Westminster College President Barney Forsythe officially opened the college's second campus Thursday in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the newly-dubbed Mesa Center for Higher Education in Mesa, Ariz.
A handful of college officials in Fulton "attended" the event via streaming video feed.
The new college will share space in the recently renovated former Mesa Municipal Courthouse with Wilkes University of Pennsylvania.
"It's a great day to be a blue jay," Forsythe said. "At Westminster, we mark our history and traditions of 162 years with some key days ... and now, Aug. 15, 2013, there's the establishment of Westminster at Mesa."
Forsythe said the Mesa campus will seek to provide the same educational environment and methods the college is known for.
Rob Crouse, director of college relations, said many Fulton campus activities, such as the upcoming symposium, would be shown via streaming video in Arizona, but that campus would also get its own speakers simultaneously. The new campus would also open internship and employment opportunities for Fulton students, with Mesa's proximity to several health professions and the Chicago Cubs' training facility.
The first semester in Mesa is expected to start on Aug. 22 with about two dozen students enrolled.