BYU-Idaho to break ground on last phase of expansion
Student center, auditorium will finish transition
Elder David A. Bednar, member of the Quorum of the Twelve for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and former president of BYU-Idaho, will be the devotional speaker.
The groundbreaking will follow for a new 12,000-seat auditorium and expansion of the Manwaring Student Center, which represents the final phase of plans announced in June 2000 by LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley to effect the transition of the school — formerly known as Ricks College — to university status.
The plans address two primary areas of university needs: "facilities where students can gather together as well as build and inspire one another, and critically needed space for the activities program," according to a press release.
The auditorium, to be built immediately south of the John W. Hart Physical Education Building, will primarily serve as a center for campus devotionals, commencement ceremonies and a variety of events.
Renovation and expansion of the Manwaring Center will be focused on the building's north side, with an enclosed pedestrian connection to the neighboring David O. McKay Library.
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