By Big Rob Rogers
rob@newsroom.byu.edu
BYU Jr., BYU's farm club, Lil' BYU; they're all well known terms of endearment for Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho.
However, at a press conference Wednesday morning, President Gordon B. Hinckley of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that Ricks College will become Brigham Young University-Idaho.
'Ricks College will change from its present two-year junior college status to a four-year institution,' President Hinckley said.
With the change, the new BYU-Idaho will begin next year to phase out its intercollegiate athletics program. The college will also expand to a year-round schedule.
What will not change is the instructor-student relationship that has been a Ricks College hallmark.
'BYU-Idaho will continue to be teaching oriented. Effective teaching and advising will be the primary responsibilities of its faculty, who are committed to academic excellence,' President Hinckley said.
Elder Henry B. Erying, commissioner of education for The LDS Church and one-time president of Ricks College, was also in attendance to answer questions.
'Ricks College ... has always been seen as a place where students could come with a little more expectation of nurturing and personal attention than they might at some other institution,' he said.
The change in status comes as a response to the growing number of college-age church members who want to attend church schools.
'We realized that there was an opportunity here; largely because of the wonderful strengths that have been developed there already to increase the blessing to the young people of the Church and those who would want to come,' Elder Eyring said.
When asked why they had made the decision to do away with the athletics program, President Hinckley simply responded, 'it takes too much money.'
'It (athletics) takes a great amount of time and energy. We think that in this instance we would like to change the emphasis. In the first place, Ricks is a long ways from everybody. They have to travel great distances to play. That's a factor in it. It is a very costly program,' he said.
President Hinckley also quelled any talk of the Church building another two-year school to replace Ricks by simply stating that the Church did not have any plans in mind.
BYU-Idaho could also see an increase in the student population.
'This campus is so innovative in terms of changing their schedule to allow more students to come, that that's hard to forecast. There's a real possibility that even with a four year status they might be able to serve more students without adding to the facilities,' Elder Erying said.
President Hinckley was asked if the change in status would change the school's academic standards.
'It will be just as good a teaching institution as we can make it.'
President Hinckley also pointed out that as the change in status occurs, by necessity some programs would have to be eliminated.
'The new four-year institution will be assessing and restructuring its academic offerings. Predictably, the school will need to change and even eliminate some long-standing and beneficial programs as the school focuses upon key academic disiciplines and activities,' he said.
President Hinckley described the change as a transition from a good two-year college to an even better four-year institution.
He said the change will be phased over a period of time and done in a way to preserve the school's autonomy and identity.
President Hinckley said with some additions and modifications the physical facilities now in place are adequate to handle the new program. The changes that do take place will be modest in nature and scope.
President Hinckley pointed out that BYU-Idaho will emphasize undergraduate education.
'(BYU-Idaho) will award baccalaureate degrees; graduate programs will not be offered,' he said.
Elder Eyring said the real beneficiaries of the change will be the students.
'I'm pleased,' Elder Eyring said of the decision. 'It's a blessing to the students.'