History
BYU-Idaho has a long history of providing educational opportunities to underserved student populations. In 2009, President Kim B. Clark oversaw the creation of the BYU-Idaho Pathway program. This program was initially designed to address the significant roadblocks holding back many potential students from pursuing higher education such as:
-High educational costs
-Lack of academic confidence
-Inadequate academic preparation
-Developing English language skills
The Pathway program was created to help students gain both life and professional skills in a context of faith and to prepare them for success at a local university or online through BYU-Idaho.
Key Decisions For The Pathway Program
President Clark later identified several key decisions that proved to be critical for the eventual growth and success of the Pathway program in providing new educational opportunities for many people who lacked them.
Gathering
The original Pathway program combined online learning with a local gathering where students met together to participate in both academic and religious learning experiences. These cohorts of students would teach, support, and help one another in pursuit of their shared educational goals.
CES Partnerships
Pathway partnered with other CES institutions as its source for pre-matriculation academic courses and with Institutes of Religion for its religious education courses.
Affordable
The program was more affordable for both domestic and international student populations, thereby significantly reducing the cost barriers to higher education.
Removing Other Barriers
Understanding that many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wanted an education, administrators worked to remove additional roadblocks to admissions, including:
-Pathway did not require an ecclesiastical endorsement for admission.
-BYU-Idaho waived all other academic entrance requirements into their online certificates and degrees for students who achieved a "B" average in the Pathway program.
This allowed students with poor high school performance or a low ACT score to apply to Pathway as a bridge to college.
-Pathway did not require an ecclesiastical endorsement for admission.
-BYU-Idaho waived all other academic entrance requirements into their online certificates and degrees for students who achieved a "B" average in the Pathway program.
This allowed students with poor high school performance or a low ACT score to apply to Pathway as a bridge to college.
Three Primary Purposes of the Pathway Program
As the original Pathway program began, three primary purposes were identified which tied into BYU-Idaho’s mission of developing disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, the Church, and their communities.
The Pathway program was designed to:
The Pathway program was designed to:
1
Help students keep the gospel in their hearts
2
Help students become capable learners
3
Prepare students to lead & support families
How Pathway Has Grown
