"I hope to see an Academy established in Provo... at which the children of the Latter-day Saints can receive a good education unmixed with the pernicious atheistic influences that are found in so many of the higher schools of the country."
The history of Brigham Young University (BYU) begins in 1875, when the school was called Brigham Young Academy (BYA). The school did not reach university status until 1903, in a decision made by the school's board of trustees at the request of BYU president Benjamin Cluff. It became accredited during the tenure of Franklin S. Harris, under whom it gained national recognition as a university. A period of expansion after World War II caused the student body to grow many times in size, making BYU the largest private university of the time. The school's history is closely connected with its sponsor, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Early years
Brigham Young Academy ca. 1900
BYU's origin can be traced back to 1862, when Warren and Wilson Dusenberry started a Provo school in a prominent adobe building called Cluff Hall, located in the northeast corner of 200 East and 200 North. Dusenberry paid the $50 a month in rent and manufactured the desks for the school himself. In 1865, despite popularity of the school, he left the school to enter into private business because of financial difficulty. In 1869, he started another school in Provo with his brother, this time in a different building. This school flourished, so they expanded to a building called the Lewis Building on Center and 300 West, with an executive committee (with people such as K.R. Hopkins, Peter Stubbs, and Myron Tanner) elected to take care of the interests of the school.[2][3] The school grew in popularity and acclaim, so when the University of Deseret was reestablished in March 1869, the popularity and quality of the second Dusenberry School made it a prime candidate to be the first branch of the university, and it was converted into the Timpanogos Branch.[1][4] Enrollment eventually eclipsed 300, surpassing even the University of Deseret.[4]
Then on October 16, 1875, after some financial difficulties forced another closure, Brigham Young, LDS Church president (who owned the building and had been lending it rent free to the school), drew up and signed a deed of trust creating a new school, which idea he had been working on for some time. This is the commonly held founding date of BYU.[5] Young broke the school off from the University of Deseret and christened it "Brigham Young Academy.".[1] The original board of trustees included "Martha Jane Knowlton Coray to represent women's interests."[4]
Classes at the new BYA commenced January 3, 1876. Reed Smoot was the first of 29 students to register for classes on that day [he graduated from the BYA high school in the Class of 1880]. Warren Dusenberry served as interim principal of the school for several months until April 1876, when Young's choice for principal arrived, a German immigrant named Karl G. Maeser.[5] In January 1884, a fire started in a chemistry lab and destroyed the Lewis Building. Students temporarily held class in three separate locations before relocating to a warehouse on University Avenue. The students attended class in the ZCMI warehouse until January 1892, when an elaborate brick and sandstone building called the "BY Academy Building" was completed.[5]
Benjamin Cluff, Jr.
Benjamin Cluff, Jr ca. 1903
By this time, Maeser had to be replaced as president by the board of trustees. He had been called to oversee the entire LDS educational program and was unable to do both jobs. The Board's initial choice was twenty-seven-year-old James E. Talmage, but before they could extend the invitation, he was hired by LDS College in Salt Lake City. They instead chose a recent graduate of the University of Michigan, Benjamin Cluff. Cluff's methods as president have been described as nearly opposite those of Maeser. Maeser was insular and conservative in his teaching methods. He kept his teachings well within the LDS world, and adhered to classical education standards. Cluff was more open to new ideas and methods. He also believed that the world outside Mormonism had a lot to offer the school.[6]
BYA was still more like a present-day high school than a university. Some BYA students were at the elementary level and received tutoring from older students.[5] Cluff, however began implementing several changes to the school according to his experiences at Michigan. He began separation of the college from the high school, giving older students access to higher level materials. He also introduced an athletics program, which was quickly closed by the Board of Trustees (Many colleges at this time frowned on athletics programs).[6] The school was privately supported by members of the community, and was not absorbed and sponsored officially by the LDS Church until July 18, 1896.[7]
