Brigham Young University (often referred to as BYU, or sometimes just the Y) is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.^[6][7]

Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students are members of the LDS Church, and one-third of its American students come from within the state of Utah.^[8] BYU students are required to follow an honor code, which mandates behavior in line with LDS teachings (e.g., academic honesty, adherence to dress and grooming standards, and abstinence from extramarital sex and from the consumption of drugs and alcohol).^[9] Many students (78% of men, 10% of women) take a two-year hiatus from their studies at some point to serve as Mormon missionaries.^[10][11] Many BYU students speak foreign languages during their Mormon missions, and approximately 31% of the student body enroll in foreign language courses, making it one of the most multilingual student bodies in the United States.^[12] A BYU education is also less expensive than at similar private universities^[13] since approximately 70% of tuition is funded by LDS Church tithing funds.^[14]

BYU offers programs in liberal arts, engineering, agriculture, management, and law. The university is broadly organized into 11 colleges or schools at its main Provo campus, with certain colleges and divisions defining their own admission standards. The university also administers two satellite campuses, one in Jerusalem and one in Salt Lake City, while its parent organization, the Church Educational System, sponsors sister schools in Hawaii and Idaho. The university's primary focus is on undergraduate education, but it also has 68 master's and 25 doctoral degree programs.

BYU's athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA and are collectively known as the BYU Cougars. They are independent in football, with other sports in the West Coast Conference and MPSF, and have won ten national championships.

History[link]

Brigham Young, the school's namesake

Early days[link]

Brigham Young University's origin can be traced back to 1862 when a man named Warren Dusenberry started a Provo school in a prominent adobe building called Cluff Hall, which was located in the northeast corner of 200 East and 200 North.^[15] On October 16, 1875, Brigham Young, then President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, personally purchased the Lewis Building after previously hinting that a school would be built in Draper, Utah in 1867.^[16] Hence, October 16, 1875 is commonly held as BYU's founding date.^[17] Said Young about his vision: "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."^[18]

The school broke off from the University of Deseret and became Brigham Young Academy,^[18] with classes commencing on January 3, 1876. Warren Dusenberry served as interim principal of the school for several months until April 1876 when Brigham Young's choice for principal arrived—a German immigrant named Karl Maeser.^[17] The school did not become a university, however, until the end of Benjamin Cluff, Jr's term at the helm of the institution. At that time, the school was also still privately supported by members of the community and was not absorbed and sponsored officially by the LDS Church until July 18, 1896.^[19] A series of odd managerial decisions by Cluff led to his demotion; however, in his last official act, he proposed to the Board that the Academy be named "Brigham Young University". The suggestion received a large amount of opposition, many members of the Board saying that the school wasn't large enough to be a university, but 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."^[20]

In 1903, Brigham Young Academy was dissolved, and was replaced by two institutions: Brigham Young High School, and Brigham Young University.^[19] (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.^[19]) The Board elected George H. Brimhall as the new President of BYU. He had not received a high school education until he was forty. Nevertheless, he was an excellent orator and organizer.^[20] Under his tenure in 1904 the new Brigham Young University bought 17 acres (69,000 m²) of land from Provo called "Temple Hill".^[19] After some controversy among locals over BYU's purchase of this property, construction began in 1909 on the first building on the current campus, the Karl G. Maeser Memorial.^[21] Brimhall also presided over the University during a brief crisis involving the theory of evolution. The religious nature of the school seemed at the time to collide with this scientific theory. Joseph F. Smith, President of the Church, settled the question for a time by asking that evolution not be taught at the school. 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.^[20]

Expansion[link]

The Abraham O. Smoot Administration Building, the main administration building on the Provo campus

Franklin S. Harris was appointed President of the University in 1921. He was the first President of BYU to have a doctoral degree. Harris made several important changes to the school, reorganizing it into a true University, whereas before, its organization had remnants of the Academy days. 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 was eventually replaced by President Howard S. McDonald, who received his doctorate from the University of California. When he first received the position, the Second World War 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. The University 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.^[20] The next President, Ernest L. Wilkinson, also oversaw 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 to this day.^[22] During his tenure, the student body increased six times, making BYU the largest private school at the time. The quality of the students also increased, leading to higher educational standards at the school.^[20] Finally, President Wilkinson reorganized the LDS church units on campus, with ten stakes and over 100 wards being added during his administration.^[22]

