BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY–IDAHO

'Brigham Young University–Idaho' '(BYU–Idaho or BYU–I)' is a four-year college owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The institution is located in the remote eastern Idaho community of Rexburg. 99% of the students at BYU–Idaho are LDS (Mormon).[1] Students enrolled at BYU–Idaho are required to follow a strict honor code. BYU–Idaho was known as 'Ricks College' from 1923 until 2000.

BYU–Idaho is part of the LDS Church's Church Educational System, which also includes:

★ Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah

★ Brigham Young University Hawaii in Laie, Hawaii

★ LDS Business College in Salt Lake City, Utah
BYU–Idaho has a four-point mission:

★ Build testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and encourage living its principles

★ Provide a quality education for students of diverse interests and abilities

★ Prepare students for lifelong learning, for employment, and for their roles as citizens and parents

★ Maintain a wholesome academic, cultural, social and spiritual environment
BYU–Idaho is currently led by Kim B. Clark. Clark previously served as dean of the Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts. Clark is a Latter-day Saint (Mormon) and he left Harvard to take the top post at BYU–Idaho at the invitation of LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley. Clark started his BYU–Idaho presidency in August 2005.
At the beginning of his presidency, Clark introduced three imperatives to guide BYU–Idaho in fulfilling its four-part mission:
#Raise the quality of the experience students have while at BYU–Idaho.
#Make a BYU–Idaho education available to more students.
#Lower the relative cost of education.

Contents

History

Rethinking Education

Three-track System

The "Spirit of Ricks"

Weekly Devotionals

Activities Program

Faculty

Students

Honor Code

Student Life/Culture

Facilities

Notable alumni

Trivia

References

External links

History

★ '1888.' The LDS Church opens Bannock Stake Academy in Rexburg. The academy was one of several organized in the Mormon communities of the western United States.

★ '1898.' The school is renamed Fremont Stake Academy.

★ '1903.' The school is renamed Ricks Academy in honor of Thomas E. Ricks, founder of Rexburg and chairman of the school’s first Board of Education.

★ '1923.' The school became known as Ricks College.

★ 'June 2000.' LDS Church leaders announce that Ricks College, then the largest private junior college in the nation, would become 'Brigham Young University–Idaho.' LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley explained the name change was designed to give the institution immediate national and international recognition. Intercollegiate athletics were phased out, and an innovative Activities Program that allows a greater number of students to take part in athletics and other pursuits was implemented.
The college continued to grow and expand throughout the 20th Century, eventually enrolling more than 13,000 students (Fall 2006).
The transition from Ricks College to BYU–Idaho progressed quickly. Enrollment would eventually grow by some 4,000 students. Dozens of baccalaureate programs and an innovative academic calendaring system were introduced.
In 2004 BYU–Idaho became accredited at the baccalaureate level by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Rethinking Education

"Rethinking Education" is the college's motto. When it was announced that Ricks College would transition into a four-year institution, it was determined that some unique innovations would take place in order to serve a growing student body; this need is where the new motto came from.
Elder Henry B. Eyring stated "the phrase ‘rethinking education’ is not to be only a slogan for the transformation from a two- to four-year status. The school is to be a place of educational innovation—permanently."^[1] Two of the core components of "Rethinking Education" are the three-track system and the "Spirit of Ricks."

Three-track System

BYU–Idaho operates on an expanded year-round basis to allow more students the opportunity to attend. The academic calendar is divided into winter, summer, and fall semesters. Students are admitted to one of three tracks: summer/fall, fall/winter, or winter/summer. The system allows students to be “off-track” for one semester each year, and they stay on the same track through graduation.
A year-round Fast Track program is also available. Students participating in Fast Track generally start after their sophomore year at BYU–Idaho and continue year-round (summer, fall, and winter) until graduating.
In the first semester of 2007 BYU–Idaho implemented a revised academic calendar utilizing three 14-week semesters. Under the 14-week schedule, classes are now an hour as opposed to fifty minutes in order to meet accreditation requirements. This has enabled more students to attend the summer semester.

