Brigham Young University–Idaho
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Brigham Young University–Idaho | |
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Motto: | Rethinking Education |
Established: | November 12, 1888 |
Type: | Private |
President: | Kim B. Clark |
Students: | 13,155 (Fall 2007) |
Location: | Rexburg, Idaho, United States |
Campus: | Rural |
Colors: | Blue & Gray |
Nickname: | Vikings |
Mascot: | Thor the Viking |
Affiliations: | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
Website: | http://www.byui.edu |
Brigham Young University–Idaho (also known as BYU–Idaho or BYU–I) is a four-year private college owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) located in the remote eastern Idaho community of Rexburg. The school was founded in 1888 as the Bannock Stake Academy and would later be known as Ricks Normal College (1917-1923) and eventually Ricks College (1923-2001) before transitioning from a junior college to a four-year institution in 2001 as BYU-Idaho. It is part of the Church Educational System of the LDS Church, and is a sister school (not a branch or satellite campus) of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah; Brigham Young University-Hawaii in Laie, Hawaii; and the LDS Business College in Salt Lake City.
BYU-I is led by President Kim B. Clark, who began serving as president in 2005 after serving as dean of the Harvard Business School.[1] BYU-Idaho's motto is "Rethinking Education,"[2] reflecting the change to four-year status and other innovations used by the school such as the three-track semester system. The school draws students from all fifty U.S. States and several other countries, almost all of whom are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During the Fall 2007 semester, 99.7% of the students were Mormon.[3]
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[edit] History
[edit] Bannock/Fremont Stake Academy
BYU-Idaho, like several other colleges and universities across the mountain west, was established as a "stake academy" as Mormon settlers began colonizing the eastern Snake River Plain in the 1880s. As a stake academy, its purpose was that of a modern secondary school as public schools had not yet been established. Other colleges and universities that were started as stake academies include Dixie State College of Utah, Weber State University, Utah State University, Brigham Young University, Snow College, and Eastern Arizona College. The academy in Rexburg, founded November 12, 1888, would be known as the Bannock Stake Academy until 1898, when it was renamed the Fremont Stake Academy. By 1903, the academy was renamed the Ricks Academy in honor of Thomas Edwin Ricks, founder of Rexburg and chairman of the school's first board of education.
[edit] Ricks College
By the early twentieth century, stake acadmies had largely been discontinued as public schools became more established in the western United States. Ricks Academy survived as it had added a year of college work to its curriculum and in 1917 was granted state certification, which allowed graduates to teach in the state of Idaho. At that point, it was known as Ricks Normal College with George S. Romney as its first President. In 1923 it was renamed Ricks College and functioned as a two-year junior college. It would serve as a junior college for most of the remainder of the twentieth century, except for a brief period from 1948-1956 [4] when it operated as a four-year institution. Although the school was threatened with closing in the 1930s because of the Great Depression, it emerged with the support of local patrons and accreditation with the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges. During the 1976 Teton Dam flood, Ricks College was used as a center for disaster relief operations.[5] By the late twentieth century, the college had become the largest private junior college in the country with over 7,500 students.
[edit] BYU-Idaho
On June 21, 2000, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that Ricks College would become a four-year institution known as Brigham Young University-Idaho. This change became official just over a year later on August 10, 2001. Amongst the changes was the elimination of the intercollegiate athletic program and the institution of a larger activities and intracollegiate athletics program. The school also established the current "three-track" system, which admitted students on a specific track of two semesters (including the summer semester), rather than the standard fall and winter semesters. New construction also began as new academic buildings were added and several others expanded. As of 2008, construction continues[6] on an addition to the Hyrum Manwaring Student Center and a new auditorium building with seating for 15,000.[7]
[edit] Campus
The campus sits on a hill overlooking the city of Rexburg and the Snake River Valley and includes nearly forty major buildings and residence halls on over 400 acres (1.6 km²). Since the transition from Ricks College, new buildings have been constructed and others have been renovated or expanded.
Several auditoriums and theaters are found on campus, including the acoustically-renowned Barrus Concert Hall, which houses the acclaimed Ruffati organ. This organ is the third largest organ owned by the LDS Church after the Salt Lake Tabernacle and Conference Center organs in Salt Lake City, Utah.
