Brigham Young University–Idaho

Infobox_University
name =Brigham Young University–Idaho
native_name =
latin_name =


motto =Rethinking Education
established =November 12, 1888
type =Private
endowment =
staff =
faculty =
president =Kim B. Clark
principal =
rector =
chancellor =
vice_chancellor =
dean =
head_label =
head =
students =13,824 (Fall 2007)
undergrad =
postgrad =
doctoral =
city =Rexburg
state =Idaho
country =USA
campus =Rural
free_label =
free =
colors =Blue & Gray color box|#3259A4 color box|#C1C7C9
colours =
mascot =Thor the Viking
nickname =Vikings
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 Rexburg, Idaho, United States. 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. [ [http://www.thecrimson.harvard.edu/article.aspx?ref=507939 The Harvard Crimson :: News :: HBS Dean Leaves for Idaho School ] ] BYU-Idaho's motto is "Rethinking Education," [cite web | title = "Steady Upward Course" | publisher = [http://www.byui.edu www.byui.edu] | url = http://www.byui.edu/Presentations/Transcripts/Devotionals/2001_09_18_Eyring.htm | accessdate = 2007-10-28] 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, the vast majority of whom are members of the LDS Church—99.7% of the student body during the Fall 2007 semester. [http://www.byui.edu/academicoffice/sjb/stats/religion.htm Religious Affiliation ] ]

History

The Bannock and Fremont Stake Academies

On November 12, 1888, the LDS Church created Bannock Stake Academy in Rexburg. The precursor to BYU-Idaho, like several other colleges and universities across the mountain west, was established as a "stake academy" first, as Mormon settlers coloned 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. As the population grew, it became necessary to divide the geographical area designated by the LDS Church as the Bannock Stake. Fremont Stake was created, and thus in 1898 the school was renamed the Fremont Stake Academy.cite web |url=http://www.byui.edu/pr/general/byuihistory.htm |title=General History |accessdate=2008-08-09 |publisher=BYU-Idaho]

Ricks College

In 1903, the school was renamed again as Ricks Academy in honor of Thomas E. Ricks, the Bannock Stake president at the time it was founded and the chairman of the school's first Board of Education. By the early twentieth century, stake academies 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 [ [http://www.byui.edu/pr/thespiritofricks/ch9.htm Public Relations Office – BYU–Idaho ] ] 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. [ [http://www.byui.edu/pr/thespiritofricks/ch16.htm Public Relations Office – BYU–Idaho ] ] By the late twentieth century, the college had become the largest private junior college in the country with over 7,500 students.

BYU-Idaho

On June 21, 2000, the LDS Church 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 [ [http://www.byui.edu/constructionupdate/ Construction Update – BYU–Idaho ] ] on an addition to the Hyrum Manwaring Student Center and a new auditorium building with seating for 15,000. [ [http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?s=6518200 LocalNews8.com Idaho Falls, Pocatello - Weather, News, Sports - BYU-Idaho Reveals Auditorium Drawings ] ]

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 convert|400|acre|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 school is also home to a planetarium, an arboretum, natural history, [http://www.byui.edu/geology/museuminfo.htm 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.

Organization

The school is headed by Dr. Kim B. Clark, who took over for Dr. David A. Bednar in August 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 : [ [http://www.byui.edu/colleges/ Academic Colleges and Departments – BYU–Idaho ] ]

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. [ [http://www.byui.edu/admissions/tracksystem.htm Office of Admissions – BYU–Idaho ] ] 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 [ [http://www.byui.edu/scroll/archive/20060516/front2.html BYU-Idaho Scroll ] ] 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. [ [http://www.byui.edu/admissions/fastgrad.htm Office of Admissions – BYU–Idaho ] ] This is usually available as an option to students who have an upper sophomore or higher standing.

Background and demographics

There were 13,824 full-time students enrolled at BYU–Idaho during the Fall 2007 semester. [ [http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Brigham+Young+University&s=ID&id=142522 National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education] ] 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, [ [http://www.byui.edu/academicoffice/sjb/stats/homestatesf05.htm Home States of Students - Fall 2005 ] ] 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. [ [http://www.byui.edu/academicoffice/sjb/stats/ethnicity.htm Ethnicity ] ] Moreover, during the Winter 2006 semester, 99.8% of the students were members of the LDS Church, Approximately 20% of the student body is married, and about 40 percent have been full-time missionaries for the LDS Church.Fact|date=November 2007

Athletics

Ricks College Vikings

Known as the Vikings, Ricks College fielded an intercollegiate athletics program from 1919-2002 in the National Junior College Athletic Association, earning 17 national titles, 61 individual national titles, and producing nearly 100 first-team All-Americans.cite web |url= http://www.byui.edu/alumni/summit/spring_2002/article1.htm|title= Celebrating a Century of Ricks College Athletics|accessdate=2008-06-02 |publisher= Brigham Young University-Idaho|date= 2002] More than 25 alumni who played football for Ricks went on to play professionally in the National Football League or Canadian Football League.