Cluff continued his somewhat unusual tactics in 1900, when he took a group of students on an expedition to Mexico to explore the lands of the Book of Mormon and discover Zarahemla. At the Mexican border, Cluff and his group were met by Heber J. Grant, a member of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Grant disapproved of the expedition and asked Cluff to go back, but he refused. What followed was an eighteen-month adventure through jungle, full of illness, and including a stay in Mexican prison. Cluff and his group eventually returned to BYA in 1902. For another two years he served the school successfully, seeing it double in size. However, Walter Wolfe, one of the men who had come on the Mexican expedition, accused Cluff of mismanagement, misrepresentation, misappropriation of funds, and immorality, all having allegedly occurred in Mexico. Although Cluff was cleared of all charges, the damage done to his reputation required the board to hire a new president.[6]
In his last official act, Cluff proposed to the board that BYA be renamed "Brigham Young University". At first there was a large amount of opposition to this. Many members of the board thought that the school wasn't large enough to be a university. However, the decision ultimately passed. One opponent to the decision, Anthon H. Lund, later said, "I hope their head will grow big enough for their hat."[6]
In 1903, BYA was dissolved, and was replaced by two institutions: Brigham Young High School, and BYU.[7] (The BY High School class of 1907 was ultimately responsible for the famous giant "Y" that is to this day embedded on a mountain near campus.[7]) The Board elected George H. Brimhall as the new BYU president by a narrow margin, as his health during Cluff's tenure had been failing. Brimhall did not have the education of previous leaders of the school. He had not received a high school education until he was forty. Nevertheless, he was an excellent orator and organizer.[6]
In 1904, the new BYU bought 17 acres (69,000m2) of land from Provo.[7] This land was called "Temple Hill", and many people had presumed that the LDS Church would build a temple on this property. Because of this expectation, some people were opposed to BYU buying the land. But thanks to the leadership of a BYU student named Byron Owen Colton, the opposition to the land purchase was assuaged and the deal was consummated.[8] It was on this Temple Hill land, north of the BY Academy Building, that present-day BYU was begun. In 1909, construction began on the first building on the current campus, the Karl G. Maeser Memorial.[9]
By 1910, Brimhall had hired several new faculty with high credentials, many of them PhDs in their fields. These included Ralph Chamberlin, biologist, his brother William Chamberlin, philosopher, and brothers Joseph and Henry Peterson, who taught psychology and education, respectively. This was an unprecedented step for the school, as Cluff had previously been the most educated member of the staff, with a master's degree earned while he was in office. Brimhall, like many of the presidents before him, believed in delegation, and distributed many of his duties among the new faculty. Eventually, problems began to arise. Several of the faculty believed that the school should teach organic evolution, while others disagreed. The ensuing contention ended with a decision not to teach evolution issued by LDS Church president Joseph F. Smith, two faculty members being fired, and several others resigning out of sympathy for those discharged. History seems to show[vague] that the two faculty members were fired for an inability to compromise with the rest of the group, rather than their pro-evolution agenda, although this has been disputed. Many wondered whether the school would survive this crisis. A few have described the school at this time as nothing more than a "religious seminary". However, many of its graduates at this time would go on to great success and renown in their fields.[6][10]
Franklin S. Harris to Ernest L. Wilkinson
Franklin S. Harris ca. 1922
Ernest Leroy Wilkinson in 1951
Franklin S. Harris was appointed as BYU's president in 1921 and was the first to have a doctoral degree. Harris made several important changes to the school, lifting it from its somewhat dismal status at the end of Brimhall's tenure into a new era. Harris reorganized the college into a true university, whereas before its organization had remnants of the academy days. He also began work on achieving accreditation for the school. At the beginning of his tenure, the school was not officially recognized as a university by any accreditation organization. By the end of his term, the school was accredited under all major accrediting organizations at the time. He served twenty-four years, longer than any other BYU president, before resigning in 1945 to work at Utah State University.[6]
Harris was replaced by Howard S. McDonald, who had received a doctorate from the University of California. McDonald was used to an organization which placed the president at the head of decision-making, rather than a board of trustees. Because of this, he had a lot of trouble working with the board, who at BYU had more power than he was accustomed to. However, he achieved several valuable things in his four-year tenure. When he first received the position, World War II had just ended, and thousands of students were flooding into BYU. By the end of his stay, the school had grown nearly five times, to an enrollment of 5,440 students. BYU did not have the facilities to handle such a large influx, so he bought part of an Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah, and rebuilt it to house some of the students. McDonald also did several other things. When asked by church leaders whether support for the college be dropped, he answered an adamant no, putting an end to the last real question of the school's survival. He also began a significant building program which was continued by his successors. McDonald resigned in 1949 in order to work at a Los Angeles College fitting his administrative style better.[6]
