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Show Ricks: 'Dedicated To Service By DELL VAN ORDEN Church News Assistant Editor REXBURG, IDAHO T" his college will yet grow and sur-- I prise the world with its great men and women, because It .vas conceived in righteousness and dedicated to the service of God. These words, uttered more than 70 years ago, characterise the faith and confidence early supporters had in Ricks College. And it was this type of confidence which enabled the school to weather many stormy years, in which it teetered on the brink of being closed more than once. But, today, as Ricks College commemo- rates its 81st year, it looks to a bright future its permanence has been secured, its enrollment has mushroomed and its campus has been transformed from one of buildsagebrush and lava to one of modern ( ings and beautiful landscaping. Established Nov. 12, 1888, as the Bannock Stake Academy, the school was founded so students of the Upper Snake River Valley could receive religious as well as academic training. d In a communique from President Woodruff to the presidency of the Bannock Stake, which included all territory from the Portneuf Narrows in southern Idaho to the Canadian border, instructions for founding the school were given: Our children, if left to the training they receive in the schools, will grow up entirely ignorant of those principles of salvation for which the Latter-daSaints have made so many sacrifices. Wil-for- The Manwaring Student Center is typical of the modern buildings on campus of Ricks College. y The desire is universally expressed by all thinking people in the Church that we should have schools where the Bible, the Book of Mormon and the book of Doctrine and Covenants can be used as textbooks; and where the principles of our religion may form a part of the teaching of the schools, President Woodruff wrote. Through the years, the school underwent many changes as it grew from a small academy offering instruction in the elementary grades to its present status r as a comprehensive college. two-yea- The name was changed four times, the campus was expanded to provide facilities for the influx of students Pres. John L. Clarke looks over new Physical Education Building, largest in valley. WEEK ENDING AUGUST 23, 1969 ever-increasi- and the curriculum was altered to meet the demands of the day. A high school program was introduced in 1898. By 192-1-, a junior college program was in full swing and in 1948, the curriculum was expanded to three college years and in 1949 to four college years. In 1956, as part of a new overall policy for the Unified Church School System, Ricks discontinued its curriculum for juniors and seniors and since then has provided a comprehensive program for freshmen and sophomores. When the school first started, 82 students enrolled. Today, more than 4,000 Continued on Page 14 |