It was announced in June 2000 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.cite news |first= Kent|last= Larsen |title= Winners and Losers In Ricks/BYU-Idaho Changes |url=http://www.mormonstoday.com/000625/D3BYU-Idaho03.shtml |work= Mormon News |publisher= Casper Tribune|date= 2000-06-22|accessdate=2008-06-02]

Athletics as a four-year university

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. [cite news |first= Scott|last= Gower|title= Intracollegiate sports increase in popularity |url= http://www.byui.edu/scroll/archive/20051129/news8.html|work= Scroll Online|publisher= Brigham Young University-Idaho Scroll|date= 2005-11-29|accessdate=2008-08-06]

tudent life

LDS atmosphere

The atmosphere at BYU–Idaho is unique to most other universities due to its affiliation with the LDS Church. For example, almost every Tuesday that school is in session a devotional is held on campus when no classes are held, administrative offices close, and students and faculty are encouraged to attend an hour-long worship service either in person in the Hart Auditorium or via campus TV. There speakers selected from the campus community as well as from the general authorities of LDS Church will share a spiritually uplifting message. [cite web |url=http://www.byub.org/byuidevotionals/ |title=What is a Devotional? |accessdate=2008-08-09 |publisher= [http://www.byub.org/ BYU Broadcasting] ]

Culture

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." [ [http://www.byui.edu/aboutbyuidaho/campuslife.htm About BYU-Idaho – BYU–Idaho ] ]

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 is nearly nonexistent, 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 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, Kevin Mahogany, and Byron Stripling.

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.

[http://activities.byui.edu/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.

Honor Code

All students and faculty, regardless of religion, are required to agree to adhere to an honor code. Early forms of the BYU Honor Code are found as far back as the days of the Brigham Young Academy and educator Karl G. Maeser. Maeser created the "Domestic Organization", which was a group of teachers who would visit students at their homes to see that they were following the schools moral rules prohibiting obscenity, profanity, smoking, and alcohol consumption. The Honor Code itself was created in 1940 at BYU and was used mainly for cases of cheating and academic dishonesty. Ernest L. Wilkinson expanded the Honor Code in 1957 to include other school standards (At this time, Wilkinson, as President of BYU, had some authority over BYU Hawaii as well). This led to what the Honor Code represents today: rules regarding chastity, dress, grooming, drugs and alcohol. A signed commitment to live the Honor Code is part of the application process for all LDS-affiliated schools, and must be adhered by all students, faculty, and staff. Students and faculty found in violation of standards are either warned or called to meet with representatives of the Honor Council. In rare cases, students and faculty can be expelled from the school.cite web| last = Bergera| first = Gary James | coauthors = Ronald Priddis| title = Chapter 3: Standards & the Honor Code| work = Brigham Young University: A House of Faith| publisher = Signature Books| date = 1985| url = http://www.signaturebookslibrary.org/byu/chapter3.htm| accessdate = 2008-01-21] In addition to the general Honor Code common at all LDS schools, the BYU–Idaho Honor Code proscribes overalls, baseball caps (worn inside classrooms), shorts, and flip-flop sandals on campus. [cite web |url=http://www.byui.edu/Honorcode/dress.html |title=BYU-I Honor Code |accessdate=2008-08-05 |publisher=BYU-Idaho]

Alumni

As of August 2008, BYU–Idaho has approximately 150,000 alumni [cite web |url=http://www.byui.edu/alumni/ |title=Alumni |accessdate=2008-08-05 |publisher=Brigham Young University-Idaho] which includes those students who attended when the school functioned as a junior college and was known as Ricks College as well as those from the period when the school functioned as an academy, equivalent to a modern high school. The school's alumni include two-time Olympic medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling (gold in 2000) Rulon Gardner [cite web | url = http://www.byui.edu/alumni/summit/Summit_Spring2001/Alumni%20News.htm | title = Gardner bio| publisher = Brigham Young University-Idaho| accessdate = 2008-08-05 ] and MLB pitcher for the Florida Marlins Matt Lindstrom. [cite web | url = http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=434637 | title = Lindstrom bio| publisher = Florida Marlins| accessdate = 2008-08-05 ] Another alumnus is former counselor in the LDS Church's First Presidency Marion G. Romney, [cite web | url = http://www.byui.edu/pr/thespiritofricks/ch13.htm | title = New Buildings! New Status? | publisher = Brigham Young University-Idaho | accessdate = 2008-08-05 ] [cite news |first=Glenn |last=Fowler |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Obituary: Marion G. Romney, 90, President of the Mormon Council of Twelve |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE1DF1338F932A15756C0A96E948260 |work= |publisher="New York Times" |date=1988-05-21 |accessdate=2008-02-03 ] who was valedictorian of the Ricks Academy class of 1918.

References

External links

* [http://www.byui.edu/ Official Website of BYU–Idaho]
* [http://www.lib.byui.edu/searchByuiFotos.htm Online collection of BYU–Idaho, Ricks College, and Bannock Stake Academy photographs]
* [http://www.lib.byui.edu/scrollSearch.htm Online collection of BYU–Idaho and Ricks College student newspaper, the Scroll"]