What It Is
The Thomas E. Ricks Endowment honors the man primarily responsible for the school's founding by supporting the faculty in their renewal and revitalization efforts. This endowment, funded exclusively by private donations, is a key instrument to help faculty achieve the most important objective—preparing students.

Why It Is a Priority
Administrators and faculty are aware of the monumental challenges and the unprecedented opportunities for preparing students to serve the needs of a world awash in the waves of economic, political, and moral change. And never before in human history have so many changes occurred simultaneously, nor caused such widespread opportunity for global interaction and cultural understanding. It is vital that faculty at BYU—Idaho be able to meet these challenges.

What It Does and How It Helps
The endowment provides grants to fund curriculum and faculty development and faculty research—with an emphasis on projects which will most directly benefit students. Faculty from all disciplines and at all levels are eligible to apply for research, travel, seminars, and other enhancement grants that will satisfy this goal. It is through these forms of renewal that teachers can better stay abreast of the constant flow of new information in their disciplines. And this periodic revitalization is directly reflected in the ability of teachers to stimulate students who are seeking to learn.

Over the past 20 years as many as 45 faculty per year have benefitted from funding provided by the endowment. The projects produce clearly measurable benefits in the classroom.