After a one-and-a-half year period in which Christen Jensen temporarily filled the position of president, Ernest L. Wilkinson was appointed by the board of trustees. Wilkinson's administration was a period of intense growth, as the school adopted an accelerated building program. Wilkinson was responsible for the building of over eighty structures on the campus, many of which still stand.[11] During his tenure, the student body increased six times, making BYU the largest private school of the time. The quality of the students also increased, leading to higher educational standards at the school.[6] Wilkinson reorganized the LDS Church units on campus, with ten stakes and over 100 wards added during his administration.[11]
Alpine Summer School
Aspen Grove is an alumni and family camp associated with BYU. In 1911, Eugene L. Roberts used the location as a starting point for the school's annual hike to Mount Timpanogos.[12][13][14] Ten years later, the landowner donated 35 acres of the property to BYU on which the Alpine Summer School was established in 1922. Students lived there in tents to study zoology, botany, and geology, entomology, and art. The first directors of the camp were Martin P. Henderson, Fred Buss, and Clawson Y. Cannon.[15] The school later built a kitchen, a dining hall, and dormitories, but the camp was abandoned during World War II.[12][13][14] The director of the BYU Alumni association, Raymond Beckham, fundraised to establish Aspen Grove as an alumni camp. Construction began in 1962 and added running water, a sewage system, and a swimming pool. The camp officially opened on July 13, 1963. Open year-round, the camp has grown to accommodate thousands of guests for family vacations, reunions, youth conferences, and retreats.[12][16]
Dallin H. Oaks to Merrill J. Bateman
Dallin H. Oaks in 2010
Dallin H. Oaks replaced Wilkinson as president in 1971. Oaks continued the expansion of his predecessor, adding a law school and proposing plans for a new School of Management. During his administration, a new library was also added, doubling the library space on campus. Oaks was appointed to the Utah Supreme Court in 1980,[17] and was succeeded as president by Jeffrey R. Holland. Holland encouraged a combination of educational excellence and religious faith at the university. He believed that one of the school's greatest strengths was its religious nature, and believed that should be taken advantage of, rather than hidden. During his administration, the university added a campus in Jerusalem, now called the BYU Jerusalem Center. When the new campus faced local opposition, Holland personally visited protesters and promised, in writing, that nobody associated with the new campus would proselyte, leading to the Center's successful completion. In 1989, Holland was called as a general authority and was replaced by Rex E. Lee.[18] Lee was responsible for the Benson Science Building and the Museum of Art on campus.[19] As one who fought, but eventually died from cancer, Lee is honored annually at BYU during a cancer fundraiser called the Rex Lee Run.[20]
Lee was replaced in 1996 by Merrill J. Bateman.[21] From 1996 to 1999, Bateman oversaw the expansion of the Harold B. Lee Library. He also strengthened the foundations of several buildings on campus in case of an earthquake. Later in his term, he began plans for the Joseph F. Smith Building, completed in 2004. Bateman was responsible for the building of 36 new buildings for BYU, both on and off campus, including the Barlow Center in Washington D. C. This center is a place for students to stay and also provide a BYU presence in the city. Athletics programs also saw development under Bateman, including the creation of the women's softball team. He was also one of several key college leaders who brought about the creation of the Mountain West Conference, which BYU's athletics program joined. Previously, BYU had been in the Western Athletic Conference. Bateman was instrumental in a push to rename "Cougar Stadium", "LaVell Edwards Stadium" in 2000, in honor of former football coach, LaVell Edwards. He also led a push among several universities to reverse an NCAA ruling that games could be scheduled on Sunday (an effort which was unsuccessful). Overall, sports programs flourished under Bateman's tenure. In the computing and technology area, Bateman directed a merging of BYU's computer systems with the LDS Church's, as well as enlarging the resources available to computing majors. A BYU satellite TV network also opened in 2000, under his leadership. Bateman was also president during the September 11th attacks in 2001. The planes crashed on a Tuesday, mere hours before the weekly devotional normally held at BYU. Previous plans for the devotional were altered, as Bateman led the student body in a prayer for peace.[22]
