Thursday, December 19, 2024

Brigham Young University


Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah -- photographed for this blog entry by Carson Dover, an alumnus of the school (BS, MS) -- has an especially scenic campus. As one observer noted, "pretty much the entire BYU campus is surrounded by the Rocky Mountains' Wasatch Range." Carson is now a new graduate student with us at Texas Tech University and he kindly took these photos for the blog.

The mountains also frame the Wilkinson Student Center...


... the new Engineering Building (which opened circa 2019)...


... the entry to the Harold B. Lee Library ...


... and this plaza of blooming trees.


One additional aspect of the location is the presence of "Y Mountain," a half-mile from campus and shown at this link. According to the linked article:

Preparations for placing the initials BYU on the mountainside began in April of 1906 when president George H. Brimhall commissioned surveyors for the letters "B," "Y" and "U." The letter "Y" was first laid out to insure that the initials were properly centered on the mountain. Beginning in the early morning, students formed a line that zigzagged up the mountainside. Standing eight feet apart, each student would carry a load of lime powder up to the next person and then return for another. 

Officials expected to complete laying out all three letters by 10 a.m. By 4 p.m., only the Y was covered. After such a laborious day of work, plans to fill in the other two letters were scrapped.

Other important structures on the BYU campus include the Spiral Walkway (seen from overhead at this link)...


... the Tree of Wisdom (which has been relocated and rebuilt a few times)...


... and the Visitors Center...


Ultimately, though, as proclaimed on this university sign, "The world is our campus."