![The Gordon B. Hinckley Building](../../../../images/local/6/6b/Hinckleybldg.jpg)
The school is also home to a planetarium, an arboretum, natural history, geology, and wildlife museums, and a large Family History Center for genealogical research. KBYI-FM, a 100,000 watt public radio station, broadcasts to eastern Idaho and parts of Wyoming and Montana.
Off-campus facilities include a Livestock Center and the Henry’s Fork Outdoor Learning Center near Rexburg, the Outdoor Learning Center at Badger Creek in Idaho’s Teton Basin, and the Natural Science Center in Island Park, Idaho. The Teton Lodge and Quickwater Lodge near Victor, Idaho, are utilized as student leadership and service centers.
The school also operates several athletic fields and facilities around campus, which are now used as part of the Activities program. Facilities include a baseball field, football and track stadium, tennis courts, and the John Hart Physical Education building, which has seating for nearly 4,000 in its main gym, and is used for athletic events, graduation, and concerts, as well as the weekly campus devotional. The building also includes a small field house, pool, auxiliary gymnasiums, raquetball courts, and a workout area for students.
[edit] Organization
The school is headed by Dr. Kim B. Clark, who took over for Dr. David A. Bednar in August of 2005. Along with other members of the Church Educational System, BYU-Idaho is also under direction of the CES Board, which includes members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' First Presidency, Quorum of the Twleve Apostles, and Auxiliary presidencies. BYU-Idaho is broken down further into six colleges :[8]
- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- College of Business and Communication
- College of Education and Human Development
- College of Language and Letters
- College of Performing and Visual Arts
- College of Physical Sciences and Engineering
[edit] Academics
Despite the change to a four-year institution, BYU-Idaho still offers several Associate-degree programs in addition to its Bachelor-degree programs. Across the six colleges, there are thirty-eight departments which offer 103 bachelor-level programs as well as eighteen associate-degree programs.
The academic year is divided into three equal semesters (fall, summer, winter) of fourteen weeks and is known as the "three-track" system. It was instututed in 2001 as part of the transition from Ricks College to BYU-Idaho and the school's "Rethinking Education" campaign. When a student is admitted to BYU-Idaho, they are also assigned to a specific two-semester "track," (fall-winter, winter-summer, or summer-fall) based partly on preference, degree program, and availability to balance.[9] Initially, the fall and winter semesters were slightly longer (and thus more heavily attended) than the summer semester and had more class options. Beginning in January 2007, the school adjusted the academic calendar[10] equalizing the amount of time available in each semester, lengthening the class periods, and opening class offerings in the summer to allow more students to attend in the summer semester. BYU-Idaho also offers "fast grad" which allows students to attend all semesters and finish their degree sooner.[11] This is usually available as an option to students who have an upper sophomore or higher standing.
[edit] Students
Approximately 13,500 full-time students were enrolled at BYU–Idaho during the Fall 2006 semester.[citation needed] Students come from all 50 states and more than 50 countries. According to a 2005 survey, almost 40% of BYU–Idaho students came from the state of Idaho,[12] with the majority of students coming from five states: Idaho 38%, Utah 10%, California 10%, Washington 8%, and New Mexico 6%. Thus, the student body at BYU–Idaho is notably homogeneous--not only due to its geographic representation but also due to ethnicity and religion. During the Winter 2006 semester, 91% of the students were Caucasian, while the largest minority group for the Winter 2006 semester was Hispanic, representing 3% of the student body.[13] Moreover, during the Winter 2006 semester, 99.8% of the students were members of the LDS Church,[14] Approximately 20% of the student body is married, and about 40 percent have been full-time missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[citation needed]
[edit] Student Life/Culture
![The Joseph F. Smith Building.](../../../../images/local/thumb/b/b2/Byuieastentrancenew.jpg/250px-Byuieastentrancenew.jpg)
The school's relative geographic isolation from a metropolitan area, combined with the strong moral standards taught and encouraged by the school and its sponsoring organization, contribute to a unique student culture unlike that of many universities, but with some basic similarities to other BYU campuses in Utah and Hawaii. Alcohol and drug use are practically[clarify] hidden[citation needed], as the use of the aforementioned is strictly prohibited by the school's honor code as well as the LDS Church. There is also no official Greek system.