In 2007, the church's First Presidency invited George W. Bush to speak as the commencement speaker. When it became evident that he would be unable to attend, Dick Cheney accepted the invitation instead.[24] The invitation generated controversy that was covered by all major news outlets.[25] BYU's board of trustees issued a statement explaining that the invitation to Cheney should be viewed "as one extended to someone holding the high office of vice president of the United States rather than to a partisan political figure."[26] However, BYU permitted a protest to occur so long as it did not "attack [the] BYU administration, the Church or the First Presidency."[27] On April 26, 2007, Cheney delivered a largely apolitical speech and was greeted warmly by over 20,000. All three members of the First Presidency were in attendance.[28] The leader of the protest was invited to appear on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart but did not do so because, "It wouldn't be a big deal if they were to make fun of our club, because it is funny, but it's something else if it's BYU or the church."[29] A group of students held an alternative commencement off campus at a different time featuring Ralph Nader and Jack Healey as speakers.[30]
In two separate forum assemblies in October 2007, BYU also hosted US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (a Democrat)[31] and U.S. Supreme CourtChief JusticeJohn Roberts[32] as forum speakers. During his speech, Reid presented his reasons for his political beliefs, his thoughts on the Iraq war, and his condemnation of those who opposed or supported Mitt Romney for his religious (as compared to his political) beliefs alone. Roberts spoke about the powers and limitations placed on the federal judiciary by the United States Constitution.[33]
In 2012, BYU reached a legal settlement with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer over a long-disputed patent claim involving the research behind the successful drug Celebrex. While the settlement amount was not disclosed, Pfizer's quarterly filings initially earmarked at least $450 million (BYU originally sought over $9 billion); is expected that this and likely future payments will have significant impact on BYU's endowment and research funding.
Samuelson was followed by Kevin J Worthen in May 2014.[34] Worthen has worked as an attorney, BYU faculty member and as dean of the J. Reuben Clark Law School. At the time of his appointment as president, he had been serving as BYU's Advancement Vice President.
Brigham Young University (BYU) is a private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Brigham Young University–Hawaii (BYU–Hawaii) is a private college in Laie, Hawaii, United States. It is owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. BYU–Hawaii was founded in 1955 and it became a satellite campus of Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1974. In 2004, it was made a separate institution. The college's sole focus is on undergraduate education.
James Edward Talmage was an English chemist, geologist, and religious leader who served as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1911 until his death.
Karl Gottfried Maeser was a prominent Utah educator and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served 16 years as principal of Brigham Young Academy. Although he was not the first principal of the Academy, he is considered its founder. The Academy later became Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1903.
Ernest Leroy Wilkinson was an American academic administrator, lawyer, and prominent figure in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was president of Brigham Young University (BYU) from 1951 to 1971, simultaneously overseeing the entire LDS Church Educational System (CES). He is credited with the expansion of BYU. Under his presidency, the student body increased six times to over 25,000 students due to the university's physical growth and his aggressive recruiting policies; the number of colleges at the university increased from five to thirteen, and the number of faculty members increased four-fold. Wilkinson focused on recruiting more faculty and convincing current faculty to receive education outside the university. As a result, the number of teachers with doctorate degrees increased from 50 to 500. Associate and doctoral programs were created for BYU.
George Henry Brimhall was president of Brigham Young University (BYU) from 1904 to 1921. After graduating from Brigham Young Academy (BYA), Brimhall served as principal of Spanish Fork schools and then as district superintendent of Utah County schools, finally returning to BYU. In April 1904, Brimhall became president of the school, which had become BYU in October 1903. As president of BYU, Brimhall helped institute the collegiate program, departments for specific subjects, and an emphasis on religious learning.
Benjamin Cluff Jr. was the first president of Brigham Young University and its third principal. Under his administration, the student body and faculty more than doubled in size, and the school went from an academy to a university, and was officially incorporated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Cluff changed class periods from half an hour to a full hour, adopted the official colors of the university, started summer school and the Alumni Association, encouraged the university's first student newspaper, provided the first student loans, and developed an intercollegiate sports system.