Overlooking North Campus

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.^[23] Jeffrey R. Holland followed as President in 1980, encouraging 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 that this should be taken advantage of rather than hidden. During his administration, the university added a campus in Jerusalem, now called the BYU Jerusalem Center. In 1989, Holland was replaced by Rex E. Lee.^[24] Lee was responsible for the Benson Science Building and the Museum of Art on campus.^[25] A cancer victim, Lee is memorialized annually at BYU during a cancer fundraiser called the Rex Lee Run.^[26] Lee was replaced shortly before his death in 1996 by Merrill J. Bateman.^[27] Bateman was responsible for the building of 36 new buildings for the University both on and off campus, including the expansion of the Harold B. Lee Library from 1996-1999. 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—BYU previously participating in the Western Athletic Conference. 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.^[28] Bateman was followed by Cecil O. Samuelson in 2003, who is the current president.^[29]

Academics[link]

Admissions and demographics[link]

BYU accepted 68% of the 10,409 people who applied for admission in the summer term and fall semester of 2009.^[30] The average ACT score and GPA for these admitted students was 28.2 and 3.8, respectively.^[30] U.S. News and World Report describes BYU's selectivity as being "more selective" and compares it with such universities as the University of Texas and The Ohio State University.^[31][32][33] In addition, BYU is ranked 26th in colleges with the most freshman Merit Scholars, with 88 in 2006.^[34] For the past two years, BYU outranked every university in the country including Harvard University for the percentage of accepted applicants that go on to enroll (78% vs. 76% for Harvard).^[35]

The Harold B. Lee Library is consistently ranked among the top ten in the nation, with a #1 ranking in 2004 by The Princeton Review.

Students from every state in the U.S. and from many foreign countries attend BYU. (In the 2005-6 academic year, there were 2,396 foreign students, or 8% of enrollment.)^[34] Slightly more than 98% of these students are active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 2006, 12.6% of the student body reported themselves as ethnic minorities, mostly Asians, Pacific islanders and Hispanics.^[36]

Graduation honors[link]

Undergraduate students may qualify for graduation honors. University Honors is the highest distinction BYU awards its graduates.^[37] Administered by the Honors Program, the distinction requires students to complete an honors curriculum requirement, a Great Works requirement, an Advanced Languages requirement, a service requirement, an honors thesis requirement, a graduation portfolio that summarizes the student's honors experiences—all while maintaining at least a 3.5 GPA.^[38]

The university also awards Latin scholastic distinctions separately from the Honors Program: summa cum laude (top 1 percent), magna cum laude (top 5 percent), and cum laude (top 10 percent).^[38] The university additionally recognizes Phi Kappa Phi graduation honors.

Rankings[link]

For 2012, U.S. News & World Report ranked BYU as #71 for national universities in the United States.^[45] The Princeton Review has ranked BYU the best value for college in 2007,^[46] and its library is consistently ranked in the nation's top ten—#1 in 2004 and #4 in 2007.^[47] BYU is also ranked #19 in the U.S. News and World Report's "Great Schools, Great Prices" lineup, and #12 in lowest student-incurred debt.^[48] Due in part to the school's emphasis on undergraduate research, BYU is ranked #10 nationally for the number of students who go on to earn PhDs, #1 nationally for students who go on to dental school, #6 nationally for students who go on to law school, and #10 nationally for students who go on to medical school.^[49] BYU is designated as a research university with high research activity by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.^[50]

In 2009, the university's Marriott School of Management received a #5 ranking by BusinessWeek for its undergraduate programs,^[51] and its MBA program was ranked by several sources: #22 ranking by BusinessWeek,^[51] #16 by Forbes,^[52] and #29 by U.S. News & World Report.^[53] Among regional schools the MBA program was ranked #1 by The Wall Street Journal's most recent ranking (2007),^[54] and it was ranked #92 among business schools worldwide in 2009 by Financial Times.^[55] For 2009, the university's School of Accountancy, which is housed within the Marriott School, received two #3 rankings for its undergraduate program—one by Public Accounting Report and the other by U.S. News & World Report.^[56][57] The same two reporting agencies also ranked the school's MAcc program #3 and #8 in the nation, respectively.^[56][58]

Notable research and awards[link]