Much of BYU–Idaho student life revolves around events sponsored by the University, which frequently hosts dances, concerts, and sports events, among other things. A three-day series of concerts called "Guitars Unplugged," held each semester, features mainly acoustic music performed by student performers and groups who are selected by audition. The last concert is normally held in the Hart Auditorium, which features selected acts from the previous two nights, and almost always sells out the roughly 4,300 seat arena.
Another popular event is an annual Halloween concert performed by the Symphony Orchestra. Music department faculty, students in the ensemble, and even audience members dress up in Halloween costumes. It features music commonly associated with the Halloween season, as well as skits by various faculty members.
The school has recently been developing a thriving jazz scene, which is aggressively promoted by students who participate in jazz area classes, such as the Sound Alliance Big Band and jazz combos, as well as music department faculty. Faculty jazz concerts and the annual BYU–Idaho Jazz festival are also becoming popular events with students. The school has featured such artists as Cyrus Chestnut, Nicholas Payton, Ed Calle, Bob Mintzer, Harold Jones, and Kevin Mahogany.
A few independent student bands have had moderate success locally and regionally, such as My Camera, Love You Long Time, National Holiday, and Fortunate Son. Rexburg has two recording studios that have contributed to the thriving music scene.
Rexburg is situated in a strong northern climate in which winter dominates, and as such, winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, and ice hockey are popular. There are two nearby ski resorts, Grand Targhee and Kelly Canyon, which are frequented by students. However, Rexburg also experiences warm summers, and bridge jumping has become a popular activity with many summer students. Students also visit the nearby St. Anthony sand dunes frequently, where large bonfires have become popular.
[edit] The "Spirit of Ricks"
One of the unique characteristics of the "BYU–Idaho experience" is referred to by students, employees, and alumni as the “Spirit of Ricks”— a campus tradition of service, hard work, friendliness, and compassion. Throughout the transition from Ricks College to BYU–Idaho, leaders stressed the importance of preserving and enhancing the “Spirit of Ricks." [15]
[edit] Weekly Devotionals
Every Tuesday that school is in session (unless Tuesday falls on a reading day for finals, or finals are taking place), a devotional is held. No classes are held, administrative offices (such as Student Records and Registration, Admissions, etc), the bookstore, and the library close. During this hour, faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to attend the hour-long worship service in the Hart Auditorium or at one of the overflow locations on campus to listen to a speaker discourse on a spiritual topic. Speakers are selected from the campus community as well as from the general authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Devotionals begin at 2:00 with a welcome (usually by the president of the college) and an opening hymn sung by the congregation. A student is typically invited to offer an invocation. Following the prayer, another student reads a passage of scripture and a choir sings an interlude. The person conducting the meeting will then introduce the guest speaker and the speaker will use the remaining time for their remarks. Devotionals conclude at 3:00 and the campus resumes its typical activities.
[edit] Activities Program
BYU–Idaho has an Activities Program organized into six areas: Outdoor, Social, Service, Talent, Fitness, and Sports.
[edit] Athletics
Prior to the transition to BYU-Idaho, Ricks College fielded a successful intercollegiate athletics program from 1919-2002 which earned 17 national titles, 61 individual national titles, and close to 100 first-team All-Americans[16] at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) level. Teams were known as the Vikings. It was announced in June 2000[17] that the athletics program would be phased out as part of the change from a junior college to a four-year college, due mainly to the costs associated with running a college athletic department.[17] During the 2001-2002 season, the final season for intercollegiate athletics at the school, teams competed as the "BYU-Idaho Vikings". The Viking is still used as the official mascot of the school.
National Titles
- Women's Cross Country: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
- Men's Cross Country: 1965, 1966, 1986, 1999, 2000, 2001
- Women's Track and Field: 1997
- Women's Volleyball: 1974 (AIAW)[16]
Following the phasing out of intercollegiate athletics, BYU–Idaho developed a competitive intracollegiate athletics program, which functions as part of the Activities Program. Several teams from within the school compete against one another in a variety of sports throughout the year, complete with regular-seasons and playoffs.
[edit] Service
Service Activities provide students with opportunities to participate in as many as fifteen different programs run by students and devoted to campus, community and humanitarian service.
