REXBURG, Idaho — Shirley Calder has a unique vantage point at Brigham Young University-Idaho — in some ways more so than university President David A. Bednar.

Photo by Julie Dockstader Heaps

BYU-Idaho President David A. Bednar visits with students Crystal Swanson, 20, center, and Shandy Williams, 19.

Members of the BYU-Idaho ballroom dance company perform during the homecoming pageant.

In her 27 years as a campus employee — from custodial to her present position in interlibrary loan requests for the David O. McKay Library — she has watched what has until recently been known as Ricks College grow into national junior college prominence. She observed academic excellence reach national proportions. Over the years, as entrance requirements became more stringent, she noticed the quality of students evolving. She even realized she had to shush them less in the library.

"The students put more efforts into their studies. They cared more about their grades. I loved that change," Sister Calder said during a lunch break in the Hyrum Manwaring Center on the hillside campus in southeastern Idaho.

Now that Ricks College has made the transition into BYU-Idaho — as of Sept. 4, the day the first classes were held for the new four-year institution — she expects to see the quality of the students ever increasing, as well as the requests for interlibrary loans. But one thing she doesn't want to change is what is called "the spirit of Ricks."

"We're working on keeping it the same," she said. "Because we want to keep the spirit of Ricks, it affects the decisions I make. I know how much it has meant to me."

This love for the "spirit of Ricks" — described as compassionate, friendly, student-oriented and gospel-centered — is prevalent among all faculty, staff and students here and need not diminish despite a name and status change, said President Bednar in an interview with the Church News in his office overlooking the campus.

"The spirit of Ricks is not in buildings. It is in this place, on this campus. You could tear all the buildings down and put people in tents and conduct classes and you'd still have the spirit of Ricks. The spirit of Ricks is the Holy Ghost in this place and it's manifested through very caring and concerned people."

And that won't change, President Bednar said. "In fact, we're trying to see if we can't get even more that way."

President Bednar met with the Church News the week of the last homecoming football game for Ricks College, Sept. 17-22. The festivities included a special Tuesday, Sept. 18, devotional with Elder Henry B. Eyring of the Quorum of the Twelve. That evening, Elder Eyring (who is a former Ricks College president) lit the Legacy Torch near the football field, symbolizing the continuing legacy of Ricks College. On Friday evening, Sept. 21, after a Gladys Knight concert, students held a torch-light parade through campus. On Saturday, Sept. 22, Ricks College played its final homecoming game, followed by an alumni reception and, later that evening, traditional homecoming events.

Photo by Michael Lewis

One of 9,200 students attending the first semester of BYU-Idaho, formerly Ricks College, walks across campus on a sunny day. Classes began Sept. 4.

As Ricks College has made the 15-month transition to a baccalaureate-awarding, four-year institution, adjustments to the school's mission have been minimal, as was intended according to the original June 2000 announcement by President Gordon B. Hinckley. (Please see June 24, 2000, Church News.) "The school will have a unique role and be distinctive from the other institutions of higher education within the Church Educational System," President Hinckley said at the time.

BYU-Idaho runs on a year-round track program, which allows for more students to be served, although not all at the same time. For the fall 2001 semester, 9,200 students are enrolled, while it is expected some 9,800 will be served annually.

In addition, there is no faculty ranking here, and bachelor's degrees include integrated and specialized programs. (Associates degrees preparing students for employment within two years are still awarded.) An example of a specialized degree might be mechanical engineering (to be offered in 2003). Integrated degrees are similar in nature to major/minor degrees awarded at other universities. New baccalaureate programs will be added up through the 2004-2005 school year.

The largest adjustment to the school has been the phasing out of intercollegiate athletics, with 2001-2002 being the last season for all collegiate sports. Being slowly phased in is a new activities program with three focuses — physical, social and the visual/performing arts. Being developed first is the physical phase, including jogging trails, canoeing, backpacking, cross-country skiing and an expanded intramural program.

President Bednar emphasized that the transition to BYU-Idaho will be an ongoing process for years to come. "What's happening is a slow rate of acceleration. It's really pretty exciting. You look down the road and the potential for our first graduating class of baccalaureate students could be quite significant."

However, these changes did not occur in just the last 15 months, he added. "The Lord has been getting this institution ready for years with all of the things already in place that needed to be there."

Academic Vice President Don Byrd has also seen that spiritual preparation in faculty members who have changed their lives to come to BYU-Idaho. In hiring some 37 new faculty members, he has seen many uproot homes and families to move to southeastern Idaho. In addition, he said the school has added 335 new courses at 300 and 400 levels and higher. "That means that a lot of people are having to step up to a higher plane to teach those courses. In terms of how successful they have been, we have not had any major glitches or problems."

One such new faculty member is Tom Morley of BYU-Idaho secondary education department. He was once education policy adviser to Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne. As someone who is a teacher of teachers, Brother Morley said, "One of the themes of the campus is the scholarship of teaching. The bottom line is that excellent teaching is a process. We're going to teach that notion of 'If you're going to be a teacher, you need to practice the scholarship of learning and teaching.' "

Such emphasis is designed to not only preserve the spirit of Ricks, but to even enhance it. Nineteen-year-old student Shandy Williams from Vernal, Utah, probably said it best, "The spirit of Ricks is still kicking."

E-mail: julied@desnews.com