The N. Eldon Tanner Building, home of the Marriott School of Management

Scientists associated with BYU have created some notable inventions. Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of the electronic television, received his education at BYU, and later returned to do fusion research, receiving an honorary degree from the university.^[59] Harvey Fletcher, also an alumnus of BYU, inventor of stereophonic sound, went on to carry out the now famous oil-drop experiment with Robert Millikan, and was later Founding Dean of the BYU College of Engineering.^[60] H. Tracy Hall, inventor of the man-made diamond, left General Electric in 1955 and became a full professor of chemistry and Director of Research at BYU. While there, he invented a new type of diamond press, the tetrahedral press. In May 2008, research by economics professor Joseph Price regarding the effects of child birth order was featured on Today.^[61] In student achievements, BYU Ad Lab teams won both the 2007 and 2008 L'Oréal National Brandstorm Competition,^[62][63] and students developed the Magnetic Lasso algorithm found in Adobe Photoshop.^[64] In prestigious scholarships, BYU has produced 10 Rhodes Scholars,^[65] four Gates Scholars in the last six years, and in the last decade has claimed 41 Fulbright scholars and 3 Jack Kent Cooke scholars.^[66]

International focus[link]

The Eyring Science Center houses a planetarium and a Foucault pendulum.

Over three quarters of the student body have some proficiency in a second language (numbering 107 languages in total).^[67] This is partially due to the fact that 45% of the student body at BYU have been missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and many of them learned a foreign language as part of their mission assignment.^[68] During any given semester, about one-third of the student body is enrolled in foreign language classes, a rate nearly four times the national average.^[67] BYU offers courses in over 60 different languages,^[67] many with advanced courses that are seldom offered elsewhere. Several of its language programs are the largest of their kind in the nation, the Russian^[69] program being one example. The university was selected by the United States Department of Education as the location of the national Middle East Language Resource Center, making the school a hub for experts on that region.^[69] It was also selected as a Center for International Business Education Research, a function of which is to train business employees in international languages and relations.^[67]

Beyond this, BYU also runs a very large study abroad program, with satellite centers in London, Jerusalem, and Paris, as well as more than 20 other sites.^[70] Nearly 2,000 students take advantage of these programs yearly. In 2001, the Institute of International Education ranked BYU as the number one university in the U.S. to offer students study abroad opportunities.^[71][72] The BYU Jerusalem Center, which was closed in 2000 due to student security concerns related to the Second Intifada and, more recently, the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, was reopened to students in the Winter 2007 semester.^[73]

The Maeser Building, built in 1911, houses BYU's Honors Program.

A few special additions enhance the language-learning experience. For example, BYU's International Cinema, featuring films in several languages, is the largest and longest-running university-run foreign film program in the country.^[74] As already noted, BYU also offers an intensive foreign language living experience, the Foreign Language Student Residence. This is an on-campus apartment complex where students commit to only speak their foreign language of choice while in their apartments. Each apartment has at least one native speaker to ensure correct language usage.^[75]

Academic freedom issues[link]

In 1992, the university drafted a new Statement on Academic Freedom,^[76] specifying that limitations may be placed upon "expression with students or in public that: (1) contradicts or opposes, rather than analyzes or discusses, fundamental Church doctrine or policy; (2) deliberately attacks or derides the Church or its general leaders; or (3) violates the Honor Code because the expression is dishonest, illegal, unchaste, profane, or unduly disrespectful of others." These restrictions have caused some controversy as several professors have been disciplined according to the new rule. The American Association of University Professors has claimed that "infringements on academic freedom are distressingly common and that the climate for academic freedom is distressingly poor."^[77] The new rules have not affected BYU's accreditation, as the university's chosen accrediting body allows "religious colleges and universities to place limitations on academic freedom so long as they publish those limitations candidly", according to associate academic vice president Jim Gordon.^[78] The AAUP's concern was not with restrictions on the faculty member's religious expression but with a failure, as alleged by the faculty member and AAUP, that the restrictions had not been adequately specified in advance by BYU: "The AAUP requires that any doctrinal limitations on academic freedom be laid out clearly in writing. We [AAUP] concluded that BYU had failed to do so adequately."^[79]

Organization and administration[link]

Brigham Young University is a part of the Church Educational System of LDS Church. It is organized under a Board of Trustees, with the President of the Church (Thomas S. Monson as of 2012) as chairman. This board consists of the same people as the Church Board of Education, a pattern that has been in place since 1939. Before that BYU had a separate board of trustees that was subordinate to the Church Board of Education.^[80] The President of BYU, currently Cecil O. Samuelson, reports to the Board, through the Commissioner of Education.^[81]