill Museum and Library are located on the campus. The National Churchill Museum (formally known as the Churchill Memorial) is a national historic site and includes the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury. The church, designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1667, was rebuilt on the campus to commemorate Sir Winston Churchill, who made his famous "Iron Curtain" speech at Westminster College in 1946. As a bookend to history, Mikhail Gorbachev gave a speech in 1992, declaring the end of the Cold War.

On November 9, 1990, the one year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, former President Ronald Reagan delivered a speech dedicating a major section of the Berlin Wall, which now stands as a permanent monument on the College Quad, as a backdrop. The monument, named "Breakthrough" as designed by Winston Churchill's granddaughter, Edwina Sandys. See photo below for a visual of the Church, Library, and Berlin Wall monument.

Academics

Westminster College is classified as a selective institution. Westminster College has produced four Rhodes Scholars, two Truman Scholars, and a Marshall Scholar in its 155-year history. The college has been recognized for its academics by various national publications. This includes being named one of America’s Best Colleges (U.S.News & World Report), Best Midwestern College and one of America’s Best Value Colleges (The Princeton Review), one of the Most Interesting Colleges in America (Kaplan-Newsweek), and one of the 20 Hidden Gems among America’s colleges and universities (The Washington Post). Westminster College was also named one of the 50 Best American Colleges for 2008 by Forbes magazine in August 2008. The only Missouri college or university named to the Top Fifty, Westminster was ranked 39th. This is ahead of notable colleges such as Rice University, University of Virginia, University of California-Berkeley, Cornell College, and Wake Forest University. Historically, Westminster has graduated a significant number of students who go on to law school and medical school. This is reflected in Westminster's concentrated law and medical academic tracks.

Student body

The states best represented in the student body are Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas (students come from 24 states). Over 16% of the student body is international students and over fifty nations are represented in the student body, and 18% of the students were ranked in the top tenth of their high school class.

Traditions

Westminster College is characterized by many traditions developed since its founding in 1851. For example, during the "Columns Ceremony," incoming freshmen walk through the original columns of ruined Westminster Hall, which was destroyed by fire in 1909. Upon graduation, departing seniors again walk through the columns, but in the opposite direction. Tradition dictates that between these ceremonies, students must never walk through the columns. The College maintains many ties to British history and culture as evidenced by the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury, the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library, and the presence of bagpipes at numerous special events and observances.

Westminster students are required to adhere to the College's Honor Code and to honor its many traditions. The Skulls of Seven, founded in 1898, is a secret society dedicated to upholding the honor code, traditions, and ideals of the College. According to legend, the Skulls of Seven convene their initiations and meetings in the tunnels that run beneath campus.

Westminster has traditionally had a strong Greek system, including six fraternities, each with their own residences. The Alpha Delta chapter of Beta Theta Pi, founded in 1868, is the oldest fraternity west of the Mississippi River. Other fraternities include Delta Tau Delta, the Kappa Alpha Order, Phi Delta Theta, Sigma Chi, and Sigma Alpha Epsilon. The level of participation in the Greek system, however, has fallen in recent years. In 2005, Westminster lost its sorority chapter of Delta Delta Delta. Sororities, however, remain active on campus including Kappa Kappa Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Alpha Gamma Delta.

Athletics

Athletes ("Blue Jays") play in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference of the NCAA Division III for most sports.

References

External links

• Westminster College Home Page