[edit] Honor Code
- See also: Brigham Young University Honor Code
Like the other institutions that make up the LDS Church Educational System, the students, faculty, and staff of BYU–Idaho are expected to adhere to a rigorous Honor Code that in some aspects reflects a portion of the beliefs and teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Honor Code emphasizes:
- Be honest
- Live a chaste and virtuous life
- Obey the law and all campus policies
- Use clean language
- Respect others
- Abstain from alcoholic beverages, tobacco, tea, coffee and substance abuse
- Participate regularly in church services
- Observe Dress and Grooming Standards
- Encourage others in their commitment to comply with the Honor Code
Although virtually the same as the Honor Codes at Brigham Young University, BYU-Hawaii and the LDS Business College, the BYU-Idaho Honor Code has slight differences, reflecting the culture and needs specific to the school. The code includes guidelines for dress and grooming, including bans on Overalls, baseball caps (worn inside classrooms), shorts, and flip-flop sandals on campus. Female students are limited to one pair of earrings; male students cannot wear earrings nor grow a beard (though moustaches are allowed). An exception to the beard policy is allowed for those who either have medical reasons (certain skin conditions affected by shaving) or for those of other faiths with religious reasons for beards.[18]
[edit] Principals and Presidents
[edit] Principals
- Jacob Spori 1888-1891
- Charles N. Watkins 1891-1894
- George Cole 1894-1898
- Douglas M. Todd 1898-1901
- Ezra Christiansen (later known as Ezra C. Dalby) 1901-1914
- Andrew B. Christiansen 1914-1917
[edit] Presidents
- George S. Romney 1917-1930
- Hyrum Manwaring 1930-1944
- John L. Clarke 1944-1971
- Henry B. Eyring 1971-1978
- Bruce C. Hafen 1978-1985
- Joe J. Christensen 1985-1989
- Steven D. Bennion 1989-1997
- David A. Bednar 1997-2004
- Kim B. Clark 2005-Present[19]
[edit] Notable alumni
- Rulon Gardner - 2000 Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion[20]
- Stephen G. Hanks, President and CEO of Washington Group International[21]
- Jared and Jerusha Hess - Screenwriters of the 2004 comedy Napoleon Dynamite.
- Matt Lindstrom - Pitcher for the Florida Marlins[22]
- Michael W. Mosman - federal district judge[23]
- Marion G. Romney - Former counselor in First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[24]
[edit] References
- ^ The Harvard Crimson :: News :: HBS Dean Leaves for Idaho School
- ^ "Steady Upward Course". www.byui.edu. Retrieved on 2007-10-28.
- ^ http://www.byui.edu/academicoffice/sjb/stats/religion.htm
- ^ Public Relations Office – BYU–Idaho
- ^ Public Relations Office – BYU–Idaho
- ^ Construction Update – BYU–Idaho
- ^ LocalNews8.com Idaho Falls, Pocatello - Weather, News, Sports - BYU-Idaho Reveals Auditorium Drawings
- ^ Academic Colleges and Departments – BYU–Idaho
- ^ Office of Admissions – BYU–Idaho
- ^ BYU-Idaho Scroll
- ^ Office of Admissions – BYU–Idaho
- ^ Home States of Students - Fall 2005
- ^ Ethnicity
- ^ Religious Affiliation
- ^ About BYU-Idaho – BYU–Idaho
- ^ a b Celebrating a Century of Ricks College Athletics. Brigham Young University-Idaho (2002). Retrieved on 2008-06-02.
- ^ a b Larsen, Kent. "Winners and Losers In Ricks/BYU-Idaho Changes", Mormon News, Casper Tribune, 2000-06-22. Retrieved on 2008-06-02.
- ^ http://www.byui.edu/Honorcode/dress.html
- ^ Public Relations Office – BYU–Idaho
- ^ Rulon Gardner - Gold Medal Wrestler - Nationwide Speakers Bureau
- ^ "Program of Activities", Ricks College Business Summit, April 2001.
- ^ Player file, Matt Lindstrom. The Official Site of the Florida Marlins. Retrieved on 2008-03-27.
- ^ Judges of the United States Courts. Federal Judicial Center web site. Retrieved on 2008-03-27.
- ^ Fowler, Glenn. "Obituary: Marion G. Romney, 90, President Of the Mormon Council of Twelve", New York Times, May 21, 1988. Retrieved on 2008-02-03.
[edit] External links
- Official Website of BYU–Idaho
- Online collection of BYU–Idaho, Ricks College, and Bannock Stake Academy photographs
- Online collection of BYU–Idaho and Ricks College student newspaper, the Scroll
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