Brigham Young University Hawaii

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Motto: "Enter to learn, go forth to serve"
Established: September 26, 1955
Type: Private coeducational
President: Steven C. Wheelwright
Faculty: 183
Students: 2,400
Location: Laie, Hawaii, United States
Campus: Rural
Newspaper: Ke Alaka'i
Colors: Crimson and Gold         
Nickname: Seasiders
Mascot: Kimo the Gecko
Affiliations: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Website: http://www.byuh.edu

Brigham Young University-Hawaii (BYUH) is a private co-educational university in the town of Lā‘ie thirty-five miles from Honolulu, Hawai‘i on the windward coast of the island of O‘ahu in the United States. Brigham Young University-Hawaii is an undergraduate institution that educates some 2,400 students from Asia, the Pacific islands, the U.S., and other parts of the world, representing over 70 countries. Although it shares a common name with Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, it is in reality a sister-school (as opposed to a branch campus or satellite school), along with Brigham Young University-Idaho. Brigham Young University-Hawaii is affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and named after religious leader and politician Brigham Young. The school maintains a strong partnership with the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC), the largest living museum in the State of Hawai‘i. The PCC employs roughly 700 students from Brigham Young University-Hawaii, many of whom would be unable to attend the university without such employment.

Steven C. Wheelwright began his presidency of BYU-Hawaii in 2007[1], and the university is run under the auspices of LDS Church Educational System.

Contents

[edit] Establishment

The LDS Church was established in the islands in 1850 following the Edict of Toleration promulgated by Kamehameha III, giving the underground Hawai‘i Catholic Church the right to worship while at the same time allowing other faith traditions to begin establishing themselves.

Brigham Young University Hawaii was founded in September 1955 as Church College of Hawaii to accommodate the burgeoning LDS population in the Territory of Hawai‘i. This was largely a result of Church President David O. McKay's views on both education and strenthening the church outside of its longtime inter-Mountain West United States base. The college was reorganized in 1959 to become a four-year college. LDS elders established the Polynesian Cultural Center in November 1963 as a means of preserving the Pacific cultures that the Latter-day Saints had encountered in their missionary work. The center also provided jobs for students of the college. In 1974, Church College of Hawaii was elevated to the rank of university by the Church Board of Education and renamed.[2]

[edit] Academics and demographics

BYU-Hawaii has more international students than any other baccalaureate institution in the United States, with 1,141 international students out of a total enrollment of 2,492.[3] The institution offers majors in an array of disciplines in four main schools: The College of Arts and Sciences, The School of Business, The School of Computing, and The School of Education. More than 40 Bachelor degree programs are offered, with a 17:1 student/faculty ratio at the school.[citation needed]

  • College of Arts and Sciences - Fine Arts, English, English Language Teaching and Learning, Exercise & Sport Science, Hawaiian *Studies, History, International Cultural Studies, Cultural Anthropology, Communications, World Humanities & Culture, Political Science, Psychology, Religion, Sciences, Social Work
  • School of Business - Accounting, Hospitality & Tourism, International Business
  • School of Computing - Computer Science, Information Systems, Mathematics
  • School of Education - Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Special Education [4]

[edit] Athletics

BYUH competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II as a member of the Pacific West Conference. The "Seasiders," they compete in Men's & Women's Basketball, Men's & Women's Cross-Country, Men's & Women's Golf, Softball, Men's & Women's Tennis, Volleyball, and Men's & Women's Soccer. Its teams have garnered multiple NCAA-II championships, most recently for Women's Tennis in 2007.[5]

[edit] Students and faculty

[edit] Honor Code

Main article: Brigham Young University Honor Code

The students, faculty, and staff of BYU–Hawaii are expected to adhere to an Honor Code both on and off campus that reflects the beliefs and teachings of LDS Church.[6] The Honor Code emphasizes:

  • Be honest
  • Live a chaste and virtuous life (no sexual activity outside of marriage is permitted)
  • Obey the law and all campus policies
  • Use clean language
  • Respect others
  • Abstain from alcoholic beverages, tobacco, tea, coffee and substance abuse. BYU-Hawaii has included the abstention from the use of kava in the Word of Wisdom.
  • Participate regularly in church services
  • Observe Dress and Grooming Standards
  • Encourage others in their commitment to comply with the Honor Code

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://academics.byuh.edu/University%20Advancement
  2. ^ http://www.byuh.edu/about/history.php
  3. ^ Leading Institutions By Carnegie Type
  4. ^ BYUH: Academics
  5. ^ http://w2.byuh.edu/sports/
  6. ^ http://services.byuh.edu/honorcode/

[edit] External links


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LDS Church Educational System
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Pacific West Conference