October 9, 2025, 3:54 PM MDT
The world has changed in many ways since 2000.
At the time, less than half of American households had access to the Internet. People had to wait for printed newspapers and evening news programs to find out what was going on in the world. Social media wasn’t widely present yet, and Netflix was a monthly DVD rental subscription.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has also undergone many changes.
In 2000, there were only 68 temples dedicated to the Church. The 21,000-seat conference center at the church’s headquarters in downtown Salt Lake City had not yet been dedicated. And the church’s education system admitted about a third of the students.
But it was also the year that President Gordon B. Hinckley made an announcement that would transform Church education and the Church.
On June 23, 2000, the Prophet held a press conference from the Church Administration Building in downtown Salt Lake City.
“I am pleased to announce that Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, will be transitioning from its current two-year junior college to a four-year university,” President Hinckley said. “The new four-year school will be known as Brigham Young University-Idaho, and this name change is intended to give the school immediate national and international recognition.”
After just over a year of significant changes, on August 10, 2001, the school officially transitioned to BYU-Idaho, offering 50 bachelor’s degrees in its first year.
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who served as the university’s president from 1997 to 2004, later declared, “The founding of BYU-Idaho was one of the most important educational events of the Restoration.”
Earlier this summer, BYU-Idaho marked the 25th anniversary of its historic announcement and began nearly 18 months of events and activities celebrating the university’s growth and impact.
One sign of the university’s growing profile in higher education is BYU-Idaho’s inclusion on the Wall Street Journal’s 2025 list of America’s Best Colleges. BYU-Idaho earned the top spot in the state of Idaho, ranked third compared to a university in Utah, and ranked 32nd in the nation for best value.
What does best value mean? Graduates achieve the same results for far less cost.
Also, for the second year in a row, BYU-Idaho welcomed its largest freshman class in its history.
“I think what we’re seeing is a great convergence of greater awareness among members of the church of the great experience that BYU-Idaho offers, and the great experience that BYU-Idaho offers, as well as a younger generation who are looking for something uniquely offered at BYU-Idaho. BYU-Idaho is resolutely focused on its mission to develop disciples of Christ, and will provide an excellent education that will prepare them for a lifetime of work in college.” It’s affordable and a very fun and vibrant environment,” BYU-Idaho President Alvin F. Meredith III said of the university’s continued growth.
In 2000, Ricks College enrolled approximately 14,500 students each year. In 2024, BYU-Idaho enrolled more than 32,000 students. When we add in the number of online students we serve through our partnership with BYU-Pathway Worldwide, that number increases to nearly 62,000 students enrolled in 2024.
Elder Kim B. Clark, a General Authority Seventy Emeritus who served as president of BYU-Idaho from 2005 to 2015 and then as Commissioner of Church Education, explained in an interview on the university’s 20th anniversary that higher education in the Church educational system has grown significantly over the past few decades, and much of that growth has come through BYU-Idaho.
In addition to more than doubling the number of students on campus, BYU-Idaho is also the birthplace of BYU Pathways Worldwide, which served nearly 75,000 students in 2024.
More students than ever before are being offered the opportunity for a Church education, Elder Clark said, “all because God’s prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, was inspired by the Lord to establish Ricks College at the University of Idaho and pave the way for it.”
prophetically guided
In a one-page, six-paragraph announcement, President Hinckley outlined the exact terms of the university’s design, which former president Elder Clark G. Gilbert described as the university’s “birthright.”
In it, President Hinckley said the university remains educationally oriented and that is the department’s primary focus. This institution will focus solely on undergraduate education. No graduate degrees are offered. Because faculty will not focus on research and the school will not offer graduate programs, the campus could operate “on an expanded basis throughout the year.”
In addition, BYU-Idaho will be able to take advantage of “advances in technology” and serve more students. It will also cancel intercollegiate athletics and “shift our focus to a year-round program of activities designed to engage and meet the needs of a diverse student body.”
Essentially, the prophet created in 450 words a distinctive model for higher education that is unique in all of academia, notes Elder Gilbert, who currently serves as a General Authority Seventy and Commissioner of Church Education.
In his 2023 inaugural address, President Meredith reminded students that “with great commitment and purpose, we must remain a Christ-centered and prophetically guided university,” reinforcing the university’s mission to “form disciples of Jesus Christ.”
On Tuesday, September 16, during the opening devotional for the fall 2025 semester, President Meredith and his wife, Sister Jennifer Meredith, said that as they look back on 25 years, the campus community is the heir to an honorable legacy.
“The first 25 years have been marked by perseverance, discovery, and growth. We look back with gratitude and move forward with confidence. The next 25 years are waiting to be written. You help write that chapter,” Sister Meredith told students and faculty.
In July, the school unveiled a special 25th anniversary logo that will be featured across campus, on digital platforms, and on merchandise.
“The last 25 years have been the fulfillment of prophecies,” media production manager Stephen Mendenhall said in a BYU-Idaho news release. “This is a moment that boldly proclaims our identity and purpose, highlighting how far BYU-Idaho has come in just 25 years and how bright the future looks as we continue to build on the foundation in which we have been led by God.”
Celebrations of the school’s transformation will continue until 2026.
