Brigham Young University - Idaho

The BYU-Idaho story begins on a cold November day in 1888, when Latter-day Saint pioneers in the newly settled town of Rexburg gathered for the opening of a new academy. Bannock Stake Academy, as it was first known, grew and matured over the ensuing decades. Its curriculum and name changed more than once. It forged ahead through uncertainty and difficulty to become Ricks College, the venerable institution that laid the foundation for BYU-Idaho.

• 1888
• 1900
• 1903
• 1915
• 1923
• 1988
• 1999
• 2000
• 2001
• 2011

1888

• Bannock Stake Academy established, offering elementary school-level courses

1900

• Curriculum expanded to include high school-level courses

1903

• Name changed to Ricks Academy in honor of founder Thomas E. Ricks

1915

• Curriculum expanded to include college courses

1923

• High school-level courses phased out, name changed to Ricks College

1988

• Ricks College celebrates its centennial

1999

• Ricks College is the largest private junior college in the United States

2000

• Transition from Ricks College to Brigham Young University-Idaho announced

2001

• Ricks College officially becomes BYU-Idaho

2011

• Tenth anniversary of transition to university status