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 have stressed the importance of preserving and enhancing the “Spirit of Ricks.”

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.

Activities Program

BYU–Idaho has an "Activities Program" organized into six areas: Outdoor, Social, Service, Talent, Fitness, and Sports.
Intercollegiate athletics were discontinued when Ricks College changed its name to BYU–Idaho. Instead of intercollegiate athletics, BYU–Idaho has a competitive intra-collegiate athletics program as part of the Activities Program in which several teams from within the College compete against one another.
Service Activities provides students with opportunities to participate in as many as 15 different programs run by students and devoted to campus, community and humanitarian service.

Faculty

BYU–Idaho employs approximately 470 faculty members. Instructors are engaged in a wide range of scholarly activities, but the faculty’s primary focus is on the teaching and development of students. The school maintains a low student to faculty ratio, and there is no faculty rank.

Students

Approximately 13,500 full-time students were enrolled at BYU–Idaho during the Fall 2006 semester. Students come from all 50 states and more than 50 countries.
The student body at BYU–Idaho is notably homogeneous. During the Winter 2006 semester, 91% of the students were Caucasian. The largest minority group for the Winter 2006 semester was Hispanic, representing 3% of the student body. [2]
During the Winter 2006 semester, 99.8% of the students were members of the LDS (Mormon) Church. [3]
By one list of statistics, almost 40% of BYU–Idaho students came from the state of Idaho. [4] This list of statistics ranked the top five home states of BYU–Idaho students (as a percentage of total students) as follows:
# Idaho 38%
# Utah 10%
# California 10%
# Washington 8%
# New Mexico 6%
About 25 percent 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.

Honor Code

The students, faculty, and staff of BYU–Idaho adhere to a rigorous Honor Code that reflects the beliefs and teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Honor Code emphasizes:

★ Honesty

★ Chastity and virtue

★ Obeying the law and all campus policies

★ Using clean language

★ Respecting others

★ Abstaining from alcoholic beverages, tobacco, tea, coffee and recreational drugs

★ Frequent church attendance

★ Encouraging others to comply with the Honor Code.
The code includes guidelines for dress and grooming. Overalls, baseball caps, and flip-flop sandals are forbidden. Female students are forbidden to have more than one pair of earrings, while male students are not permitted to have earrings at all. Male students are not allowed to have beards (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. [5]

Student Life/Culture

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 similar to other BYU schools but unlike that of other schools. Alcohol and drug use are practically non-existent, 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. One event that has proven immensely popular with the student body is a three-day series of concerts called "Guitars Unplugged," held each semester, which 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. As of Fall 2006, students in the jazz combo program have began performing at a local restaurant/club called the "Heart, Mind and Soul," as a free service to get the students more performance time. 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 recently, 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, but are also illegal.

Facilities

The BYU–Idaho campus includes nearly 40 major buildings and residence halls on over 400 acres. 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, the third largest organ owned by the LDS Church, after the Tabernacle and Conference Center organs in Salt Lake City, Utah. On October 31, 2006, groundbreaking was held for the final phase of the expansion of BYU–Idaho from Ricks College. This expansion will include an addition to the Hyrum Manwaring Student Center and a new auditorium with the capability of holding the entire student body. The expansion of the Manwaring Center gave way to the demolition of the Smith Annex in April 2007.
The school is also home to a planetarium, an arboretum, natural history, geology, and wildlife museums, and a 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.

Notable alumni

★ Marion G. Romney - Former counselor in First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

★ Rulon Gardner - 2000 Olympic Greco Roman Wrestling Champion

★ Stephen G. Hanks, President and CEO of Washington Group International

★ Matt Lindstrom - Pitcher for the Florida Marlins

★ Jon Peter Lewis - American Idol finalist; attended, did not graduate

Trivia

★ BYU–Idaho is the only LDS University that does not have a temple adjacent to its campus. Once the Rexburg Temple is finished, this will no longer be true.

★ Ricks College was featured on a t-shirt worn by the main character in the 2004 comedy Napoleon Dynamite which was based in rural Idaho.

References

1. "Steady Upward Course"

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''