Warren Newton Dusenberry was the founding principal of Brigham Young Academy in 1876. Before becoming principal of Brigham Young Academy, Dusenberry was the founder of three other schools in Provo, Utah. Dusenberry was only a temporary principal and was succeeded by Karl G. Maeser. He also served as County Judge of Utah County and mayor of Provo.
Merrill Joseph Bateman is an American religious leader who was the 11th president of Brigham Young University (BYU) from 1996 to 2003. He is an emeritus general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was the LDS Church's 12th presiding bishop in 1994 and 1995. Bateman was the Sunday School General President of the LDS Church from 2003 to 2004, a member of the Church's Presidency of the Seventy from 2003 to 2007, and the president of the Provo Utah Temple from 2007 to 2010.
Alice Louise Reynolds was a Brigham Young University (BYU) professor. Reynolds furthered her studies out east, receiving a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan. She taught college-level courses at Brigham Young Academy until it dissolved into BYU, and she was the first woman to do so. She was the second woman in Utah to be named a full professor, and the first woman to be a full professor at BYU. She worked to establish the library at Brigham Young Academy, and through her efforts, she was able to collect over 100,000 donated volumes. She worked as an editor for the Relief Society Magazine and contributed to other LDS Church-affiliated magazines. Reynolds was an outspoken Democrat and served on the party's committee and as a delegate to the party's national convention. Reynolds died in 1938 of cancer.
The Church Educational System (CES) Honor Code is a set of standards by which students and faculty attending a school owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are required to live. The most widely known university that is part of the Church Educational System (CES) that has adopted the honor code is Brigham Young University (BYU), located in Provo, Utah. The standards are largely derived from codes of conduct of the LDS Church, and were not put into written form until the 1940s. Since then, they have undergone several changes. The CES Honor Code also applies for students attending BYU's sister schools Brigham Young University–Idaho, Brigham Young University–Hawaii, and LDS Business College.
J. Elliot Cameron was an American educator and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Joseph Brigham Keeler was an American teacher and administrator at Brigham Young Academy (BYA) and then Brigham Young University (BYU). He was for a time a counselor to George H. Brimhall when the school had a presidency similar to other LDS Church Presidencies.
The Brigham Young University (BYU) College of Fine Arts and Communications (CFAC) is one of the nine colleges at the university, a private institution operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and located in Provo, Utah. Founded in 1925, the college has grown from a small college of the arts with minimal faculty and only 100 students to the second largest college on campus.
Harvey Harris Cluff (1836–1916) was a business, civic and educational leader in late-19th-century Provo, Utah.
The BYU Division of Continuing Education (DCE) is a division of Brigham Young University (BYU) that oversees continuing education programs.
Brigham Young High School was a private high school in Provo, Utah, United States, first known as Brigham Young Academy (BYA). The school later became attached to Brigham Young University (BYU) with its official name being Brigham Young University High School, commonly called B Y High. It operated under the Church Educational System of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Martha Jane Knowlton Coray was an American Mormon pioneer, record keeper, and educator. She was the only female member of the first board of trustees of Brigham Young Academy. Born in Kentucky and raised in Ohio and Illinois, Coray converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a young woman and moved to the Mormon settlement of Nauvoo. There, she assisted Lucy Mack Smith, the mother of Joseph Smith, in creating a biography of Joseph, later published under the title History of Joseph Smith by His Mother. After crossing the Great Plains alongside other Mormon pioneers, Coray settled in Utah Territory, homesteading in towns such as Tooele and Mona. She helped support her family financially through dairy production, home chemistry, and other crafts. Though she never received formal schooling, Coray studied various topics in her free time and sought to teach her children what she knew. She took an interest in law, becoming involved in local court disputes and political discussions. Towards the end of her life, in 1875, Coray was appointed a member of the first Brigham Young Academy Board of Trustees, the only woman to serve in this capacity at the time. While serving as trustee, she focused her efforts on encouraging education for young women and creating a curriculum of religious education for the academy. Today, the lecture hall in the Karl G. Maeser Building on Brigham Young University's campus bears Coray's name, and the university's 1997 homecoming celebrations honored her achievements.
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