Rosemary Palmer - LDS Living
Many young members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do not have the opportunity to attend LDS-owned colleges. Nauvoo University, opening for its inaugural semester in fall 2009, will provide another academic setting for these students.
Though Nauvoo University will be opening its doors for the first time, the idea of a university in Nauvoo is not new. The University of the City of Nauvoo was founded in 1840, but became dormant by 1846.
But the mission lives on. The same mission that Joseph Smith gave the university in 1841 will be Nauvoo University’s mission: to "enable us to teach our children wisdom—to instruct them in all knowledge, and learning, in the Arts, Sciences and Learned Professions. We hope to make this institution one of the great lights of the world, and by and through it, to diffuse that kind of knowledge which will be of practical utility, and for the public good, and also for private and individual happiness.”
Prospective students have already voiced a desire to honor Nauvoo pioneers and “be part of starting something big.”
One student said, “A good, clean, safe environment for learning and living is very important to me. I believe that Nauvoo University is headed for great things and will accomplish much good, and I look forward to being a part of it all.”
“Nauvoo is filled with such religious history that I know I will not only come out of there with a greater knowledge, but with a stronger testimony of my faith,” said another. “I want so much to be able to . . . experience the lives of those saints who first came to Nauvoo.”
The university is being organized as an independent coeducational institution that adheres to Latter-day Saint standards but is not owned, operated, funded, or supported by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It will offer a strong academic program of basic classes coupled with spiritual development, which may make it attractive to students who attend one or two semesters before an LDS mission, who want a year or two closer to home before attending a Church school or other college, or who would like to complete a two-year associate degree. Although it is called Nauvoo University, it will not begin as a four-year institution.
As a result of a recent agreement, students in Nauvoo will also be able to register as students at Carl Sandburg College (CSC), accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and located in Galesburg, Illinois. This will allow students to transfer credits and apply for scholarships through CSC. Associate degrees will be completed through CSC.
Admission is open to LDS students and students of diverse faiths who meet these standards: morality and honesty, abstinence from alcohol and tobacco, clean and modest dress, and ecclesiastical endorsement. Nauvoo University hopes to have a freshman class of 50 students during the 2009-2010 year, with student enrollment increasing as the school expands.
Nauvoo University is looking for faculty and students with a pioneering spirit who want to leave an imprint on this new institution with its long-term goal to become a fully accredited four-year university. Many instructors will be retired LDS professors volunteering their time.
Initially, Nauvoo University will use existing facilities to house the students and staff, but will start a building program as soon as possible.
Nauvoo University’s Board of Trustees has started a campaign to raise funds for and solicit support of the University. Donations of real estate, funds for buildings, endowments for scholarships, and assistance in the organization and establishment of the university are needed.
Evan L. Ivie, former director of the BYU Semester-at-Nauvoo program, is spearheading the endeavor to begin Nauvoo University. Ivie noted that when the church discontinued the BYU semester-at-Nauvoo program in 2006, numerous individuals expressed interest in a college in Nauvoo based upon its key role in church history and the reconstructed Nauvoo Temple.
“With the blessings of God, Nauvoo University will grow into the kind of institution that Joseph Smith envisioned it to be,” said Evan Ivie.
To learn more about Nauvoo University, or to apply online as a student, go to nauvoouniversity.com.
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