While President Michael Bassis said the college has both the personal, student-centered elements of a small liberal-arts college and the quality graduate programs of a university, the word "college" best fits perceptions of those in the Mountain West.

"The stereotype for a university in this region is a very large, research-oriented school such as the University of Utah," Bassis said. "While many schools with the ethos and the characteristics of Westminster are called universities, no one in the West thinks of a school such as Westminster as a university."

He said fears about changing the name were twofold. The gap between the perception of what a university is and what Westminster offers could be construed as false advertising. Also, some thought the school of 2,500 would become impersonal.

Those points emerged from a study conducted by a task force asked to assess the benefits and drawbacks of a name change. Of the 10 members, seven said they would change to university while three wanted to remain a college.

Dick Van Klaveren, task force chairman, supported a change due to the growing number of graduate programs on campus and the number of other colleges that have changed their names.

However, he "fully supports" retaining the college name.

"We have done very well with all the competition that's all around us, be it from junior colleges or universities," he said. "Westminster is still a gem that is recognized as a true gem and we continue to attract students at a very good number."

Retaining the college title may hurt international-student recruitment, Van Klaveren noted, because the word college often conjures up the idea of a high school in other countries.

Bassis is working on that. Today, he leaves for China to sign student exchange agreements with two top universities there, and he hopes to travel to India in the fall to establish similar accords.

Student task force member Samuel Johnston said several schools, such as Gonzaga in Washington state, successfully changed their names to university, but he recognizes that Westminster students and alumni are attached to the college name.

"Students appreciate and love what Westminster has done for them and given to them, and there's a sentimentality about everything done to it," said the junior in economics and mathematics. "Students don't want things to change."

Bassis took that emotional attachment into consideration when making his decision.

But he also knows that a name change wouldn't have changed the school's mission.

Next year, new graduate programs in counseling psychology and teaching will begin, as well as new undergraduate degrees in neuroscience, fine arts and film studies.

While the school will retain its name, Bassis said the discussion was positive. "This did give us the chance to reaffirm our identity and to celebrate that identity."

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* SHEENA MCFARLAND can be contacted at smcfarland@sltrib.com or 801-257-8619.